Washington sentinel., 1854-03-31

have TO pay for that composition which was now
| paid Tor but by one
| With respect to the printing of the census abb
stract, mentionedby the senator, he had 10 say,
that the proposition which the senator from Penn
syivania introduced TO print additional copies
OF very imperfect and unreliable abstract Of the
| census. The committee reported against that,
and there its action ceased. The House. how
ever. passed resolution respecting the printing
OF different work, and the two committees agreed
10 report in favor Of printing that But il being
propositoh originating in the House. il was first
reported TO that body. Had the matter originated
N the Senate, il would have been reported to the
Senate first As TO tbe Patent Office report he
knew nothing. @-* .S
lie then read a statement from the superintend-
ent OF printing 10 establish that taking the rela-
tive cost OF House and Senate printing during the
last Congress, would be perceived that the Senate
printer would have al the end of this Congress
fully his relative share of the public printing That
according TO the same ratio, the 1872 pages Of the
mechanical part the Patent Office report which
was 10 be executed by the Senate printer was
equal relatively 10 the 3,54s pages OF the ngrcul-
tural part ordered TO be printed by the House
printer
He alo read from an estimate prepared by the
superintendent OF public printing, 10 show that
the increased expenditure for composition under
this amendment would amount TO $4,000
Mr.. BUTLER referred 10 the abstract of the
census returns prepared and ordered 10 be print
ed by the House of Representatives and denied
the propriety OF that House preparing work to
be printed by the Senate, without giving the latter
body any opportunity of determining what il
should contain. 1t contained columns for stalis-
tics of lunatics, idiots paupers, colleges and
newspapers, and omitted much that was really
valuable. He would have preferred column
showing the number Of acres Of cultivated land
| IN each State, 10 the statistics Of paupers luna
tics and idiots. Because Of this great defect in
this work, he had arrested the order for printing
$4,000 copies oft blythe Senate. He would change
he tnylyl / fnr 9th. L
opportunity for the Senate to publish this work
with much that was valueless omitted, and much
that was valuable supplied @
Mr.. PEARCE said the only possible argument
against the amendment was the one the addi-
tional expense it would incur. But this TO him
was not a sufficient reason why the amendment
should not be adopted. He thought il highly
right and proper that the Senate should have a
control OF its own printing. II had elected
printer and il ought TO see that its printer had
enough ofthe work ordered by it to maintain his
establishment. The argument Of expense was
not one which ought TO appal those senators who,
some years ago, voted sixty thousand dollars TO
the public printer who was contractor.
Ii was unjust that the House should have the
power, either by accident design, to order all
The Senate printing. If twas TO be so, the Senate
might as well ask the House to elect printer for
II. The Senate had mo- control over the House
printer. II had over its own, and could dismiss
him. II ought certainly have the right Of ordering
its own printing by its own officer.
MIR. BAYARD thought that, even if this change
IN the law did cause an increased expenditure Of
$4,000, that sum was not too much to paw 10
avoid the state of feeling which would ensue if
this scramble for patronage was continued.
Mr.. KIRKPATRICK renewed his objections TO
the amendment, and Mr.. BADGER replied
Mr.. STUART opposed the amendment. He
regarded i as proposition to give the Senate
printer $4,000 more than he was entitled TO under
the law If any evil resulted under this law might
it not rest at the door Of the Senate The obvious
reason for providing for the election Of printer
by each house was, that possibly at some time the
political sentiments Of the two houses might be
different This law was just and economical
one, and he thought it would be found that all the
! evil in the working of this sound and wholesome
law was in the fact of the choice made by the Sen
ate in its election Of printer. Should the govern.
ment of the United States be put to this additional
expense merely for the purpose Of sus tanning an
organ? The whole argument in favor ofths pro-
position was, that the Senate, having elected
printer, was now bound TO sustain him.
He desired to leave this indecent scramble, if
any existed, where il was, and not to make either
house, body. party to it. He cared very
lntle personally, as to who the parties were. He
confessed that his estimate Of the two organs in
this city was not very high one.
He also opposed the amendment because il
would delay this bill.
Mr.. PRATT followed in support Of the amend.
ment. He did not think there was any scramble
IN this case; it was all one way. The members
ol tne SENATE conmlttee We're not over favorable
towards the Senate printer. The members Of the
House committee were friendly TO the printer of
that body. They naturally desired TO give all they
could TO their officer. And, as the Senate COM
mittee were rather Indifferent the House commit
tee had il pretty nearly all their own way.
Messrs, FITZPATRICK and HAMLIN dis.
claimed all feelings Of hostility to the Senate
printer. .
The question was then taken, and the amend
ment was agreed TO yeas "a, nays 13 as fol-
lows:
YEAS-Mcssrs Allen, Atchson, Badger, Eayard Brod.
head Brown, Butler, Clayton, Douglas Everett Fish, Foot
Geyer Hunter Mason Norton Pearce Pettt Pratt Rusk
sumner, Thompson of Kentucky, Weller, and Wright--4
NAYS-Messrs Bell Dodge of wisconsin Dodge of Iowa
Fessenden, Fitzpatrick, Gwin, TIamlin Jones of iowa
Norris slidell Stuart, Wade, and Williams-13.
Mr. Thompson, Of Kentucky, moved TO amend
the bill by adding appropriations for custom-houses
at the following places the following amounts; ST.
Louis, 100000; Mobile, S65,0OO; Cincinnati
$4,000; Louisville, 100000; Bangor $4,000
Bath $4,000; Wilmington, (Delaware) $4,000
Providence, (Rhode Island) $4,000.
Mr.. HAMLlN moved to add 10 the amendment
an appropriation for the purchase of a new site
for custom-house at San Francisco $3.50 900
and for rebuilding the custom-house at Portland,
Maine, 100000,
These amendments were advocated by Messrs
THOMPSON, GWIN, HAMLIN. BAYARD
GEYER, BELL, and WELLER, and opposed
by Messrs PRATT and HUNTER
Without taking any question. the Senate at a
late hour adjourned
Dr