Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-03-17
now REPORTS OF DEBATES IN
CONGRESS GROW.


ny THE non. JAMES q. nLAiNH, SEC
RErARy on srATH.
The reports Of congressional proceed.
ings arc growing, or have already
/ grown, 70 Iargc ~ 10 he burdcnsomc,
anu are In Imminent danger OF bccOm-
lug useless. There are two specific
reatOns Tor this increase: onc u the
printing OF every trivial detail with
rtonographlc uNactncs-, aud The other
Va the permission In 10th branches Of
using Oritten essays Instead Of Innk.
Ing actual speeches In debate.
In the beginning of the government,
aud for many yuara thereafter. the
habit OF speaking from manuscript
In either ybauch Of Congress was
unknown. On every important mea.
SURE that came before Congress, ON the
cxpedicncy OF which members differed
In opinion, there was au actual debate,
In which positions we're affirmed and
contested with oii.haud speech. In
every conflict OF this kind the mem
bers were, a. rule, Ia their seats,
many taking part, and the mass 10 in-
tercstcd ~ " sit continuously through
the debate.
The habit OF speech IL greatly chang.
cd. At this time any one who will
take his seat In tho gallery of the Sem
ate, NJ tho senators assemble, will be-
Interested during the informing hour"
which Il oilen marked by what may
he called sharp debate; hut when TITO
''morning hour" expires, and the
Irregular order" il announced, the
spectator Will very probably see
gentleman rise aud unioli mas Of
manuscript ahd begin 10 read.
He viii next SEE, out OF the eighty
eight senators, probably sovunty.fiye,
anI possibly more, II the Senate be-
full, abscn, themselves from their seats
and retire 10 their c0mmitte. rooms 20
write letter. and transact both public
aud private business, until tho pages
shall inform them that tho reading Of
the manuscript, In progress when the
senators lcf the chamber, IL about 10
close.
In the House OF Representatives. the
spectator, when he seats himself In tho
gallery, will probably see repeated, as
nearly n the analogy of the proceed
ings Will allow, all that has been said
nfthc Senate, with the addition Of n
habit, which IL not extensively, N at
all, practiced In the Senate, VIZ. tho
permission 10 print speeches, not one
~ ths attn, a.ld,, ~ ali a ,,a,,ia 80
'.an.raiiv S,h,r,iavs ~ d,,hs,., n,i,s'
s'hi,,h n',ars ,ha; 80. ~, .,,.',
py ,hs Snsal.s viii n,"s,J, VIII ,.a
u1der.tanding TIA, NJ hn.in.'. Is,o he
Jons arJ thn, ,nv ,,,ar,h.,r 80
cIacl,' en- crn,. H.. anJ J,.il, w
s,.,,ch ,,unn any snI,i.ct n, nay -
~, ~hsihe, l. nsn,,ln, ho,nsa ~
s,r,,,. ar ma, ''''' ''V'''
M. e.ssv. vhIch mr.. Inn. r,a1 n, =.
singls Saf',r,l ~ : ,,a,,IJ am an a a.
la ac,a"o n,n,. ,.,t,,n,i,.t H., -,
~ r,tt.r ibap n ynlnms ~ uanc,ag ~ ns
Nfnti.y W
Eog hav. ,ec,,o,.d IA, ,,a.nt,,ao
of ~. incr,,s,, a. ~. r.,'a,,s Ths
General nresi,un,ion /. tI,st 1, con,,'s
2rom ill., inc,,,os,,I n,.n,t.rshio M
ho,h h,.nch.s ~ ra,s,ss. r,,ifP W
co,,n,s fsr n,yt NJ M. inc,.asa hnt 4.
mi a snfii,,.nt cana, ,or IN, ,,j,aI,,
Tbe s.naie IL Inrg,r thsn am y,.,s
ago BY little more than one.6alf-
fiity.two then, elghty.eight now. The
House today il not one.half laryer In
momber.hlp than IL WINS fifty wears AGO.
Hut the volume OF tho repofts OF either
house today, comparcd with those OF
fifty years ago. h. prodlglously great.
The reports OF proceeiings In IN,
Twenty-sixth Congrcss-March 4, 500.
TO March 4, isil-take scnrcely one.
sixth Of the space given 10 die r.ports
OF the Flnieth Congress.
Hut IL we 20 hack only half OF INV
years, a striking illustration will BE-
found. Take both houses Of Congres.
nom 1861 to 1865, embracing the Thir.
ty-soventh and Thirly-Olghth Con-
crosses, and covering the entire period
OF the war. Ono would suppose that
the. proceedings In two Congresses,
with nm extra session In one OF them,
during such a period ~ is1l.0j, would
be extraordinarily volumlnuus.
Both houses were filled with remark
able deoatvrs, and the subjects that
were continually before each branch
were 80 absorbing In Interest that al
most every senator and every repre-
sentative desired to he heard.
As the form In which the proceed