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PROVIDENCE, October 1, 1870.

Hon. A. M. CLAPP,
Congressional Printer.

[[stamp]] THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES [[/stamp]]

DEAR SIR: The Joint Committee on Public Printing was informed at its last meeting that the publication of the abridgment of the message and the documents had been delayed by the failure of the Executive Department to hand in the reports of their bureau offices in season.

The law is plain. The act approved June 25, 1864, says expressly "Hereafter, instead of furnishing manuscript copies of the documents usually accompanying their annual reports to each House of Congress, the heads of the several departments of Government shall transmit them, on or before the first day of November in each year, to the Superintendent or Public Printing, "&c., &c. "It shall be the duty of the heads of several departments to furnish the Superintendent of Public Printing with copies of their respective reports on or before the third Monday in November of each year. " And it is made your duty to print the abridgment of these documents, made under the direction of the Joint Committee of Printing, "and to deliver the same to the proper officer of each House, respectively, on or before the third Wednesday in December following the assembling of Congress, or as soon thereafter as practicable."

The Joint Committee on Printing was of the opinion that the only way to remedy this, was for you to act in accordance with the law, and to at once print such bureau reports as many may be furnished to you "or before the first day in November," which will enable you to issue the abridgment "on or before the third Wednesday in December."

The Joint Committee has accordingly given directions to the person charged with the editorship of the abridgment to commence the compilation immediately after the 1st of November, from those reports which have been furnished in accordance with law, and printed. Reports furnished after that time will necessarily be omitted from the abridgment, and the reason for their non-appearance should be stated, nor should they be permitted to delay the prompt publication of the documents in full. Whether reports withheld after the time specified by law shall be printed at all or not, and if so whether any additional numbers shall be printed, will be for Congress to determine when informed of the reasons for delay.

You will please communicate this to the heads of departments, who, I do not doubt, will see the necessity for more prompt action on the part of those who have delayed sending in their reports according to law.

I am yours, very truly, 
H. B. ANTHONY.