Mr. BUCKALEW. I believe these were 2 of the main oints of the amendment which were objectefto by the Senfrom Illinois, and upon which he made his speech. There remains no other particular feature which has elicited debate, except the provision in the 1st section by which we secure system and reform in the purchases of this body. When the committee made up their minds to suggest this change to the Senate they expected it to be Opposed. No reform of the kind was ever introduced and carried without a contest; it is against the nature of things and against the experience of legislative bodies; but there are 2 facts which will arrest attention and on ht to command votes; in the 1st place, that an or the existing laws and the uniform practice of this Senate down until a very recent period the Secretary of this body was charged with these duties connected with purchases as well as with the disbursement of funds. I have in my table papers made out by our late Chief Clerk, Mr. ickey, which demonstrate it, if anything can be demonstrated by or ument and by an appeal to past facts. I have a so here a lctter from the late VEEP, whose verbal authority to the Sergeant at Arms was relied upon as the foundation of his habit of making purchases recently, in which he disclaims alto'rctller having, as the Presiding officer of this ody, vested in him any control over the subject, and in which he explains the circumstance upon which this pretension was founded. He states that upon some former occasion his letter is here he was spoken to by the Sergeant at Arms with reference to some changes in I think, the alleries, and also in one of the rooms, and in reply to that officer he remarked that those things on ht to be done and he would approve of them. fthere was any authorit, it was slight indeed, none in law, andjf he go any he withdrew itin this letter, which was writ ten in Sepwmber, 1861. However, sir, I will not go through with that. I understand, then, the law to be the for mer statutes are alluded to in the argument which I have mentioned and the uniform practice of the Senate from the beginning until very l recently has been, that the Secretary of this i body is charged with this whole duty from be ginning to end, all sorts of purchases. Now, then, the question with the ComContingent Expenses, as dispute and debate had arisen is, what shall they do? If you leave it as it was, they must say hereafter, if they are brought to the strict point, and the SecySenate makes the point, that no purchases will be legal tinder the law and under the practice of the Senate except purchases made by the Secretary. That is where you leave the subject if you do not adopt our amendment. I wish to add but one remark. I know the Senate is impatient, and I am very sorry to occupy their time; but I consider that as this subject was charged upon our committee by a special reference of the Senate, we are entitled to be heard so far as to understand the prop position which we have made. These duties are extensive; these purchases are large; they are various things; they will occupy the whole time and attention and ability of a good officer. You cannot charge these duties upon out Secretary. He does not discharge them, he cannot discharge them. You cannot charge these duties upon the Ser geant at Arms. He is overcharged with employment now. He has 30 or 40 officers under him, he attends to the postoffice, he has superintendence over the folding room, over the document room, and over the building generally, besides the furnaces and the ventilation of this building. His duties are of that character that they absorb his whole time and attention and withdraw him from our Chamber. I do not complain of his absence, because these duties are sufficient to occupy his whole time and attention. It would therefore be unwise and unreasonable, in my opinion, to charge upon him these whole duties relating to purchases. If we do not charge them upon him he will have to turn them over to another officer. I believe the amendment we have reported is a proper one, and therefore I shall vote for it.