Mower County transcript., 1869-12-09
Reporting the British House Of Com.
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Reporting the British House Of Com.
mons.
A correspondent of the New York World
has been on & visit to tho British House of
Commons, and from his description of
what he saw there We extract tho following:
THE REpoRTER's aAILERx. r 81
The reporters gallery is directly nfront
OF the gallery where ana sitting. There
are fifteen boxes for their use to write in,
each reporter sitting separate from his
comrade. and writing characters for dear
life. These boxes resemble private boxes
in our Opera House, with the difference
that they have no roof above them, and
areopen to the public gaze. Behind these
fifteen boxes are seats for thirty more re-
porters, to take the place Of those in the
boxes IN turn, as each reporter takes short
hand notes for space Of ten 10 fifteen min
utes time, and ID then relieved by his col
league, waiting above him, who steps into
his place as the other rotires to tho report
ers' room, in the corridor, to write out his
notes, and then to take them to the news
paper Office, or else, if he chooses, he may
send them by the small boys waiting in the
gallery, who are employed by the news
papers at salary of from eight to twelve
British shillingsa week. Lato at night,
it is customary for the reporter who has
notes of very important speech which
he wishes to get to the composing
rooms to take cab from the Palace Yard,
where there ara dozens of them always
waiting, and thus dash off to be in time for
the press. The Times keeps thirteen re-
porters constantly in the gallery, and the
Standard as many, if am not mistaken.
These men are all expert shorthand re-.
porters, and get from five to eight guineas
per week, according to their capability.
There is also maa who remains late to get
the gist of what is said and done in debate,
and from his notes he makes up clear and
comprehensive summary. Then there is
the ''leader-writer," ,''the editor" proper,
and Especial reporter" who receive cards
of admission to that part OF the house un-
der the reporters gallery, and consequentlc
on the floor of the House behind the Speak
er's chair. This is high favor, and only
granted most sparingly, and with discretion.
There arc generally to be found about
twenty reporters in the gallery, but this
number is greatly increased on ':field
night" when it is usual to find as
many as thirty-6ve or forty journal
lists in the gallery. From what have
seen of these parliamentary reporters they
seem very deliberate in their movements.
and do Inot allow anything to hurry them.
ant gentlemen, aud with few exceptions,
men of experience and scholarly attain.
ments, vo-thirds o. them being men who
have taken honors at the universities, or at
Harrow, Eton, or Rugby, and in not few
Instances they have begun life to go into
the church, and instead the charms of
journalism have taken them captive.
Some few of them are in the Inns of Court
as banisters durins tho day, and at night
the practice shorthand, earn . respectable
living, and gain experience from England's
chosen representatives. from their secluded
hooks in tho gallery Of the House. It was
not always that the press and its reporters
had such privileges as they now possess in
the House Of Commons.
SAMUEL JOHNSON As A REPORTER.
Before the administration of Sir Robert
Walpole there were no satisfactory records
Of the debates in the House. Tho fierce
contests between Walpole, Windham, Pull
teney and others, which had, indeed, for
some time before 174O attracted attention
to the proceedings Of the House, and they
had been regularly reported in confused
long sort of fashion every month in
the Gentleman's and Londen Magazine, the
former publication commencing the debate
in January, 1871, the latter in April, 1882,
but no attempt can be said to have been
made to convey moro than the substance of
the speeches until that department of the
Gentleman's Magazine was intrusted to
gruff old Samuel Johnson, in November
174O... This is the commencement of the
era of parliamentary reporting in England.
Shorthand before that time is in
volved in chaos, and it is doubtful
if johnson knew anything more than
the rudiments of the then crude system of
stenography. Indeed, johnson appears to
have given more of his own eloquence than
Of what had actually been uttered in Par.
lament; bnt still what he did was in all
probability only to substitute one kind of
eloquence for another-a better for worse;
or, it might be, sometimes, . worse for q
better-and therefore, on the whole, the
speeches written by him, though less true
to the letter than those given by his prede-
cessors, may be received as more living,
and, as such, truer representation of the
real debates than had ever before been pro-
duced. He would not take the ttouble OF
be guilty of the absurdlty of expending his
lofty rhetoric upon tue version or debate
or speech which had not really attracted at
tention by that quality, but i suppose he
reserved his strength for occasions on which
those who had heard. or heard OF, the or
iginal oration, would look for something
more brilliant than usual. 1t was not, how
ever, until after long and severe struggle
with desperate fight at the close,
that the right Of reporting the de:
bates of Parliament was gained
by the English press Of that day. It is now
about 100 years ago, in the old days of the
Hanoverian and Pretenders troubles, that
anything spoken in the House was allowed
to be printed until after the session was
nounced any earlier publication of the elo-
ing act of illegality. On the 14th of April,
1888, the House resolved that it is an high
indignity to, and a notorious breach of the
privilege ofthis House for any news mat
ter or letters, or other papers, as minutes
any printer or publ. her of any printed
nj wspaper of any denomination to presume
| to insert in the said letters or papers, or tc
give therein any account of the debates Of
or other proceedings of this House, or any
committee thereof, as we'll during tho re-
cess as the sitting of Parliament, and that
this house will proceed: with the utmost
severity against such offenders The
House of Commons, it is needless to say,
has progressed somewhat since then.
JOURNALISTIC. PR1yn5oEs.
The monthly magazines, notwithstand-
ing the resolution of the House, still con.
tinued to print the debates, although h fol
some time they took the necessary precau.
ton Of indicating the speakers by fictitious
names, to which they furnished their read,
ers with key when the House became dis
solved. But it was not until they year 1771
nearly q century ago. that the debates be-
gan to be given to the public day by day
as they occurred, and then the attempt
gave rise to contest between the House
and tho newspapers, which occupied tht
House, to the exclusion of all other bust
ness. for three weeks. when . committee
was appointed, whose report, when it Wal
read, two months after, suggested whether
offending parties should be taken into thu
custody Of the sergeant-at-Arms. Edmunt
Burke compared the decision, in his owI
brilliant manner, to the resolution of tn,
bewildered convocation of mice, that tn
cat, to prevent her doing future destruction
should have bell hung to her neck, bu
forgot to say how it was to be performed
Well, thAtEis all past and gone now, and
the only complaint made in these busy
| days by members of the score of daily news
papers in London is that they err in no.
printing enough of the speeches in case'
where q particular individual may be con
cerned. noticed that the majority of the
parliamentary reporters in the gallery arr
considerably advanced in age, many o.