The sun., 1873-05-23

mated at four months and half. They
have thus seven and half months 10 dis
pose of in the year, which has usually been
employed in the service of special commit
tees of Congress, at still higher rates of
pay.
Large as this compensation is, when COM
pared with almost any other branch OF
intellectual or mechanical labor, Mr..
DAWES did not think the treasury suffi-
ciently burdened, and therefore he insisted
upon making the reporters officers of the
House by which means their salaries and
extras will be extended over the whole
twelve months while they are only en-
ployed little more than one third of that
time. That single fact Ia enough to stamp
the proposition as an outrage, but when
associated with increased pay, which Mr..
DAWES took care to conceal by adopting
basis unknown to the public, 1t becomes
monstrous. IL is estimated by those who
are familiar with the inside manipulation.
that these reporters will receive $4,000 or
5000 each by this resolution for four
months and a half of work, and may still
he employed in special service for the
remaining two-thirds of the year, at tho
exorbitant prices now paid "to the OFF,
Cial reporters of the committees" This Is
the way in which money is squandered ut
Washington under the lead Of Mr. DAWES,
Chairman of the Ways and Means, and
beneficiary of the Credit Mobilier.
The practical effect of this change
concerning the reporters Is to dcmor-
alize the service. As long rs they were
tractor. and paid by him, and might
he dismissed by him, there was
guarantee for good and prompt work, as
Indifferent would not pass muster. Even
then il was dinicult TO keep up the excel
lent standard of the Globe and TO assure
expedition. Now there Is no system and
no responsibility. The reporters are made
perfectly independent of all direction, and
the result will soon be seen unless the
whole thing is abolished rs IL ought to be.
The publication of the GlobC was admir-
ably conducted, but it had grown into
huge aud costly proportions, from no fault
| of the contractors. Although the repre-
| scntation in Congress had not increased in
ten years. the volumes of Congressional
proceedings expanded year by year, until
at the single second session of the Congress
which recently ended 1t cost quarter of a
million of dollars in round numbersl And
even with this great outlay and all the
energy applied TO the business, the debates
were often days and sometimes weeks in
/ arrears. from the pressure of long written
/ speeches ana u mass of costly repetition in
/ both houses.
In the British Parliament. whore the
| proceedings always extend far into the
night, the debates are published literally
and fully in the leading papers of the next
morning. with all the freshness and truth
preserved. That is dealing fairly with the
public. At Washington Il practice of re-
vision has grown up, SO that when debate
occurs-which is rare in the proper sense
il is generally deprived of all vigor and
interest by radical changes. The time has
come when this nuisance should be abatcd
and the reporting of Congress left to the
enterprise ana competition Of the press
Let that experiment be once fairly tried
aud the newspapers will soon bc found &c
do the work far better than has ever been
accomplished, and at saving of million:
To the treasury.
1t is easy to f,rcsee from the cxpcricnc,
of the Government printing Office that il
the Globc or any similar paper j. published
there II will cost at the start 100000 NOR,
year than under the old system, and grow
into an enormous abuse. There is no slngl,
motive for economy, but many for extrav
agance, because every additional dollar
spent goes into somebody's pocket ol
swells somebody's profits. 1t will augment
patronage, increase opportunities Of job
berry, and stimulate corruption. Thes,
results are inevitable. Therefore, let thu,
official organ be abolished and reporting be
thrown open 10 private enterprise, 10y
which the country will be better served.