The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-14
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS-
Senator Vest Proposes to Restrict the
amount Of Congressional Printing,
And Makes Few Additional Remarks Con-
corning the Worthlessness of Public Docu-
ments-The Inefficient Postal Service.

WARRINGTON, Feb 13.-Mr. Rddleberger .
fight against secret sessions in general and
against the British extraditon treaty in partic-
ular was recognized 10 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
A petition was presented for the forfeiture OF
the Marquette. Superior 81 Ontonagon railroad
land grant in Michigan. Also, address of the
constitutional convention Of Dakota favoring
the division of the Territory and the admission
of the southern portion State
The following bills were reported from COM
mittees and placed on the calendar:
To provide for the erection of public buildings
by contract to the lowest bidder; for the forfeit
ure, in certain cases. OF wagon road grants of
land in Oregon; to enable the Secretary of the
Interior to Utilize the hot water now running to
waste at Hot Springs, Ark; for commission on
the subject of the alcoholic liquor traffic.
The following bills were introduced and re-
fsrrsd:
BY Mr.. Voorhees,. To increase the pension of
those who have lost a limb or two limbs or both
By Mr.. Plat: To prohibit members of Terri
torial legislatures from holding Office; also to
nay s7.37l for the passage of General Lafayette
and his family from France to the United States,
ss the guests of the Nation. in 1874.
By Mr.. Sawyer: Authorizing the appointment
Of eleven railway mail superinrendents.
By Mr.. Turpie (by request) To grant service
pensions In the army and navy.
BY MIR. Vest To fix the number of documents
printed by Congress. and know as 1.-THE usual
number" at 700, and TO specify the number of
certain documents to be printed.
In connection with this joint resolution Mr..
Vest referred ito the desulsory and unpremedi-
tated debate last Thursday on that subject He
had then taken occasion to notice the gross
abuse of the laws and practice in regard to the
prin ting OF public documents. The impression
seemed to have been made among those who
ntook the trcnble to read the report of his re-
marks in the Record and in the press, that he was
burdened with a very large number of valuable
public documents that he could not get rid OF; and
the result was that his mail had, since that de-
bate, been full of applications from all portions
of the United States, asking for full copies of
the census report; for all the geological surveys
for the medical history OF The war OF the re-
belliop; for statistical aliases; for chronological,
and agricultural, and Smithsonian reports. He
was not asked for debates on the Blair bill, or
for the documents relating thereto. he had
endeAvored make it distinctly understood
that the documents to which he referred were
not such as he had just enumerated. but were
largely reports OF bureaus, with long arrays of
statistical Information which no human being
would ever road, except some man sentenced TO
death. whose sentence bad been commuted to
solitary imprisonment for life. the clerk
y of the committee on public buildings and
rounds had told him. to-day, that he sent last
s week, to the basement of the Capitol twenty
was space In the committees rooms. There
were now in the cellars of the Capitol over 1000
bags of these documents; and there but one
living man (Mr. AMI Smith, of the Senate doc
ument-room) who knew what they were. He
did not object to the publication by the govern
ment of valuable information; but he objected
to the wasting of money trash. on refuse
matter on debris that was never used by any
body. Senator Sherman had told him that of
the books issued to him for his personal use
since he had been in Congress, he had
not of which he had ever opened.
Another Senator had told him thatth only
he had found for some of tine books was send
them to young lawyers in frontier towns. who
placed them their shelves, as they looked like
law books. 1t reminded him of the parvenu
mentioned in the Potiphar Papers who de-
termined TO buy library. but who, under the
instinct of economy, simply bought the outside
COVERINGS of books. without any contents at all,
arranged them shelves, and they answered
all the purposes of himself and family.
Mr.. Paddock said that his colleague, the chair
man of the committee public printing, was
not present today to reply to the remarks of
the Senator from Missouri but for his own part
he should be glad to have few thousand of
the Senator's 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 re-
ceive anything that had been considered by Con-
gress worthy of being printed.
The joint resolution was referred to the COM
nnittee printing
Mr. Stewart offered resolution, which was
adopted. calling the Secretary of the Treas
ury for information as to the segregation of
public lands capable of irrigation from other
lands.
Mr. Voorhees, offered resolution calling on
the Secretary Of the Interior for a copy of the
report made to the library building commission
by architect Smithmeyer on the LIST of Febru-
airy, 1883. He took OCCASION in connection with
it, to reply to the remarks of Senator Plumb,
last Thursday. on the subject of the library
building. The expenditure of the $3S. 900 COM
mented upon by the Senator from Kansas was
represented by the cost of Ieveling the ground,
removing the water, gas and sewerpipes. curb
stones, etc. There were twenty seven drauehts-
men and clerks EN- poyed. and the four women who
had been spoken of as lin charge of horses and
cartsn were simply the of some of the
horses and carts employed. If he thought that
there was any irregularity or improperly in the
matter he would have been the first to cry aloud
and spare not
Mr. Plumb said he could not now respond to
the carefully prepared statement presented by
the Senator from Indiana, but he understood
the Senator 10 maintain that there had been no
extravagance. no unnecessary expenditure of
public money, in connection with the library
building. On that point he took issue with the
Senator, and thought ne wouio De aoie 70 snow
and there was not only extravagance. but in
competency; aud that ii II was desired to have
library building It would be necessary to clean
out" the entire establishments now connected
with it. At all events, that was his belief; and
he thought the sooner IL was done the better.
The resolution was referred to the committee on
the library building
MIR. Morgan offered resolution. which was
laid over, instructing the judiciary committee
10 inquire and report whether Congress had
power enact laws to prohibit, within the
States, the adulteration of foods; and whether
IL such power exists, 1t il q part of the power of
taxation, or results from the power TO regulate
commerce between States.
Tho Senate then proceeded to consideration
of the Blair educational BILL and was addressed
by Mr.. Plumb in opposition to il.
The bill was laid aside, and the resolution in
regard to the ineficiency of the postal service
was taken mp.
Mr.. Reagan addressed the Senate in defense
Of the administration of the Postofice Depart
ment, and argued that Senators who had ar
raigned that administration had been mised by
false clamor; or else that in consequence of the
economy and conspicuously good management
of the department. it had been thought neces-
sary. for political purposes, to Offset it's effect
by getting up charges OF inefticieney- In the
course of his argument he undertook to fepel
the assertion that very numerous removals from
Office in the department had been made for
political motives, and he gave the mum Der of