The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-31
rsxn aTY-THIRD CONGRESS.

FIRST SESSION

WASHINGTON, March 80 1864.
500 TIAsEoRs PETITIONS.
M.< LyERFrr s.cseN ed memorial from the American
socie for The Aavspe 'ment of Science praying the
tablishraent OF geox epbical department connecte,
with the'Congrese Libm fy.
Mr. YIsH presenteyis ~ memorial from the owners O
steambo sts on the usya river complaining Of the &C
of 1850 regulating vesso propelled by steam and ask
ing that steamers ca1z ing passengers be exempte
Mr BELL presented vnstcn from Baptists Of Teunes
see fayor Of securing re GUS freedom to American
in foreign countries r.
Mr. BApers presented .he,na mortal, Ito which he re-
ferred some days ago. Of Al - zehs OF North Carolina
against the passage OF the Nsh ska bill lie said that Of
tho Al signatures seventeen hOa the of White
and he satisfied they wera embers Of the highly
respectable Society of Friends mem0ralists oppose
the bill thcupposon THAI tn ere some provision
in it involving breach of mtisnA ! faith He beloved
that the memcralsts were reas nable and just men
and he had doubt but that they ere all at this time
perfectly satisfied that they WI ong in their opnion
Of the bill.
The bill FOR the relief Of JohlGurma reported and
The Senate then took mp
THE p1FlciE,cY BILL.
The question pending was M. Bad er's amendments
to repeal OF the printing law ch directs that
any prng ordered by both houses shall be executed y
the prer OF that house which first order M and proviI
dered by his own house and that the print ing Of the de-
partments sha be equally divided betN cen the two
printers.
Mr. BAyanp, (dem) of Del, moved an amendment,
providing iha after the 4h of March next the printing
act shall be repealed He said he in favo OF gov
Mr. FTzp 9lcK, (dem) Of Ala, opposed Mr.. Badgers
amendment lit was entirely out Of place in this def
OF I s admit sS
the law q now stood there embarrassmcnts and
diaicues s4iposing of the printing between the two
creasing th COST of the pubc printing The law pro-
vided for { selection Of printer by each house STILL it
foundr Vrou the hypothesis that the person
whenever III houses shoald order the printing OF the
ssa 70 ts De y hs % to
Guilty had o. s arisen The first mechanical part Of
the Patent report had been sss first first ordered ere to be
printer Tn nd Agricultural part had been 1rst re-
cevcd d dered to be printed by the House, and the
question had arisen whether both parts not
part. Both parties claimed the work. That judi
eielinquiry and had not yet been determined The mat
would favor, perhaps, any amendment which would not
involve increased expense 10 government.
Mr. MEIfER, fdem) Of Cal, thought this amendment
nothing more than that each house shall have
o Of IFS printing; that the Senate printer shall
ecute the serate printing and the House printer the
House printing Under the law the Senate osensiby had
printer, but under certain circumstances by rickcry
otherwise might be the that all the Senate print
ing would ras from the control of the Senate and of its
printer into other hands So long the Senate had the
right elect its printer ought to have the right OF
directing what printing he shall execne How could the
Senate concede the right the House any others to
decide what printing shall be done and how much OF il
shall be executed by the Senate printer There
well To control the Senates scrgcant-at
There ought not to be- it proven there had becn
any contest between the two houses its officers TO
who should first order the printing to be done.
Mr.. BAYAID withdrew his amendment. He advocated
all times undignifed scramble TO which house
should give the most printing to its officer He was OPP
posed 10 tie whole system 1t corrupt and corrupt
ing II corruptng TO bestow this patronage on poiti
cal papers. lie in favor Of having government
printing Office wholly disconnected from the newspaper
press.
Mr. HrNIER (acm) of Va. said he would vote the
amendment He had no doubt it would add to the
pense Of printing. but TO sum nothing like what had
been supposed. Unless this amendment be adopted the
Senate would have TO engage in scramble in relation 10
dposing Of the printing Under the present law it is in
the power OF the department to who shall have the
printing of Congress-whether il sll be given TO the
Senate The House printer and it ought to have the
right 10 send lis printing to its officer. How
had il been with two important documentss Senator
from Pennsylvania moved to print some copies OF an ab
sract Of the census The motion referred to the
Committee Printing. That committee reported ad
yercly upon that notion but together with the House
Committee agreed upon printing another abstract Of the
census. That report Of the joint committee made
to tie Hone the 18th Of January, and the printing
of 100000 copies wac ordered The report vas not
made to the Senate until the 10th, when the House
had already ordered the printing.
Ar. HAMrJS, (aem.) Of Me, thought the Senator was
mistaken.
houses TO sustain him In that tho Senate had had
chance TO give that printing to lis officer but was
pclled to give il 10 the House printer. was pretty
rearly the same case with the Patcny Office report That
document TO the House. and he happened TO be
present when ordered to be printed by that body
and upon qury Of the Secretary OF the Senate, he
cerained at the document had not then been sent into
tho senate that document therefore also was sent to
The House printer. II the Senate entitled 10 elect
It's printer IL ought to have right 10 give iis prnt
ing the printer OF It's choice Ha had always been
ayerse to giving the public printing editors to
newspaper press lie in favor sf giving il sut by
contract, establishing government printing Office
and when the Senator from Delaware brought feIward
propostcn that character be would give il his sup
port. He informed that the Dreased cos. for extra
comr oston under this amendment would aot exceed
81 5Oo.'
4 Mr.. H4mIS was opposed to TIE amendment because IL
added largely to the cost Of rsnng in consequence OF
the allowance to each priAter for composition, which
under the present law was paid to but oae lie had no
feeling of choice favor between individuals. The law
allowed for composition but printer and that
allowed 10 the PRIMER Of the House they first order
ing the work to lie bone This amendment required
double composition for each printer to print all the
documents ordered " both houses and consequently
would allow double composition fop all the Senate print
ing Win rcsrec. to the Census Abstract, the Commit
tee lrning reported against Mr. Brodhead's motion
able abstract Of ,hc Census and in making that report
we're done with the matter But the House passed
solution respecting the printing Of another and more
| committee reported in favor of printing It
| That was 2 proposition originating in the House
| and according TO all ruo was matter properly
belonging to the House, and il was therefore FRS
reported there Had been senate proposition IL woult
have been first reported in tho Senate As regards the Pa
tent Office report he knew nothing. He read calcula
tons to show that the Senate printer having the me
chanca part and the House printer the other part the
had relatively fair division Of the number Of pages
of the report lie thought that comparing the relative
cost Of printing for the House and Senate for the last
Congress with the probable relative cost o. the same
for this Congress, the work pretty fairly divided
between the Senate and House printer He also read
calculations showing that the lowest estimate Of
ed expenditure under this amendment, for composition
would not fall short of SIS 600.
Mr.. BUTLER referred to the abstract prepared
by the House and Of which that body had ordered
drcd thousar copies to be printed without giving IN
Senate any opportunity to have any voice az 10 what
should contain o. What It should not contain As o.