The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1884-01-11
II. WHOLE NO. 757
Washington Post.

Washington Post.
j. j. McElhone, the chief Of the official
stenographers of the House, has been in the
service of that body as an official reporter
since ls49. He was an expert stenographer
when mere boy. When he was eighteen
years old he was reporting the official de-
bates. Dennis Murphy, the chief of the
Senate staff, began his official work for Con-
gress six months earlier than McElhone.
Both are from Philadelphia. McEIhone Is a
very tall, straight, vigorous, young. looking
man. He has more the air of dashing SOL
dieI than that of civilian. His eyes are
clear and resolute, his nose straight, while
his military mustache and imperial accent
uate his appearance Of vigor aud energy. He
IS very cultivated man, and few members
have such a thorough knowledge of public
affairs as McElhone. IL is strange that none
Of the younger stenographers of Washington
who are looking forward to fill the places Of
the official stenographers of Congress are not
doing something to qualify themselves for
the work. The average stenographer looks
only to the mechanical part of his work,
without thought Of how necessary to his
final success is the possession of thoroughly
broad aud comprehensive education.
Mr.. McElhone explained TO me the other
day bis method Of WORKING. IL will probably
be revelation to the average reporter. He
pays no attention to the mechanical part of
his work. He writes the Pitman system in
Its simplest forms. When he is reporting
speaker he follows his every sentence, criti-
cising it and taking In fully its sense, while
his hand follows his thought like a bit of
exquisitely trained mechanism. The result
Is that he has never yet met speaker who
can talk too fast for him. When he meets a
man who can think faster than he can, then
only will McElhone be at loss. He said
that in the last House the three hardest men
to report were Thompson of Iowa, Black
burn of Kentucky, and Ranney of Massa-
chusetts.
The hardest piece Of reporting ever done
by McElhone was during the exciting Incl
dents of the counting in of Hayes by the
House of Representatives. When Beebe, of
New York, immortslized himself by jump
ing upon his desk, perfect Bedlam appeared
TO have been let loose. To report what was
said with twenty or thirty members appar-
emily talking at once, must have seemed
almost an impossibilty. In less than a Sec
ond McElhone saw that his reputation as
one of the greatest Of living reporters was at
stake, He seized his notebook and dashed
right into the center of the excitement. The
voice Of every member was familiar to him.
Without turning his head he stood erect
amid the widest confusion, and caught with
rigid accuracy the words Of the most distant
speaker. He was very nervous over the re-
suit, because If any member at that time had
by chance been omitted from the page of
history of that day, McElhone would have
been the subject of many row. None of
the members believed that he had been able
to get them all, yet when his report came
out in the Record next day, not one had
single word of fault to find. In fact, il is the
only perfect picture of that exciting period.
1t was one of the greatest feats of stencgra-
phic reporting ever done in Congress. When
McElhone had finished lie was bathed in
from head to foot, and was as
weak as If he had been running In ten. mile
match.