Mr. FESSENDEN. I think the resolution had better lie over; and upon the general subject of resolutions of this kind I desire to say a few words, but I wish my friendfrom Kentucky not to regard the remarks I am about to make as having any particular reference to this more than to other cases. The little experience that I had as a Depart.ment officer satisfied me that if the members of Congress understood how much labor they gave occasion for, and how much expense in print.ing by the calls which are made for information, they would before offering resolutions of this kind in the respective Houses take pains to inquire in the 1st place and ascertain exactly what they do want and what would probably be the result of the call. In the Treasury Dept these debts and defaults of one kind and another have been accumulating for a great number of years and recently, according to in information know the prosition was 6 while I was in the Treasury ementa special agent has bowWidth :" I ran express reference to these debts, to look them up, and see whether they could not be settled, authority having been given to the SecyTreasury to compromise certain debts. The Senfrom Kentucky will observe that his call u)o“ the various Deptsis unlim ited in point of time; it goes back to the foundation of the Government. I presume that the other honorable Senfrom Kentuck, Gurmun] who was formerly at the head 0Edthdea Treasury Dept can give more information on the subject than I can; but it is apparent to me that it would involve considerable expense to Jirepare the information proposed to be calle for. It must take considerable time to examine the books of the various depts in order to make out this list of defaulting debtors, many of the items of which have become in a measure obsolete and are of no sort of consequence; and the list will be so large, when obtained, that to publish it will involve the publication of a book again, 11 on which my friendfrom Pennsylvania [ML owns] cemented yesterday. I think the resolution had better lie over, and lot the Senfrom Kentucky [Mr. DAVIs] take some puinsto inquire what would probably be the result of the call in regard to the emplqyment of clerks, the examination of books, on the accumulation of material, the greater part of which is utterly useless, and in rerd to the expense of the publication of the ist, the result of which would be tolay a book on our tables to he examined, but upon which probably no action could be taken. If the Senator wants alist covering an particular period of time let him designate it; Ihut it strikes me that it is not exactly wise and perhaps it is more than the Senator intendsto call for a very large mass of information and require a very long examination of the books of the depts. I know that frequently members wishing to get at a particular thing, which, if they had been detiuite, could have been reached in an hour, make a call for information that requires the labor of several clerks for weeks betbre it can be obtained, and then wonder is expressed that the answer does not come in at once, when the result is that, instead of a single sheet or a single statement. reams of pay or almost are written over with information o no sort of consequence. I hope, therefore, that members will be a little careful in these matters. Making general calls of this kind occasions expense and trouble unnecessarily and which they do not mean to create when they make the call, being desirous simply to obtain certain information. By going to the Dept and inquiring in the 1st place as to the particular points to which their inquiry was meant to be directed, they would be furnished invariably with all the information necessary to enable of them to reduce their call to the very point or points on which they wished to be enlightened.