The Congressional Globe, Volume 24, Part 2: Thirty-Second Congress, First Session Page: 3

                                
THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE.
PUBLISHED AT WASHINGTON, BY JOHN C. RIVES.—TERMS |3 FORTTHIS SESSION.
32o Congress, 1st Session-.
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1852.
New Series....No. 53.
for the dry-dock, basin, and railway at Kittery,
over $721,937, and §610,060 for the dock, without
the basin and railway, in California, They have
received, or are to receive, m all, $3,0<8,594; a
pretty large sum for one set of gentlemen to re-
ceive. I will hereafter show how much they must
have made, if they stated the truth in their original
memoriat-s to Congress.
Now, sir, how much did they propose to build
these docks for originally? Remember, these are
Congressional docks, for I want to show the evils
of this policy of Congress making contracts. I
want to condemn the contract system. I have no
quarrel with these gentlemen; they have a right to
make as much money as they can, and it is our I
fault if we allow them to  et it improperly.
I want to show how this dock system has pro-
gressed.
On motion by Mr. BORLAND, the honorable
Senator gave way, and the Senate adjourned^
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Tuesday, March 23, 18515,
The House met at twelve o'clock, m, Prayer
by the Rev. C. M. Butler.
The Journal of yesterday was read and approved.
Mr. HOUSTON obtained the floor.
The SPEAKER. If the House will aUowthe
Chair, as there is a large accumulation of Execu-
tive communications upon the Speaker's table, he
will now present them to the House.
Mr. FREEMAN. If the Chair will allow me,
I desire to ask the leave of the House to withdraw
certain papers from the files of the House.
The SPEAKER. The gentleman will submit
liis proposition.
On motion by Mr. FREEMAN, by unanimous
consent, it was then
Ordered, That tlie papers in the case of Wm. B. lAgon
fee withdrawn from the tiles -of the House, and tliatiliey be
referred to the Committee on the Judiciaiy.
Mr. FREEMAN, I also ask that the papers
in the case of the heirs of .Telhs Fonda be with-
drawn from the fi!es of the House.
Mr. STANLY. For what purpose does the
gentleman from Missouri wish them withdrawn?
Mr. FREEMAN. 1 will say to the gentleman
from North Carolina, tlW, they are papers which
were presented here some years ago, and which 1
now desire to withdraw, for the purpose of having
them returned to the claimant,
Mr. STANLY. Is the claim again to come up
before Congress?
Mr. FREEMAN. The object is to return the
papers to the claimant for examination, to be pre-
sented again, if deemed advisable.
Mr. STANLY. I must object, unless copies
of the papers are filed in the Clerk's office before
the papers are withdrawn.
Mr. FREEMAN. I am willing to comply
with that condition.
Mr. STANLY. Yery well; then I will not
object to it.
It was then
Ordered, TLut leave be granted to withdraw from the
files of the Hon^e the papers m the case, ot the heirs ot Jelhs
For.da.
Mr. FAULKNER, by unanimous consent,
presented a preamble and resolutions of the Gen-,
era! Assembly of Virginia, requesting the Con-
gress of the United States to make a further appro-
priation of scrip for satisfying Yiiginia bounty
land warrants, and for ceding to the United States
the refuse lauds in the military district between
the Sezota and the Miami rivers, in the State of
Ohio; which were referred to the Committee on
Public Lands, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. GROW, by unanimous consent, presented
the following joint resolutions of the Legislature of
Pennsylvania, viz:
1. Relative to the completion of the breakwater
at the mouth of Delaware bay, and the repair of
the piers in the Delaware river, so as to make them
secure harbors of refuge for vessels.
2. For the establishment of a dry-dock, n&vy-
yard, and depot on the lake frontier.
S3
3. Relative to the release of Smith O'Brien and !
other Irish patriots in captivity. j
4. Declaring the Wheeling bridge an obstruc- j
tioa to the navigation of the Ohio river, and iftjuri- j
ous to the commerce of Pennsylvania; which said j
joint resolutions were severally appropriately re-
ferred, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. DIMMfCK also, by unanimous consent,
presented resolutions of the Legislature of Penn-
sylvania. of similar import with the foregoing, to-
gether with resolutions lelative to the construction
ofa ship-canal around the Falls ofSauUSte, Marie;
which latter resolution was referred to the Com-
mittee on Roads and Canals, and ordered to be
printed.
Mr. HOUSTON. I thought I was entitled to
the lloor. I only yielded it at the request of the !
Chair, in order to allow lum to present to the i
House the communications upon the Speaker's !
table.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS,
The SPEAKER. The Chair proposes that the
several Executivecommunicationsupon the Speak-
er's table shall be taken up, and that such of them
as do not give rise to debate be referred, or other-
wise disposed of.
Mr. STANLY. I have no objection to that.
All I wish is, that th-oy shall not be debated; for
if they are to be subject to debate you might as
well postpone the other business of the House in-
definitely.
The SPEAKER, by unanimous consent, laid
before the House the following messages, hereto-
foie received from the President of the United
States, via:
To the House of Representatives ■:
in answer to the resolution of the House of Representa-
tives, of tlnj 15th ultimo, requesting information respecting
th« seizure and oonft&cahou of the barque Georgians, ot'
Maine, the bug Susan Loud, of Massachusetts,! transmit a
report from the Secretary of estate and the document- winch
accompanied it. _ MILL ALIO FILLMORE.
Wa«wisuj oy, Janu-try 28la, 1^5*2.
On motion by Mr. SMART, it was
Ordered, That the said message and accompanying doc-
uments be referred to the Committee ou Foreign Affairs,
and printed.
