Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-01-31
be executed under the direction Of the Secretary of the

MT. dOhMAN remarked that some anxiety had Deen
manifested by the Census Board the perntendent OF
the Census and the House. upon the subject of this
port lie would say to the House that the j. mt Commit
tee on Printing this morning unanimously pass Ell reso-
luton that the public printer had not complied with the
terms OF his contract in regard 10 the material he was
using The printing of the required by
every member and the Secretary of the Interior had been
good deal annoyed because he could get this done The
was also exceedingly DESTROYS of action
the subject AT first blush gentlemen might be under the
impression that this printing properly belonged to the
public printer but under the of 1851 it in the
power OF Congress to give TO whomsoever they thought
proper There was no one single member Of the commit
tee OF either party but clearly the opinion that this
printing did not within the puryiew of the contract
with the public printer. For the purpose then of ex
pedng this printing this joint resolution was offered for
the consideration of the House il had been before the
Senate and had been postponed by that body week
two for the that certain statistical and hisor
cal accounts of the States being given which some
Senators conceived to be in violation of the law
After full investigation of the subject he thoroughly
satisfied that the letter of the law authorized the Secre
tary OF the Interior to do what he had done and the
Superintendent Of the Census under him. Although it
might strange that they should adopt something
like historical of each county in the respective
States yet it highly necessary in his opinion and he
apprehended that the authority given this law gave the
Secretary of the Interior the right to adopt such form
he might hereafter prescribe.
Mr.. ALLISON desired to know what action the Com
mittee Printing had taken the resolution which
adopted last Monday authorizing the Committee Print
ing to contract for hundred thousand copies of the
report of the Superintendent of the Census published
in the Globe of the LIST Of January?
Mr.. G0RMAN replied that this subject had been before
the Committee on Printing He had called upon Mr..
Rves, and he had also addressed note to Messrs Done
Armstrong Mr.. Rives did not desire to have any
thing to do with the matter if it coniced with the
tract Of the public printer although he had the report in
type Messrs. Donelson Armstrong declined perform
ing the work He should this evening, if the other
bers of the committee concured contract with Mr. Ryes
for na nfinnn fha and IN anu fuynt
would be delivered to the House.
MIR. EVANS desired to know why the names of Donel-
Armstrong inserted in the resolution and why
they selected out of the vast number of printers in
the United States 1t done support printers and
editors who could not obtain circulation sufficient to
sustain their paper Before they authorized the Commit
tee Printing to engage Congress in such large
pendture, they should know something of the cost of
printing this report The Superintendent of the Census
engaged in preparing volume in regard to the
of the State of Maryland which he understood
would be about the size Of the Congressional Globe of the
second session of the last Congress; it would be
siderable sized folio volume This what he had been
told by the Superintendent of the Census This volume
to contain, the gentleman who preceded him
had stated among other things historical account of
every county in the State besides complete account of
the of the State involving the hundred par
cuars which the law of the last Congress gave power
ask of individuals. IL similar account to be pre-
pared for each of the States of the Union they would
have thrtyon large folio volumes, which would involve
them in expenditure of millions of dollars They
about to act bindolded when such amount
of money involved and he desired to know for what
purpose He should like know of the chairman of the
Committee Printing how many volumes of this work it
proposed to publish, and how much money it
pected to COST the whole? He would consent
thus bndfoded to yield up the power which the House
possessed the treasury to the Committee Printing
They should limit the expenditure and prescribe the
Der of copies to be printed.
Mr. JONES, of Tennessee, desired to know if it
the understanding of the gentleman that there to be
volume for each State large the Congressional
Globe for the last session?
Mr. EVANS replied that he did not know but he un-
derstood the volume of the State of Maryland which
now being prepared, to be model volume
Mr. JONES said that then he against printing any
of them.
Mr. STANTON, of Kentucky understood that the
whole of the returns would make book larger than
the Congressional Globe Of the first session of the hast
Congress.
Mr. EVANS did not deny this What he contended
was that they had no information whatever the sub
ect and they ought not bndy to adopt the resolution
Mr. e. then referred to the action of the last Congress
this subject when, he said, it decided that the
execution of this work belonged to the public printer
and the Committee on Printing declared that this
work did not belong to the contractor The House had
not made any investigation TO whether this
not and before passing this resolution they should
inc into the subject.
He would like some one to tell him why the names of
Donelson Armstrong had been inserted in this resou-
ton2 This him the most mysterious part Of the
loss flor every contractor complained OF losing he could
not tell. Why did not the House say that this work
should be let out to the lowest bidder for cash, good
security, the Government furnishing the paper? The
resolution did not leave it at the discretion of the
committee accept any terms offered by other printers
matter how advantageous to the Government they
might be- Was il the object of the resolution to build up
paper upon the eve of great Presidential contest it
being well known that it had but limited circulation
Mr.. GORMAN said that the gentleman would find
sufficient if he would look back to certain extra
session when the printing taken from Democrat,
and by party vote given to Gales & Seaton.
Mr.. EVANS said that act which he would never
sanction and, in conclusion he moved to amend the
solution to give the printing to the lowest bidder
for cash, the Government furnishing the paper
Mr. yENABLE remarked that the resolution designated
the individuals with whom the committee to make
contract thus preventing them from making contract
with any body else.
Mr. GoRMAN said that the resolution authorized the
committee make the contract upon such terms they
should deem reasonable.
Mr. VENABLE desired to know why the committee had
designated Donelson & Armstrong; What claims had
they upon the House and the country? They had
claims upon the country and certainly they had claim
upon him or those whom he represented. He felt the
influence of their paper last summer and he would
pay man to whip him when he could get il done cheaper
The paper advocated the federal doctrines with
which he could have sympathy. He was opposed
to the principle and arrangement by which the commit
tee should contract with but single firm. If there
were one hundred in the country, and they should
say that they should trade with but who sold
bread he would get his price for what he sold Why
were these designated Why did not the committee
come and propose to make them the public printers,
and fix the rates of printing? Why did they not come
and say that the present system bad one, and
they must return TO the old system III they had done
this he would have understood the proposition and they
Il