The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-02-15
CONGRESSIONAL.
Vest Explains What be Said Thursday
About Unnecessary Documents.
DeIuged with Applications for the Books
in his ROom-The Library Build
ing ExPenditure-BIair Ed
ucattOnal Bill.

in general, and against the British extradi-
ton treaty in particular, was recognized in
the shape OF a large and very handsome
floral harp placed on his desk this morning
by the Irish society called the Clan-na-gael.
petition was presented Tor the forfeit
ure of the Marquette, Superior and Ono
tanagon Railroad land grant in Michigan.
Also an address of the Constitutional Con-
vention Of Dakota, favoriDg the division of
the Territory and the admission OF the
southern portion as State.
The following bills were reported from
committee and placed on the calendar:
To provide for the erection Of public
buildings by contract 10 the lowest bidder.
For The forfeiture in certain cases o
wagon road grants Of land in Oregon.
To enable the Secretary OF the Interior to
utilize the hot water now running to waste
az Hot Springs, Ark.
For a commission on the subject of the
alcoholic liquor traffic.
The following bills were introduced and
referred:
By Senator Voorhees-To increase the
pensions OF those who have lost limb or
two limbs, or both eyes.
By Senator Plstt-To prohibit members
Of Territorial Legisl atu res from holding
office. Also to pay S., 81 for the passage
Of General Lafayette and his family from
France to the United States, as the guests
of the Nation in 1894. -
By Senator Sawyer-Authorizihg" the
appointment OF eleven railway mail super
intendents.
By Senator Turpie (by requestl--tO grant
service pensions in the army and navy.
UNNECESSARY PUBLIC PRINTING.
By Senator Vest-TO Tx the number of
documents printed by Congress, and
known as 1.-THE usual number" at 700, and
to specify the number of certain documents
to be printed. In connection with this
joint resolution Senator Vest referred ito
the desultory and unprecedented debate"
last Thursday on that subject. He had
then taken occasion to notice the gross
abuse of the laws aud practice
in regard to the printing of public
documents. The impression seemed
to have been made among those
who took the trouble to read the report of
his remarks in the Record and in the press,
that be was burdened with a very large
number OF valuable public documents
which he could not get rid of and the re-
suit was that his mail had since that de-
bate been full OF applications from all por.
tions of the United States asking for full
illogical surveys; for the history of the war
OF the rebellion, tor statistical aliases; for
chronological and agricultural and Smith
sonian reports. He was not asked for de-
bates on the Blair bill or for the docu-
ments relating thereto.
He had endeavored to make il distinctly
understood that the documents to which
he referred were not such as he had Just
enumerated, but were largely reprots of
Bureaus, with long arrays of statistical
information, which no human being would
ever read, except some mau sentenced to
death, whose sentense had been committed
to solitary imprisonment for life. The
clerk OF the Committee on Public Build
ings and Grounds had told him to day that
he sent last week to the basement of the
Capitol twenty-five bags of such documents
or VIII ich there was no space in the COM
mittee rooms There were now in the
cellars of the Capitol over 1000 bags of
these documents, and there was but one
living man, Mr.. Amizi Smith, of the Sem
ate document room, who knew what thew
were. He did not object to the publica.
ton by the Government of valuable infor-
nation, but he objected TO the wasting of
money on trash, on refuse matter, on debris
That was never used by anybody. Senator
Sherman had told him that of the books
issued to him for his personal use since he
rad been in Congress, he had now between
5000 and 200 volumes, not one of which
he had ever opened. Another Senator had
told him that the only use he had found
for some Of the books was to send
them to young lawyers in frontier towns,
who plsced them on their shelves, as they
looked like law-books. 1t reminded him
OF the parvenu mentioned in the Potiphar
psIers, who determined to buy q library,
but who, under the instinct of economy,
simply bought the outside coverings of
DOCKS, without any contents at all ar
ranged them on shelves, and they answered
all the purposes of himself and family,
Senator Paddock said that his colleague,
the Chairman OF the Committee on Public
Printing, was not present to-day to reply
to the remarks of the Senator from Mis-
souri,, bat for his own part he should be
glad to have few thousand of the Sena.
tors public documents to distribute among
the people on the frontiers of Nebraska and
other Western States who were hungry
and thirsty for knowledge, and would be
glad to receive anything that had been
considered by Congress worthy of being
printed.
The joint resolution was referred to the
Committe on Printing.
Senator Stewart offered q resolution,
which wss adopted, calling on the Secre-
tary of the Treasury for information as to
the segregation of public lands capable of
irrigation from other lands.
THE LIBRARY BUILDING.
Senator Voorhees, offered a resolution
calling on the Secretary of the Interior for
copy of the report made to the Library
Building Commission by Architect Smith
meyer on the LIST of February. 1888. He
took occasion in connection with it to re-
ply to the remarks of Senator Plumb last
ThuIsday on the subject of the library
building. The expenditure of the SIS, 900
commented upon by the Senator from
Kansas was represented by the cost of
leVeilDS the ground, removing the water,
gas and sewer pipes, curb-Stones, etc. there
were twenty-seven draughtsmen and clerks
employed, and the four women who mad
been spoken of as ''in charge of horses and
carts" were simply the owners of some of
the horses and carts EMPLOYED. III he
thought that there was any irregularity or
improperly in the matter, he would have
been the hrst to cry aloud and spare not.
Senator Plumb said he could not now
respond to the carefully prepared state
ment presented by the Senator from In.
diana, but he understood the Senator to
maintain that there had been no extraya-
gance, no unnecessary expenditure OF
public money in connection with the
library building. On that point he took
issue with the Senator, and thought he
would be able to show the Senate that he
(Voorhees) was mistaken, and there was
not only extravaganza but Incompetency;
and that If It was desired to have a library |
building il WCuld be necessary tn tfclean |