To the Seiinte and
House of Representatives of the United States;
I transmit to Congies-sa dispatch, addressed to theSecre-
taiy of State by the Minister of the United States at Mexi-
co, and the papeis therein refeired to, relative to the ceme-
tery which has been constructed m the neighborhood of
that city, as a place ot sepuhure tor the remawisot the offi-
cers and soldiers ot the United Slates who died or weie
killed in that vicinity during the late war, and for such citi-
zens of the United "States ad may hereafter die there. A
copy of a report of the a<;ent who was sent for the purpose
of superintending the woik id also heiewith transmitted.
It will be seen mat a sum of §2,500 or .$3,<-00, in addition
to the amount appropriated fty the actoi'Congressappioved
the 28th of September, 1850, repiPsented to be necessary
to cariv the objects of that appropuation into full effect. I
accordingly recommend that piovt&ion Uiereior may be
made. MILLARD FILLMORE.
Washington, March 4tk, lbo^.
On motion by Mr. BISSELL, it was
Ordered, That the said message and accompanjing docu-
ments be hud on the table, and be printed.
2"o the Seriate and
House oj Representatives of the United States:
I transmit to Congress a letter, addre^ed to me by the
Governor of the Territory of Minnesota, with the state-
ments, to which it lelers, of the disbursements, up to tlKs
1st of Januaiy ln«t, oJ the mo "y appiopriated by the act I
aj) r«ve<l ) ith June. JS5U. lor the election ol public build- {
ings in that Terntory. MILLARD FILLMORE.
Washington, March 4tA, 1S.">2. ,
Oil motion, by Mr. SIBLEY, it was ,
Ordered, That the said message and accompanying docu- >
menu be referred to the Committee on Territories, and be
printed. j.
The Speaker also, by unanimous consent, laid !
before the House sundry Executive coaimunica- j
tions, vis: ;j
I. A letter from the Secretary of State, trans- j,
mittiug statements of the manner in which the |-j
fund for the contingent expenses of that Depart- ij
ment has been expended during the last fiscal ;|
year. On motion by Mr.; Sweetser, referred j i
to the Committee on Public Expenditures, and jj
ordered to be printed. j]
II. A letter from the Secretary of State, trans- jj
milting his annual statement of the clerks and [i
■other persons who have been employed in that
Department during the last fiscal year. On mo-
tion by Mr. Sweetsek, referred to the Committee
on Public Expenditures, and ordered to be printed.
III. A letter from the Secretary of the Treas-
ury, transmitting a communication from the Fifth
Auditor -of theT reasury, respecting the light-house
system of the United States. On motion by Mr.
Dcnc an, referred to the Committee on Commerce,
and ordered to be printed.
IY. A letter from the Secretary of the Interior,
transmitting a statement of appropriations for the
War Department, transferred to tlve Department
of the Interior, showing the balances of appro-
priations on the 1st of July, 1849, the appropria-
j tiohs made for the fiscal year ending June 30,
i 1851. On motion by Mr. Houston, referred to
| the Committee of Ways and Means, and ordered
\ to be printed.
- V. A letter from the Secretary of the Treasury,
j transmuting information in answer to a resolution
; of the House of the 9th ultimo, respecting the
canal cut by John Grant through Shell Reef, Mo-
bile county, Alabama. On motion by Mr. Sey-
mour, referred to the Committee on Commerce,
and ordered to be printed,
VL A letter from the Secretary of the Navy,
in answer to the resolution of the House of Rep-
resentatives, February 9, 1852, calling for infor-
mation in regard to the steam mail service, the
amount of money appropriated out of the Federal
Treasury, under contract, for that service, and the
capability of the vessels built under said contracts
of being converted into war steamers, &c., &c.
The SPEAKER. This communication is a
very Jong one. It will be for the House to say
whether it shail be read.
' A Member. What does it relate to ?
Mr. PEASLEE. I understand this communi-
cation is in answer to a resolution which I sub-
mitted to the House sometime since in relation to
our foreign mail steamer service. I move that it
be laid upon the table and printed.
The question was put and the motion was
agreed to.
Mr. PEASLEE. I also move that the Com-
mittee on Printing be authorized to inquire into
the propriety of printing five thousand additional
copies of that document. That committee can ex-
amine it; and, if they think it of sufficient import-
ance as to make it expedient to publish it to the
country, they can report the fact to the House.
Mr. STANLY. I think this is one of the ques-
tions which will give rise to debate; and, accord-
ing to the understanding before we consented to
the taking up of this communication, it must go
over.
The SPEAKER. The question of printing,in
the opinion of the Chair, is not a debatable ques-
tion at tins time.
Mr. STANLY. There is no necessity for print-
ing these extra copies, and I therefore object to it.
The ^SPEAKER. The Chuit understands the
gentleman from New Hampshire to submit the
proposition that the Committee on Printing? shall
take into consideration the expediency of printing
five thousand extra.copies of the document now
before the House. Is that the proposition ?
Mr. PEASLEE. That was my proposition.
The SPEAKER. The Chair does not know
exactly what disposition can be made of the prop-
osition if it is not now disposed of.
Mr. KING, of New York. That proposition
can be debated when the committee reports.
Mr. STANLY. I do not object to the printing
of the paper in the usual manner. But I do object
to printing the extra copies; and I suppose, ac-
cording to the understanding of the House, if it is
to be debated it cannot be now considered.
Mr. PHELPS. I understand that the propo-
sition now before the House is simply to print
extra copies. The printing of the document, in
theusualmanner,hasalreadybeen ordered. Now,
that proposition is clearly not debatable. The
law providing for printing extra copies of docu-
ments prescribes that all such motions shall be re-
ferred to the Committee on Printing.