The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-01-28

wnea &c saa0 ~ sn1ekaAo erecx Meau
not add to thstE rspuAtise II I'll IN trifiing when
We make the Sdort. Hi 1bieCti06s was that oui
practice II corrupting ~ tastesAnd jadg menl
Of the county. appeared o him that the objsc!
Of the founders of the Govern feut vas by ite foa
tering care. to elevate mankind. and - pfonots
the arts of peace and science. and industry; il
fact, every thing which has tendency to inform
and improve mankind, and not by erecting m0nu
ments TO great men He had desired to offer his
amendment, Ito erect q monument to MIR. Gala.
tn,) for the purpose Of placing in contrast those
great men who have cultivated the arts OF peace
and devoted their talents and energies for the
benefit Of their species Mr.. Galatin was one Of
more for their country a thousand times than they
who go into the field of military glory, which
diverts the nation from the arts of peace and turns
it to war; and this has proven the grave of all
publics which have gone before US.
MIR HOUSTON was opposed to the amendment
and be appealed to gentlemen on all sides to per
feet and pass the bill He had look ed into the pro
ceedings of the short session of the twenty ninth
Congress, and there found that the House, at one
solitary sitting, passed one half of the appropria
ton bills. During the thirtieth Congress the
House when in committe. acted upon the Indian
Appropriation bill in less than half an hour, ane
did not make single amendment. We have failer
upon strange times. This amendment of the gen
tieman from North Carolina had been before th.
committees an entire legislative day
Mr.. TOOMBS called the gentleman to order, or
the ground that he was lecturing the House.
The CHAIRMAN decided that the gentleman
from Alabama was out OF order.
Mr.. HOUSTON denied that he was lecturine
the House; therefore the decision of the Chair wal
based on wrong reason He had merely appealed
20 gentlemen to transact the public business.
Mr.. GiDDINGss amendment was then dis
agreed to-
Mr.. SWEETSER moved to amend Mr.. vENA
BLE's proposition by increasing the amount speci
fed therein to the extent of FIVE dolars and he die
this with view of directing the attention of th,
committee to the arguments of his colleague In re
lation to the erection Of statues to the dead. NJ
man of reflection, he said, supposes that we car
add to the fame Of those men who had rendered
iilustrious services to their country; but some
thing is due to ourselves and to the generations tc
come after Us. We have an Overlooking Ii easury
and are in the midst of universal peace and BIZ
submitted whether public money could be expend.
ed better than by raising monuments not only in
memory OF those great men, but that we may point
our citizens to the capital where they can see
these works of art, and appreciate the services
which are designed to be commemorated Erect
then, your statues to jackson, Washington, and
70 the revolutionary heroes, and let them adorn
all the public squares.
Mr.. GIDDINGS said he was opposed to any fur.
ther increase OF appropriation, and also to the plan
OF his colleague to erect a regiment of bronze
statues ON the public squares Some future Con-
gress, he supposed, would erect one to his col.
league, who, ne believed, had some military repu.
tation
Mr.. SWEETSER hoped his friend from the
Western Reserve would be first honored
Mr.. GlDDlNGS resumed. His coleag1e was in
favor of an increase, while he was opposed to il
from every consideration which bound his con-
science. He was opposed to it because to him it
seemed to be belittling of the Office of repre-
sentative to erect pictures statues to the great
men who adorn the pages of the countrys history.
Let our attention be devoted to the promulgation
and extension of the arts of peace. If the treasury
ls overfowing, let educate the poor and elevate
down-trodden mankind.
Mr.. SWEETSER reminded the gentleman that
they came from State (Ohio) which makes am
pie provision for education and asks for nothing
from the national treasury.
Mr.. GIDDINGS said then he would go with his
colleague TOR collecting no more revenue than is
necessary for an economical administration of the
Government He was too much of Democrat
Iiaughterl to squander money; and, if his col
league was about to join the arstocracy to squan-
der money, let him no longer call himself Dem
ocrat lKenewed laughter He would have no
place IN the new administration as Democrat.
The money comes from the laboring poor, and
those who are destitute of the necessaries of lfe
they toll in poverty that Congress may erect ex-
travagant statues to those who have gone before
us. He would not wrench from the hand of pov.
erty one-thousandth part of cent to suuander in
this way. He had been a laboring man himself,
and therefore knew what it was to labor He never
would be instrumental in crushing labor for the
purpose OF adjoining our public squares.
Mr.. VENABLE's amendment, saappropriatng
$4,000 for the completion of the pedestal of the
statue of jackson and enclosing the same with an
iron railing, was agreed to, in the form in which
1t was originally offered.
PATENT OFFICE.
An amendment was adopted, appropriating
$44, 900 to supply deficiency in the appropria.
ton for the erection of the east wing of the Patent
Office.
MONUMENT TO GENERAL GREENE.
NT m A w ri. CT
atng 1875, 1000 for the erection of monument to
General Nathaniel Greene, in accordance with the
resolve of the Congress of 1876.
Mr.. JONES, of Tennessee, raised the question
hat the amendment was out of order.
The CHAIRMAN so decided and an appeal
having been taken, he was sustained by the COM
los, noes 50.
BOOK pIsrRByT1oN.
Various amendment having been adopted,
Mr.. STANLY offered the following as an addi
to the bill:
"And be Il further enacted, That hereafter no
books shall be distributed to members Of Congress
except such as are ordered to be printed az public
documents by the Congress of which they are
MEMBERS"
He said that, under the present arrangement.
The books which each member receives are valued
It nine hundred dollars. 1t is a great and grow
ng abuse. II those books were retained by mem
bers OF Congress they might aid in the discharge
of public duty; but few trouble themselves to save
them 1t is known to be fact that books have
been sold BY members of Congress-; and that these
very books have afterwards been again purchased
by the House, and again distributed among mem
bers. He repeated, this is great abuse. 1t is
doing harm to republican government, and would
lessen the standing of members among the people
when the truth should become more generally
known. 1t was time the abuse should be correct
ed. Therefore, let the House adopt his amend.
ment Mr. Lewis Williams, of North Carolina,
district in Congress for twenty-five
years. and he received for his district but one set
of books; but take the Northern and Western
who are changed almost every two
years, and they get ten or twelve times as many
ALI this s fair and right, for that is the practical
operation. II a man requires them at home, he
puts them into his library. He dies, and bis ad-
ministrator finds these books there. The adminis-
traitor is bound by law to consider them as assets
and sells them. There is no purchaser there
them. They get into the hands of agents here.
and they are again purchased and diatr,hnted
among members. He had done his duty in calling
the attention of the country to these facts
The amendment was agreed to-.
The committee then rose when all the amend
ments reported were concurred in. The bill was
passed.
And the House adjourned.
PETITION.
By Mr.. IVES: The petition of A. Cornwall and
one hundred and twenty two others, citizens of
Jefferson county, New York, praying for a grant
81 public land in aid of the construction of shin
canal around the Falls of Niagara, between Lakes
Erie and Ontario, New York.
Us az