Mr. FESSEi DEN. In the dearth of business, I suppose we run discuss a nestion of this sort a ittle as we I as any other. I remember very well the history of all this matter. As I have been here a good many years this subject has become quite familiarto me. When I came here the Senate was in the habit when ever an individual member of the bed died while a member, of publishing, in the cm of a book, the obituary addresses delivered on the occasion. I do not know with wlfbm the pradtice began but my impression is that it be u with Mr. (5lay though it might have been e fore. The books were got up in handsome style and large numbers were distributed. It began with the idea that it would be well to publish in this form obituary notices of very eminent gentlemen whose fame filled the country and the world, butit soon got to be apractice, when ever a member of the body died, to get up a book on the occasion. This came to be considered unnecessary, and at last it created a discussion. I remember taking part in that discussion myself, and very strenuously and decidedly opposing such publications. The result was that the Senate retused to publish such addresses in certain cases, and this refusal was adhered to in several instances. I understand, however, that recently such publications have been made, and they may have passed even within my observation, for the Senate will reflect that a man at last gets tired of fighting these things time after time; they are regularly brought up again and again, and at last perseverance accomplishes the purpose, and the publication is made. I do not rise now for the sake of opposing or supporting the proposed publication, because whi e my genera opinion has been against them all, I thin if there ever wasn casein which the individual deserved that honors should be paid to his memory, such as have been aid even to the most eminent and the most distinguished, those honors are due to the memory of our late colleague, Judge Collamer. So feeling, I am not disposed to interpose any objection of my own anew in this individual case, while I retain all my original opinions as to the practice. A word now, sir in regard to the remarks of the Senfrom Pennsylvanil, [Mr. Cowax. He is comparatively a young Senator; and it he would only compare our publications now with those of 8 or 10 years ago, he would be astonished to find how much we have improved in that particular. It used to be the shit to publish (jud ng by s ace) almost acres of large books, a orned with engravings of all sorts and descriptions. That has been at an end to; the Senate has refused of late to have an thing to do with publications of that kind. it the present time, I believe we publish very few books, and those only the presidents message and accom auying documents, the Globe, the Agricultu Report, the Treasury Report, and a few others of that description which must be published, and which the community desire to see; and an effort has been made to reduce the excases even of publishing the message and documents by printing a comparatively small number of the entire doc uments, and furnishing abstracts instead of the complete volumes which were formerly printed. There has been a very great improvement in this particular; I hope to see more; but I cannot agree with the Senator that 9 10ths of all we publish is utterly useless. There may be some of the matter published that might be dispensed with and the expense of which might be spared; but, as a general rule, I thi k the senate and the HoRep have now got to a very reasonable state of mind in reference to publications, and I hope it will continue. As to t cse publications being electionecring documents, Iiiave nothing to say. I have never so used them. If the Senator has deriVed any benefit from usin them in that way, he roba bly speaks from is own experience. hope the remark will not be applied to me.