The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-10

Pad Copy sent IN py mem Ders-A De-
scription Of the Many Elements that
Enter into the Labor Of Its Produc-
ton.
From the Washington Post.
Among the dAiIy publications of the cap
,,sl city the Congressional Record has a
very fair clientage and wide circulation.
There are very few Of its readers, and very
few even Of its hundreds of contributors,
who ever stopped TO reflect on the amount
of work necessary to get out one edition
and on the innumerable circumstances and
incidents that occur before its pages are
completed and laid on the patrons desks.
Tie Record purports to fill the everlast-
ING .slong-felt want" and in a mild, conser-
vstiye sort Of a way Is competitor of
morning newspapers in conveying 10 the
,eonle that which transpires in the halls Of
congress. 1t has a peculiar field of its own,
however, and the daily newspapers seldom
kick on their contemporary if the latter hap
mems to have "beat;" that is, an item that
said newspapers bad failed to print In
fact. such thing so seldom occurs that the
oldest correspondent at the capitol fails to
recollect when he was "scooped" by tine
Record. This is somewhat surprising, too,
when the force engaged on this government
newspaper is considered.
In many respects the Record is similar to
a large morning daily. Each days output
of thought, sense or nonsense, from the
word or wind factory on the hill, is called
an edition. There are contributing to this
edition a recognized force OF SS2 gentlemen
at the southern end Of tho capitol and So at
the northern end. They differ from news
paper force in that they work when they
please anG how they please. In addition
to this regular force there are numerous
individuals in all parts of the
United States who correspond in some de-
gree TO the country correspondents of q
newspaper. They are ladies and gentlemen
who wish to make themselves heard in the
country and to have influence with their
representatives, and they send to this great
editorial force of the Record numerous pc
titions and memorials, which find their
~av, in one form or another, into the
printed document.
1t is interesting to note the various pro-
cesses used and the matter that enters into
the composition of Uncle Sans daily. The
first step toward turning out the pamphlet
Of from twenty-four to forty-eight pages
that finds its way to the offices and homes Of
10000 people each morning is taken at the
capitol. There the gentlemen known as
representatives and senators gather, max
ing public history, which goes day after
ing is what the Congressional Record de-
ponds on for its existence. Every word
uttered by one of these gentle
men in his capacity as a public
servant is taken down and repro
ducsd in the Record The visitor at the
capitol. acquainted with the noisy methods
of doing business that usually prevails in
the House, Is puzzled to learn how accurately
and in detail the proceedings are reported.
oh hnt nov mi
see, in the thickest of the commotion. and
where the noise is the loude5t, one or two
quist-looking gentlemen with note books in
hand These are the official stenographers,
whose uimble pencils catch every word as it
drops from the lips of the congressman.
They ere first Of the small army who daily
and nightly labor to produce q verbatim
record of what takes place in the two houses
of congress.
The sJenographers or official reporters
are not the only ones who turn in copy"
for this work. Generally when a statesman
has speech to make he takes time to pre-
pare 1t, and has it written out in full. Here
the stenographer is saved a good deal Of
labor. as the original copy is turned in to
the printer. That is, the printer is sup
posed to get the original copy, but in many
instances he does not. The speaker is al
lowed by some rule Of common consent or
lmmemorial custom to revise his speech
and in exercising this privilege the Record
many times proves the friend of the CON-
gresham. Oftentlmes the speech delivered
by congressman III the House Of Repre-
sentatiYes or in the Senate chamber would
not meet exactly the views of that con-
greSsman's constituents. By a little
Judicious revision, however, expressions
can be toned down and warped opinions
Strengthened until the reader OF the Record
IS made 10 admire the orthodoxy of Repre-.
sentative So-and-so.
This habit Of congressman sending their
own copy to the printing office is not par
tlcuiary admired by those who do the
mechanical work of the Record. If the
copy were subjected to the scrutinizing eye
OF city editor before it entered the COM
posing room it would be an improvement in
the system. AS it is, the matter comes to
the printing office in every kind of shape.
ECONOMY in tue use OF paper is one OF the
practces, and much of the copy is written
on both sides of the sheet. This is not par
ucuiarly pleasant t. the foreman, Mr..
tearson, who must put it into the shape
That well-regulated printers demand. The
other day one hundred pages or so Of an
army and navy report were embodied in
the speech Of q noted senator. The speech
was turned in with the printed report ac-
complaining it, both sides Of tho page Occur
pled with the printed matter Here was O
JoD. The report could not be cut and dis
trlbuted among the printers, as that would
nave destroyed one-half the copy. There
was nothing left for the foreman TO do but
TO set men to work copying the matter on
the reverse side Of the printed page. Re-
Gently another speech came into the print
ing office with long article clipped from
H0Tpe''s Weekly. Mr.. Pearson, the fore
man, solved this difficulty by sending to a
hewsdealer for an extra copy of the paper,
ana with the two was able TO furnish the
matter to the printer in proper shape.
IL the speech.makers up on Capitol hill
could secrete themselves in the composing
room of the Congressional Record, and
near the remarks made when their copy
reaches the eighty-two printers there at
WORK, they would be a little more careful in
editing the material they send In. As gen.
eral thing the original copy is type written,
put there are few senators and representa-
yves who insist on writing out their re-
marks with pen or pencil. These are they
VINO make the printers life a burden, and
cause the atmosphere of the composing
room to assume a blush tint. II
chapel secret at the gov
eminent printing Office, where the
record is published, that the worst copy
comes from Senator Gibson of Louisiana
Senator George Of Mississippi does not
wTlte copper-plate hand, and truth COM
pelS the sfatAu1ant that mora than ma