The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-02-26

from Indiana, induced TO suspend the publication OF
our article till this evening. We publish it now, pre-
missing only that so far from having any disposition to
take any which shall interfere with the position
and purposes of Dr. Houston a reporter we earnestly
desire that he should continue his present connexion
with us, and aid in furnishing both 10 Congress and
the country the fullest and most accurate reports OF The
proceedings OF the next Congress
We deem il proper to say further, that in our Judgment
can scarcely be expsdent TO separate the reporting OF
Congress from the daily press Reports Of congressional
proceedings made and published to the end that they
may be read by the people, and thus dse important and
useful information throughout the country 1t is indeed
highly desirable that Congress should have its debates
reported and preserved in form convenient for refer
ence and this one of the objects which propose to
accomplish by our proposition. But the primary
object OF making and publishing such reports, is surely to
spread them far and wide among the people 1t is Ger
tainly harmony with the whole spirit OF our institu
tons that the constituent should thus be enabled to Judge
nellgenty of the action of his representative. Such
publicity is alike desirable both to the members Of Con-
gress and to the people.
SO far as we are informed, all parliamentary govern
mens, since the system OF reporting was established
have acted upon this principle. Under every such gov
eminent parliamentary reporting has been regarded and
still regarded the appropriate function OF the public
press In London the standard and authentic records OF
the debates OF Debates and the
Mirror OF Paramenare made up (as has recently APP
peared upon an interesting occasion in the political his
tory of Sir Robert PeeD from the Reports which are
given daily in the principal plbc journals of all parties,
in that metropolis In Paris, and in the other European
capitals where representative bodies hold their session,
the case is the same The people find the debates and
the dongs of their legislative bodies in their newspapers
The strong popriety of this state OF things manifest
for through the newspaper alone, in the natural
course of things, can anything like full report
of the debates OF Congress Parliament be made
to reach the mass of the people Hence the paramenta
nv reports which began in London about the middle Of
the last century in the Gentlemans Magazine, and in
Woodalps Daily Advertiser, have ever since, both III
England and in this country, continued to form most
essential portion of the accustomed and ordinary business
of the metropolitan newspaper press.
We observe that the resolution offered the Senate
while it proposes to separate the reports OF Congress in
the first instance from the public press yet contempates
that full and accurate reports should be sent daily by
mail TO the principal newspapers OF the country But 1t
must not be forgotten in this connexion, that any news
paper which chooses to employ correspondent at Wash
ington will be furnished with summary of the legsa
tive proceedings OF each day tentyour hours IN ad-
udce of the full and accurate report which this resolution
proposes to send out by mail By this arrangement,
therefore, the full report which is daily to be laid upon
the tables of the members Of the Senate will reach the
public press of cities and OF the country in the pre-
dicament of old neus Thus, while the interest of the
country is fixed upon the proceedings OF to-day IN Con-
gress and while brief summary of those proceedings is
sent off by today's mail the distant newspaper the
same mail will bring its full report of yesterdays proceed
ings The consequence will inevitably be- that only
brief and imperfect summary will so into the newspapers
at all Indeed, il not for the newspaper press Of
this city, such would be the case even now. But for
the Intellgencer and the Union as the matter now
stands no man in the country could take a news
paper which processes to give full and au-
thentic account of what is done and said in Con-
gress In the daily routine of our business, we have
occasion TO look about two hundred newspapers
Not single OF these newspapers reports, or pro
fesses to report, can afford to report regu- |
larly, the debates of Congress They have these
debates daily for nothing in the Washington
papers sent off to them by the days mail But
not single paper out Of this city makes any attempt to
repubsh them in full, any where nearly in full The
Washington papers report the debates at length because
upon this feature their circulation in very considerable
measure depends The burden is very heavy one to the
daily press OF this city-every man at all familiar with
spaper enterprise must know this we'll but it is borne
as far as II can be borne without assistance, and duty
to the public and the government OF the country is thus
discharged So happens that any man OF either of the
two ere at parties can subscribe newspaper containing
full congressional reports.
But if the authentic and official reporting be done upon
the system proposed by the resolution and be thus taken
entirely out OF the hands OF the daily press Of this city
one OF two alternatives presents itself to each of the
daily papers established here Each OF those papers must
either sustain corps of reporters which compete
with the corps established by the Senate, and paid ol
reporting its proceedings alone at the rate of eighteen
thousand dollars for the two sessions, else it
give up the idea of full reports, and present its readers
with sucn synopsis as it can give, when no longer
looked to as the organ of full, authentic, and authorta
tive congressional publications And If were
to adopt the full reports of the Senates reporter must
still fall twenty-fou hours behind the progress of the
debates and the curiosity of the country. Thus while
our burden is increased by the necessity OF increased
energy in our reporting, reports, even if made as
perfect as possible, will be less sought for and
less circulated because no longer official The eff |
feet of it will be that newspaper in this city
can sustain itself, without resorting TO the same kind OF
summaries and abridgmcnts given in the papers OF
other cities II any wants full reports OF Congress,
uraa scb system he must take the publication which