Mr. WADE. I so pose the object of this advertisingis to give teWidest circulation possible to these contracts, so as to create compe tition for them. The law as it now stands, and which this amendment seeks to modify, is the following section in the naval appropriation bill, approved March 3, 1845: “Silo. l2 and be ot further macteri, Thntinallense s where proposalsfor any contract or contracts, to be made by apyof the Executive Deptsor bureaus, and in all caseswhere notices of any description. issuing from the same.are now required by law to be advertised.the same shall be udvertis edby Wbllcall ofl in the 2 newspapersin the city of ashiu ton having the largest permanent subscription an at the discretion of the Executive in any 3rd paperthat maybe published in said city: provided. That the charges for such publications shall not be higher than such as are pmd by individuals for advertising in said papers: Ami p I also, That the same publications shall be made in each of said papers equally. as to frequency.” The presentlaw, after providing very carefully for selecting the 2 paperst at have the largest subscription, leaves it at the option of the President to take a 3rd paper, Without any regard whatever to its circulation, which really destroys the cflicacy and symmetr of the law entirely, and is inconsistent with its provisions. The object being, asI said before, as I suppose. to give the widest circulation possible to these notices, when the law provided that they should be published in the 2 papers having the largest circulatation was entirely inconsistent with that prnsoiation then to any that the President, wit.out auy regard to its circulation, might, at his discretion, take any 3rd paper. he object of the amendment is to correct that, and to have the advertising done in the papers of the very Widest circulation. The old law was not properly guarded to secure that. This amendment requires that affidavits shall be made as to the amount of the circulation, so as to secure honesty in the calculation, and to seethat the law is not evaded. That is all there is to it.