Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13
BOOKS FOR CONGRESSMAN.
The Millions of Volumes Printed by the
Government.

Some of the new members who have been
Unexpectedly thrown into Congress by the up
heaval of the Aft of November, without pre-
vious preparation. will find themselves sud-
denly possessed of wealth of literature.
Libraries of astonishing size and extraordinary
dullness will be found to their credit. Slowed
away in the cellars and dark recesses of the
Capitol and in ware houses rented for the pur-
pose are thousands of volumes. some of which
have been accumulatinS for much thirty
years
Uncle Sam runs the most extensive and least
profitable publishing house in the country.
Over zoo. 600 books printed and published at
government expense were sent out from the
House folding room during the first session of
this Congress and this was by no means all
that were in print. thousands being slowed
away because the members to whose credit
they were did not claim them. Not less than
half as many more were sent out from the Sem
ate folding room. Each member Is furnished
with catalogue covering nineteen pages. Civ
ing merely the names of the various books to
which he is entitled by virtue of his office.
Each title represents perhaps hundreds per-
haps thousands of volumes. Of the aericul-
tural reports alone 100000 are published each
year and divided among the members From
this number ii runs down to four five sets
of some of the rarer and more expensive publ
cations to each member.
LARGE OUTLAY.
The cost of all these publications is something
enormous. and there are probably not more
than dozen of them that any man would pick
out to put in his library. The annual edition
of the agricultural reports. one of the very
cheapest publications.. costs about $40, 900.
That Is only about ten cents II volume. In the
case of some of the reports, in which there are
many cuts, the cost of each volume is consider
Ind. Lee
laws. the Presidents messages. reports from the
departments and special bureaus of the depart
ments. works ON explorations made under the
auspices of the government. works on entomol
Ogy, ethnOlOgy. forestry. astronomy and geOl-
Ogy- There are several works on Alaska sew
eral accounts of Arctic cruises. books on foreign
relations and international law an infinite num-
Der of volumes on fish and volumes of eulogies
on all the members who have died in the service.
Each member has the right to have one COM
plete set Of government publications during
his term of Office bound in library form.
These volumes in sheep-skin binding are piled
up like cord wood in the clerks document
room. it being impossible to ship them off as
fast as they come in. There is often car load
of them IN the room at one time.
INTERESTING OLD ACCCMULATIONs.
Except this one set for each member the
volumes are bound in he cheapest possible
manner in black cloth. They are bound
whether the member to whose credit they go
wants them or not. ard the result il that
thousands OF volumes are not called for by the
members and they lie about and get musty or
rot. When a member dies. or -etircs without
dispensing of his books. the books accumulated
put to the credit of his successor. Some of the
new members coming i'll to the next House will
fall heir 10 numerous volumes of greater or less
value in this way. When Mr.. Vaux succeeded
Mr. Randall he fell heir to an odd and very
large assortment of books Mr. Randall having
hsen of bn Of
books TO his credit. There are very few gov
eminent publications which the average city
representative has any use for. but to the
country member these books are so much cam
paign material. Some of those from way back
send ont to their constituents not
only all the books that come to them as their
share. but buy trade for as many more.
Some OF them never fail to send q book Of some
sort to every voter in their districts. They
say there is nothing better to gain the honest
farmers good Will than copy Of agricultural
report printed at government expense. While
| but few of these publications of much value
to well-appointed library there are certain
thrifty members who manage to make them
\ available. They trade them off at a second
| hand book store for volumes they want in their
! libraries. and SO get such works as they want
| free of cost. The secondhand man sells the
! publications to other members who want to
! send them TO their constituents.
KEEPING ACCOUNTS.
| The accountants and bOOkkeeperS in the
largest publishing houses i'll the country do not
| have the work that do the boOkkeepers in the
House folding room. Formerly there were five
! clerks whose duty it was to keep account of the
| volumes received and those sent out. A regular
! set of books is kept and an account is opened
with each member. and this kept five men
pretty busy. but with the increased expense of
the publication wisdom has suggested that
| there should be economy somewhere. so the
number of bookkeepers has been reduced to
| two. who get II 100 year and have to work
! from morning to night in order to keep the
| books in order. Every member is credited on
the ledger with the number of volumes of
each publication which is apportioned to him.
| One Of the ledgers containing these accounts is
a book of 100 pages, 80 columns to the page.
| When a new book comes i'll it must be put upon
| this account. and the members are charged for
! each book they draw out. record having to be
made to show whether the member came for
! the book himself. sent page or gave some out
slider order The bookkeepers have to attend
to the shipping also. All these volumes are
frankable and go through the mails free of
charge. Tons Of them are sent through the
mails each year.