The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-06-01
PROCEEDINGS OF TIE TIIIRIY-SINTN CONGRESS-
SENATE.

IhVUEEDlhho WI lllB Illlkll-NlAlI CUNGkESt
SENATE.
WAsHINGToN, May 3l.-The VICE PRESIDENT
lald before the Senate communication from the
Secretary Of the Treasury, in compliance with a
resolution OF the Senate of the 2Sth inst calling
lor lnlormatnn as to the present state and condi.
ton of the new Custom house at New Orleans &c
winch was read, and on motion Of Mr.. SIIDELL il
was referred to the Committee on Finance and or.
dered to be printed.-0n motion by Mr. DAVIS,
aresolution was adopted requesting the Secretary
"l W ar I" communicate to the Senate the report
anu pan Tor the better organization of the militia
OF the District of Columbia, recently submitted to
the Department by the members OF the Board of
Army and Militia Officers, appointed for the pur-
pose OF taking into consideration and reporting
upon the subject of a reorganization of the mill
TIA OF this DiStrict.-Mr. DIXON presented the
credentials of Hon. LAFAYETTE s. Foster,
elected Senator of the United States
by the Legislature of Connecticut for the
term OF six years from and after the 4th day of
March, 1861; which were read and ordered to be
placed on fle.--Mr. RICE introduced Joint re.
solution authorizing the Secretary of the Interior
to purchase certain books; which read twice
and referred.--Mr. SLIDELII, from the Select
Committee on abuses in connection with printing,
submitted an elaborate report in writing, conclud-
ing with the following resolutions:
heotred That the laws regulating the prices and mode
OF public printing, and the abuses necessarily growing
out OF the expenditure thereof, require reform.
ReSOtced, That the Comrnittee on Public Printing b.
instructed to inquire into the eXpedency of providing by
law for executing the public printing and binding by
contract to the lowest bidder who shall give security
executing the work, in such other mode they may
deem most eXpedent.
Messrs. KING and ANTHONY discussed the sub
lect at some length, when the Senate went into an
Executive session, and after some time adjourned
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Mr.. REYNOLDS, from the Committee on the
Judiciary, reported back, with an amendment the
Senate bill providing for the return of the captured
Africans to their native land. There were now
800 of them at Key West. 1t was important that
the bill should be passed at the earliest practicable
day.-Mr. SMITH, of Virginia, did not want to
force them back in chains, but to give them the
privilege to stay in this country.-Mr. REY-
NOLDS gave notice of his intention to call up the
bill next Monday House resumed the con-
sideration of the bill the subject of introducing
reforms in the matter Of public printing.--Mr.
COBB said there ought to be change of policy.
old rats had crePt into the printing crib, and had
got so cunning as to hide themselves from the pub
lie gaZe.-Mr. SMITH, of Virginia, said that
Mr.. Cobb might pass for an cold rat himself but
certainly he (Mr. Smith, was not after old rats.
lie had come to the conclusion to support the bill
for Government printing-otce. He was sorry
that Mr.. Haskin had spoken of the President with
so much passion and feeling. He would not hang
dog on such testimony as that Of Mr.. Wendell.
1t was bad taste for him to scatter Parthian
at the President in an attempt to degrade him. when
he Mr.. llaskin) for a cause vet unexplained, gave
price than that offered by responsible bidder Be-
Sides Mr.. Haskin had voted for Mr.. Defrees for prin
ter after he had proposed to the Republican caucus
to give half of the profits for partisan purposes;
and yet, the gentleman stands up, and with swag-
ger arraigns the President for dividing Jobs egi-
tmately within his gift, among his friends. in
stead Of among his political enemies.-Mr. VAL
LANDlGHAM briefly gave his reasons why he OPP
posed the contract system and was in favor of Gov
ernment ofiice.-Mr PRYOR advocated the lat
ter, but said before it could he established there
Pc ne %da 2o S oF the the anf
tion reported from the Committee on Public Expen-
ditureS. As to distribution of the surplus result
ing from the printing of the post-olce blanks, his
complaint was that the President did not inform
congress that the law allowed an excessive amount,
and ask that reduction be made instead of parcel
ling out the surplus among the partisan press. lie
denounced, and said that he wanted to extirpate,
this fund OF corruption. "Lead not into tempta-
ton. lie had no hope that the next AdminiStra-
tiOn would be more, if honest as the present but
he wished to deprive it of the means of corruption
Hence he would strike a blow at the present system
MIR. BURNETT confessed his surprise that Mr..
