Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-16
SPEECHES OF CoNGREssMEN
How They are Printed and Scattered
BrOadcast-Interestin Statistics.

How They are Printed and Scattered
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Statistics.
After all, says a Washington special,
Congress has done something. 1t has dis
tributed to the suffering people for their
enlightenment G, ,OOO, 600 speeches. 81 have
just finished figuring up the number of
speeches sent out by members of the
House," said the Superintendent of the
House folding-rOom to your correspond
ent, "and find that the number is 4, ,25O, ,3OI. A..
Add the number sent by the Senate
and it will give total, / should think.
of at least 100000. The Senators,
while they don't send as many general
documents, such as agricultural reports
and bound volumes of any and all sorts,
do send a great many speeches, They
are more interested in carrying their
States than they are in making personal
friends of the people, so that the pleasant
task of sending agricultural reports to
farmers and other documents to other
sorts of people they leave to members,
while they confine their attention more to
speeches which they expect will have
more effect upon public sentiment as to
the choice between Republican and
Democratic parties"
''And where do all these speeches go?
These 100000 that have been already
sent"
'In every direction; more especially, of
course, to the doubtful States and to the
States where the tariff question is likely
to play an important part in the COM
ing contest, but they go everywhere"
''And what are they abOutY'
''Tariff. Nearly everything is Sariff. OF
course speeches containing agricultural
information are sent to the farmers and
others about manufactures and matters of
this sort to manufacturers, but the large
proportion of speeches sent out are upon
the tariff, and if they give any other in
formation give it incidentally"
"Whose speeches are most sent?'
"On the Democratic side Hurd's
speeches are probably the most popular
Of any. We have sent out great num-
Der of his-I could not say how many /;
100000, or perhaps 100000. They have
gone in every direction, of course, but
more especially West and Northwest,
where the tariff reform is most popular.
A good many have been sent to the South,
too. Next to Hurd's, Morrison's speeches
are probably the most popular. OF Mr..
Hewitts a good many are sent out,
though they do not go so much to the
West"
'.And on the Republican slider"
"On the Republican side McKinley's
speeches are the most sought after and
the most sent out. We have sent a great
many of his. Horr's go pretty well, and
of course Kelley's are POPULAR"
SHOW many more of the speeches of
this session will be sent out, do you sup
poser"
THAT is pretty hard to answer. From
the experience of former Presidential
campaigns | should say there will be O.
100000 or 1900, 900 of the House speeches,
to say nothing Of those in the Senate"
''SuDpOsing then the number of Senate
speeches yet to be sent out about in the
same proportion it would bring the grand
total Of speeches made in this Congress,
distributed and to be distributed, some
thing like 100000, will it?'
Probably about 10,000,000, yes"
"These people must spend considerable
money in sending out their speeches in
such large numbers, do they noL?'
eyes; they pay for the printing and the
paper on which they are printed. We
furnish the envelopes and they are
franked through the mails, yet the
amount paid for printing 100000 or
100000 speeches is considerable. The
Senators expend considerable on matters
of this sort. l could give you the name o.
one Senator who l know is spending
$1,000 Of this years salary in this work
Flower, who has been mentioned sew
eral times at Chicago this week, spent
several thousands in last Congress IN dis
tributing his. own speeches-probably
twice the amount of his salary. 1t was
no unusual thing for orders to come in
from him for $4,000 or 10000 and some
times 30, 600 copies of his speeches at one
time. He sent hundreds Of thousands Of
them"
The force Of employees in the House
folding room, which numbers about $50,
is still busy. Orders still come in from
members to have their speeches printed,
folded and mailed.