The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-19
"CoNGREssIoNAL SPEECHES. y

and which will still be found in another column Of
our paper, adyerted TO the large expenditure TO
which newspaper in Washington was subjected,
il il undertook to publish in full the daily proceed
ings Of both houses Of Congress. Il was our inten-
ton, on future occasion, to explain the matter
more in detail; but the experienced editors Of the
National lntelgeneer have SO strikingiy exhibited
some Of the growing burdens " under which they,
as well ourselves labor, by article in their pa
per Of Tuesday morning, under the above caption,
that we feel the task has been almost perfected 10
our hands, and shall consequently content ourselves,
for the present. with merely adding or two con-
sderations that may serve still further TO eucidate
the subject
In asserting that expense Of reporting and
publishing the debates in Congress involved no less
sum than 5000 or 10 900 dollars, we were
fully aware that our Statement was under rather
than over the mark" but we felt no disposition to
exaggerae the matter, and chose to err If at ALL
the safer side. Subsequent examination has satis-
fed us that the Intelligencer approximates the
amount much nearer than less perfect scquaint-
ance with the business had led us to suspect, and
we are now convinced that our cotemporary's esti
mate in nought ovesteps the truth. . ..a.
Like the lnelhgencer, we have "no thought
Of depriving or readers hereafter Of such re-
ports Of the proceedings and debates as are
i generally interesting TO them," and, may add
of such a. are useful and instructive to all who feel
interest in the sayings and transactions of the
national legislature On the contrary, our desire to
render these proceedings and debates accessible to
all has determined us to publish Congressional
Register" to be issued weekly during the session.
and to contain full report Of the daily action Of
| Congress. This will be furnished at 80 low a price
as to be within reach of every one who is DESTROYS
Of informing himself Of what is passing in the egis-
lative halls Of the nation. We nop scarcely know
how we shall he able to carry very full reports
| for the Union, unless we connect them with a Con-
| gressional Register, which will contribute to pay
the expense Of the Union by transferring its reports
| to its own columns.
that the practice Of printing in a daily journal the
elaborate speeches of members, in addition to the
reported debates, is burden 'too heavy to be
borne by the publishers" and is such as ono
newspaper printed at Washington can stand" es-
peoiay in view Of the change Of circumstances now
approaching. We have lately had occasion to look
into the matter, with eye ascertain the expend-
iture which this practice has enailed upon the pro-
pretors Of the "Unon," Independently of what we
| pay reporters; and have been startled
ut the result. BY careful calculation made il has
been demonstrated to that the Of composition
alone for printing these isolated speeches for men,
bers has averaged $40 per week during the session
which has Just terminated. This, of, ITSELF will
appear to all thinking people sufficiently onerous
but when it is recollected that this mass Of matter
necessarily displaces like amount of advertise
ments, 1.-THE chief source of profit to newspaper
and from the emoluments of which is pro tan,o ex-
cluded,) it will be obvious to every one that the
serious loss of at least two three hundred dollars
per week falls upon tho proprietors through this
"eusiom." 'a ~" fn'hf .'n Bel. 'a" 'F' p
At a moment Of greater leisure, we may feel
disposed to take up this Subject again, and to show
| that however, under some circumstances, our dis
position might urge us to accede to the wishes of
our friends in publishing their speeches in erienso
our means in the present prospect of affairs mus,
govern our discretion, and determine us, in each
case as it arises, what course it is prudent for us
1 to pursue. t ........ ... ~, ,.. .a#
i After dsposing Of the few speeches yet on hand,
which we are under promise to publish, we wish
it to be understood that the "practice" alluded to,
! and for the reasons above given, must be consid-
| cred, so far as we are concerned. to be for the
present discontinued. ti"l"
| Fom the National Intelgenccr Of Tuesday.
i SPEECHES IN CONGRESS
I "We have in hand great number of pamphlet
copies Of speeches delivered at the late Congress-
reported at large, and revised by their authors,
l whom we would willingly oblige, If possible by
publishing every one of them But the imposs-
bility of doing this may be conclusivey inferred
from the fact that one Of these speeches has been
for ten days past In type, contending in vain with
masses Of the laws passed by Congress, Of adver-
tisements, of the news Of the day, and other mat
terH for admission into our columns. We shall
have nearly the same difficulties to overcome in the
case of every speech that we may desire to publish
"a few of these speeches we consider ourselves
under promises, express implied, to putlisb and
we shall redeem such engagements. With regard
to the mass Of them, however, our friends ac-
cept the win for the deed. E.
"Whilst upon this subject, let us say that the
time is at hand, if have not already arrived when
the reporting and publishing in the Washington
newspapers, at the expense Of their proprietors of
all (or any considerable portion) of the elaborate
1 speeches delivered in Congress must cease, The
custom has already existed too long. For the last
five and twenty years the burden has been becom-
ing every year heavier and heavier to the press by
reason of the yearly expanding volume of the de-
bates, and the growing desire and expectation Of
members Of both houses to be reported at large. II
has now become too heavy to be borne by the pub
lishers, unless in some form of which the expense
shall be paid by others than the printers, whose
subscribers would for the most part greatly prefer
that the contents Of their Washington papers should
be OF a more miscellaneous cast than they usually
are during the sessions of Congress. At this very
session, the proprietors Of one Of the city papers
have declared that the expense of their report
ing department during the session amounted 10
nine or ten thousand dollars; and we are satisfied
from our own experience, that their statement is
rather under than the mark. 1t plain, to ev-
cry one who will think, that newspaper publish
j ed at Washington stand this annual charge
TO which ought to be added full fifty per cent
for all the expense with which the printing OF
such a mass Of matter loads down the newspaper
press.
"Al this, however, is merely said by the way
The subject Is one which will probably have TO be
treated OF more at large and with greater exactness
at some convenient day. We will only now say,
before leaving it, that have Of course thought