New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-10
WASTED PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
DISTRIBUTING GOVERNMENT PUBIICA.
TONS LONG OUT OF DATE.
EXPENSIVE BINDINGS FOR CONGRESSIONAL IL
BRARIEs-DEFECTs OF THE PRESENT
SYSTEM.
icy TELEGRAPH TO THE rarpusxI


Washington, July 0.--rlc surviving Senators, Rep
resentaves and Delegates Of The XLIXth Congress- ana
tho legal representatives Of those who have died since
March g. 1887, are now receiving bound volumes n
the executive and miscellaneous documents Of tie
second session, than four years after the expi-
ton Of tho Congress 10 which they relate A set Il
these documents comprises fifty fonr big volumes bound
in sheep at an average expense Of 81 per volume
The XLIXth Congress consisted Of 410 Senators, Rep
rcsentaves and Delegates THAI the total number Of
volumes now In course Of distribution Is 22,140 The
cost of binding which is S22,1 The distribution OF
the sheep bound documents Of the first session Of The
Lth Congress is also In progress, and may be CON-
peted within three years after the expiration Of the
session 10 which they relate. set Of the documents
Of that session comprises ninetysiX volumes, THAI
the total plumber distributed Will be 1880. the
binding Of which cost $50 800. The bound documents
OF the second session OF the Lth Congress and the dst
and second sessions of the List Congress will comprise
200 volumes, which will be distributed in due course
under the present system, from three 10 four year,
after the expiration Of the sessions 10 which they
relate The total number Of volumes thus distributed
will be 1lO290, and the cost Of binding, at 81
volume, will amount 70 SllO,29O.
Under the law Senator, Representative Delegate
may have bound at the Government printing Office, In
such manner as he may choose and at the public ex-
pense, copy Of every document Of the Congress Of
which he is a member AS rule, Congressman neg
ect none Of their privileges perqustes and within
the last few years at least most OF them have caused
TO be bound, for their use In fine library STYLE
and at the public expense, one copy each OF large
proportion Of all the public documents ordered Or
issued during their respective terms OF service. The
extra binding of these documents has cost on an aver
age not less than IL 25 a volume How many vol
umes have been bound and the cost thereof cannot
be ascertained from any published record OF TIE Gov
eminent, but the annual cost IS known to be very
heavy statesman, whether retired from Congress
or not having copies Of all public documents which
he cares to preserve bound in library style without
cost 10 himself of little or nothing about
the @sheepskinsn as the volumes somewhat ir
reverently styled which he receives after nneenths
of them have become stale as 10 be OF no more Use
or intrest to him than last years almanac-and as
a matter Of fact many Senators and Representatives
protest against receiving the seepskins' and giving
them storage room. And yet Congress goes on year
after year. spending tens of thousands Of dollars OF
the public money In printing, binding and distributing
stale documents which the recipients do not want 10
cause they received copies of the same when they were
fresh and had them bound in attractive style ior en
private libraries
Another branch of the distribution of public docu'
1nents is also open at this time, as ii is at nearly all
times This is the sending Of Government publica-
tIons to State and Territorial Libraries and to certain
"deposito1es, designated from time to time oy
senators and Representatives. These dooumenVs' es
q rule are about two years old when they rach lho
depoSitOriee, owing 10 delays Oh piHuA"b'
inevitable under the present system, or lack Oh sys
tenn For example the first volume OF the omca
Repster of the United States for 1853 has not yos
reached the designated repositories. Inc mea VI
having such repositories, In order that ule puOn0%
tons of the Government might be accessible TOT pui
muses. Of reference to citizens In all parts OF inc
country was sound one, but the manner In winch "
has been carried out has nullified, TO great eAO
the original purpose. The places OF deposit are CON-
stantly changed, owing to causes which might easily
be prevented by intelligent legislation, and the cos
ouence is that broken sets Of public documents arc
scattered throughout the length and breadth OF ue
country while there is not to be found TODAY IN any
one library In the United States complete unoroAeh
cot of s,,ch publications Between February 10 ana
December o. 1890 no less than twenty of the "dess
mated depostores' ceased TO be repositories anu
twenty-sx new repositories were designated, hve Oh
them being in the new States Of North Dakota ana
WASHINGTON while twenty-one were In the oiuef
states. Among the repositories dropped were Ih'
Wadsworth Library, Geneseo, NJ Y, and the Athe-
naeum st. Johnsbury, Vt. Among me- uepo'f
tories added were Borden Institute, Ne"-ProViuehco'
Ind, and Old Hickory Club, salisbury Nc ,,s IA
Another defect Of the system Is lai tne 9 ySr
Senators or Representatives or other officials snen
publications "The Congressonai c neSo,u, comr2
d ro1rt Of Claims aud many valuable scientific and
statistical reports which are not Incorporates IN tho
~acntivc or miscellaneous documents published Dy
e xeSSo ~ Congress But IL would be tedious and
perhaps useless TO specify al the defects Oh 'e p'
g system" ...,. 40 .,,r,ca 20 sbovv that
Tho disibntion now progress has been SO long DC
iayed as seriously impair where II ias NOT u,tery
tstrnved fine value and usefulness OF the volumes
WIeI have been published at great expense TO the
Cnvernment II space permitted II could easily 90
rn tbat a considerable proportion Of the matter
t D tSese Volumes con be Of no earthly value or interest
70 ANYBODY. one example may be menuqneuic so
sc MsSsn SESSION, which will be embamed IN every
sci Of the permanent documents OF tat session 10
onate dated February g. 1901 That unless other
wise directed and after Monday next lana -
rccess Shall be taken. excepting on saturdays nom
q o'clock D. m. TO 3 O'Clock y. m"