Pryor led him into the subject of the pub.
lie printing and regretted that he took occasion to
find tault with the President in a matter over
which he had no control-Mr. PRYOR replied
that if the President knew anything, he knew that
there were at least $50 900 more than adequate
for the printing of the office blanks Was it not
the duty of the Executive to inform Congress of the
fact and say that a smaller appropriation would be
sufficient? Or was it his duty, having a surplus on
hand, to distribute it among a servie and subs-
died press ?-Mr. BURNETT entered into
defence of corruption. If there have been faults
connected with the public printing, their correction
belongs to Congress, and not to the President
Mr.. PRYOR said the gentleman should not rebuke
him for proposing to remedy evils MIR. BUR
NETT denied that be had done this-Mr.
SHERMAN said that the abuse to the post-oflce
blanks was known to the Executive officers alone,
and that Congress had knowledge of it until the
present sesSion.-Mr. BURNETT denied that
there had been any violation of law which fixed
the prices of printing Mir. PRYOR explained
The point he made this: Congress having ap-
certain sum, ten times more
than was necessary, it was the duty of the Ex-
ecutive to inform Congress of the fact and
ask that the law be amended.-Mr. BURNETT
said if it true that the President had acted
corrupty, articles of impeachment should be pre-
PRYOR referred to the testimony
of Mr.. Baker, before the Senate Committee, in
proof Of his assertion. lie spoke of what he knew,
because proposition had been made to him.
Mr.. BURNETT repeated, the President was not
censurabe for anything growing out of the print
ing of the POst-ofiice blanks. The blame, if any,
rested on Congress. He then proceeded to oppose
the establishment of a Government printing
office, and declared himself in favor of reduc-
tion of the present prices for printing
Mr.. PRYOR said he had made no attack on the
President He had exposed abuses which clamored
for redress. He was independent representa-
lNe-ll-uSpGIueUJ Vi Jne ITeSlueUI anu IuG CdDl-
net, and any Establishments from them he would
scorn with contempt He then referred to MIR.
Bakers testimony, to the effect: Baker inquired
of the President whether he had directed any por-
tiOn of the sum to be paid to Mr. Rice for printing
the Postoiice blanks to be paid to the Philadelphia
EUening Argus, to which the President replied he
had given no such direction; but report said
the nett profits were 100000 per annum,
and if such was the case, he supposed Rice
could afford to pay the Argus newspaper a stipu-
lated sum.-Mr. BURNETT contended in this
there was not particle of testimony to impeach
the President. 1t was secondhand or hearsay tes-
timony, which would not be admitted in any Court
of law.--Mr. FLORENCE here expressed himself
against the contract system, and declared himself
in favor OF a government printing office, if for no
other reason, to remove this irritating subject
from the halls of Congress. Burnett
and Pryor further continued their colloquy; the
latter saying whenever he had a smell of
corruption, he would endeavor to expose it, with
out thinking as to which party it would strike.
make him chairman of it, he would prove what he
had said.-Mr BURNETT did not wish to be
party to such a movement. If the gentleman
knew that corruption existed let the President be
arraigned and impeached. OR said he
was fighting on his individual responsibility, in de-
fence of the interests of the people. He conceived
it to be sound policy for the Democratic party to
wash its hands of all corruption, and to go before
NETT was ass for removing corruptions,
but in their zeal they should not make
charges where the facts do not warrant them.
MIR. WALTON was ready to vote for any pro-
position of reform in the printing; if by other
means, he would dispense with all printing.-Mr.
HASklN closed the debate, and took occasion to
say some hard things of the President and other
gentlemen connected with the Government.-
Mr.. PRl OR, at a subsequent period, made
PLANTATION. In saying that he had been approached
as to patronage, he should have added, that in
1857 he had been told he could obtain some por-
ton of patronage out of a surplus fund; but
be rejected the proposition with indigna-
House voted on the subject pend
ing, and agreed to the bill reported by
Mr.. GURLEY for the establishment of a Govern
ment printing g-oifice-yeas l20, nays 5G-The
House then went into a Committee of the Whole
on the State of the Union the Postofiice Appro-
priation bill.-Mr. ADAMS, of Massachusetts,,
made an anti-slavery speech, declaring the purpo-
'es OF the Republican party to overthrow tyranny,
to restore the doctrines of freedom proclaimed by
our revolutionary fathers, and to effect reforms in
all departments of the Government lfthis
standing menace to the slaveholding States, so be
It. The people of the free States valued the friend
ship o the South, but loved their principles more.
After he had finished his speech, the Committee pro-
ceeded to act upon the bill under consideration
Without coming to any conclusion on the subject
the House adjourned.
The Association of Superintendent of the insane
1syums of the United States and Canada, is now
holding convention in Philadelphia.
We learn by the mails of the Glasgow that Prince
Napoleon is expected to sail forthwith in the French
vessel Cassard, for Canada and New York.
The maple sugar crop of the present season in