Mr. CONNESS. I should like to inquire from some Senator perhaps the Senfrom RhdIsland, can give us the information or enlighten me as to the benefit of this publication. I believe it purports to give something in the way of biographies of Congressmen an Senators, in which the whole transactions of a Senators life are put within about the space of half the length of your finger. I should like to know what is th euse and whatis the propriety of paying from the public Treasuryfor that. I think printing and publishing the biographies of congressmen at the expense of the Treasuiy, and oing it by a resolution, is rather a question able piece of legislation. Of course, I know nothing about the parties who have gotten this book up. I have seen some copies of it. I have been furnished with some. cannot conceive what useful purpose it serves or why it should be continued. I believe, if my recollection serves me rightly, that last year there was considerable difficulty, particularly in the HoRep, before Congress authorized this publicationand I remember that adisputation got into the newspapers between the publisher and a distinguished member of Congress, in which it was undertaken to be shown that a member of Congress opposed it because a very lengthy biography of him which had been reared with great care had not appeared; which of course he denied. I undertake to say nothing about the truth of it; but it seems to me of all the publications authorized by Congress for which the public money is s ent, at a period when we have none to spare, when we are not paying the current exenses of the Government from the taxes collected, this is the most wasteful, unnecessary, unfounded, imprudent, and shameffil. Now, sir, there may be gentlemen who live for fame during their lives, and there maybe others, and doubtless there are, who wish for posthumous fame. It does not appear to me that they will ever get either sort by this publication. If I were called upon to write the biography of the Senfrom RhdIsland, I think I could do it very much better from my present knowledge of him than I find it in this ook. If I knew who wrote the biography that appears of me in it, I think I should be his enemy forlife, [laughter] because it is simplya little collection of what is not the fact. lgut I care nothing about that. What appears, or does not appear about your humble servant, Mr. President, he is entirely careless about. But I cannot understand wh the public money should be used now (and I0not speak these things to cultivate public sentiment) to authorizethe annualpublication of this book, or, to indorse the language that is used in this resolution, “the usual number” to be published of a book of this kind, which contains no useful information. I open this book at a biography in manuscript of Hon. Joseph R. Chandler, a for mer member of the HoRep. I find a great many corrections and annotations here. I think it would perhaps be well enciwh to refer this book to the ComLibrary or to a special committee to examine it.