Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-14

ress Of Congress and its contributors take a
holiday. 1t has three hundred and thirty con-
tributors in the House and eighty-four in the
Senate. each of whom is managing editor, with
full control over his own matter.
But. with all the great names that appear in
Its columns. the paper Is not a success for gem
eral reading. Each article Is generally read by
the man who produced it and. perhaps, by a
few of his friends. including his wife. There
are certain rare exceptions. The general reader
of newspapers does not usually care to read
the Record over before breakfast. But the
only complete report of Congress made Is
printed in that paper.
The reporting of the Senate and House is
not done from the press gallery. The men who
sit there occasionally and send long dispatches
to the great dailies of the country take only
what they want of the proceedings of Congress
and say what they like about it.
The eleven reporters of the Record are,
properly speaking. the only reporters at the
Capitol They report all that occurs in the
legislative halls. They are the instruments
through whom the four hundred and fourteen
statesmen contributors express their ideas in
the Record They write Just what the states
men say, and. though they sometimes improve
the literary finish of the matter they prepare,
they are not responsible for the variety of
style and quality of the essays that appear in
the verbatim daily. They take a pen picture
OF Congress each day. None of the minute
details escape them. Whatever is done, at
tempted or spoken of they record. They must
be sensitive to sound and action Their eyes
and their ears must catch everything that is in
progress about them. The details must pass
through their brains, the thoughts be organized
and the record of the facts must run off the
ends OF their pencils with almost the rapidIty
Of lightning.
The qualifications Of member of the House
or Senate are not as exacting as those of one of
these reporters. These men must be as rapid
shorthand writers as there are, they must be
well read IN many general branches, they must
have minds trained to quickly comprehend
new Ideas, and they must have steady nerves
and superior mental composure. Their power
OF endurance must be great also.
THE HOUSE REPORTERS.
In the House the task of the reporter is more
severe than in the Senate, for the reason that
there are more members there and less de-
corum. 1t is seldom in the Senate that debate
runs out of the orderly channel. and there is
scarcely ever a tumult. The House Is large and
noisy and 1t Is often in almost a riotous state of
excitement. When half the members are talk
ing at one time, each at the top of his voice,
the reporter must be i'll the midst of it and re-
port the tumult. When the House is calmly
proceeding with its routine business the task of
the reporter is not difficult; but in a moment
some very interesting subject may come u
over which there Is a wide difference of opinion
and debate may occur in which half a dozen
members take part, all rushing forward and
shouting at the same time. Then the re-
porter must catch what each member says
and he must be very sure, too, to attribute the
right remarks to the right man. Then he must
keep his head cool and his nerve steady There
Is but one reporter at a time taking the debate
and responsibility for the correct record of
all that is said hes with him. While his hand
Is flying across the leaves of his note book his
ears must be open to every sound his ewes
watchful of the House and his brain alert to
Keep the thread of his report But he must
look at his book as he writes and he cannot see
every member who losses a remark into the
general confusion of sound He must trust to
his ear and he must be familiar with the voices
OF the members far as possible, SO as to
idenrify them by sound