The Portland daily press., 1892-01-22
UNCLE sam, PUBLISHER.
Two Important Documents Issued
by the G meRt.
The Congressional Directory and the Con-
erosion Il Record-Row Biographical
Sketches of Senators. and Repre-
sentatives Are Secured.
rsnecia, Washington Letter. |

fee are the Congressional Directory ana
the Congressional Record.
The congressional directory is issued
Immediately upon the assemblage OF
congress and is as complete as it can be
made at that time. 1t contains the in
| dividual history of every member or
congress, and these histories are auto
| biographies They are arranged by
states alphabetically, commencing with
| the state of Alabama. The names and
state residences of the two senators, to-
gether with an erStnme of their lives,
appears at the commencement OF each
state directory. followed by similar epit-
ONES of each member of congress by
| districts The directory also contains
| the lists of committees of both the SEN
ate and house. with the names OF the
chairmen and mem bers of each commit
tee. The employees of the house are
given in regular order according to
their importance, the list of newspaper
correspondents entitled to the privilege
of the press galleries, the names of
ministers plenipoSentiary and ENJOYS
extraordinary and consuls of the United
States to the various countries of the
world are also given. The names of
the officials in charge of the executive
departments. the various divisions
and subdivisions, as well as brief his
tory of the duties of each Office and
officer, are given. The directory closes
with an alphabetical list of senators
and representatives, giving also their
residences in this city.
The Congressional Record is read
every morning by the statesmen most
interested and it not infreQuently occurs
that when congress has convened at
noon corrections are made by gentle
men SO that their remarks as quote6s in
the record may be made to express
their ideas more clearly than in the
original report. The congressional di-
rectory however, is not merely read in
the morning, but it is in use almost
every hour out Of the twenty-four by
the senators, representatives, society
leaders, wives and daughters of states
men, visiting constituents who are
anxious to find their representatives,
lobbyists who have axes to grind and
are anxious to find the men who may
turn their grindstones for them. com
pliers of state blue books, authors OF
almanacs, and in fact all manner of
men and women constantly peruse this
important publication. 1t is to be
found upon the desk of every hotel
office. in every drug store, at all of the
news-stands, in all of the club rooms,
and in nearly all of the prominent
business houses of this city. When
invitations are sent from the white
house or mem ers of the cabinet, the
congressional directory is'used. It is a
valuable book which ought to be placed
in the hands of all of the reading men
and women of the country.
The first Congressional Directory is
sued was in 1927, and consisted of only
twenty-four pages, about as large as an
ordinary pocket diary. 1t contained the
names of thirtyfour senators and one
hundred and ten representatives. 1t did
not give an epitome Of the lives. of the
statesmen nor make any reference to
the employees of the capitol or Of the ex-
ecutive depa rtments. The directory re-
Gently issued for the Fifty-seco nd con-
gress contains the names, addresses and
personal histories of eighty-six senators
and three hundred and thirty-th rec rep
resentatiyes. The next directory will
contain the names of three hundred and
ffty-six representatives, according to
the superintendent made under the
eleventh census. The original clongres-
sional directory was edited and COM
piled by the postmaster of the house of
Representatives; and as that was a su-
pererogatory labor on his part, bring
ing him neither official reward Or fame,
very little time or talent was expended
upon it.
When it became the duty OF She clerk
of the COIL ittee on printing to under
take the publication of the directory
(this was about twenty-five years ago.
the late Ben. Perley Poore lifted the
directory from its condition of pbscuri-
ty and usefulness. All of the adult
readers know more or less of his his
tory. 1t was he who CONNIE need to
give character to the Congressional Di-
rectory by infusing into it some of his
own Individuality. It was he who COM
menced the publication of the biogra-
phies of the statesmen 1t was he who
gave the histories of the execu sive de-
partments and added other important
features to the book. 1t was he who
first published the list of newspaper
correspondents entitled to the privilege
of the gallery. He knew every public
man in the United States and every
newspaper man who ever came to the
capitol during his lifetime. He was a
prolific writer and a most pre,eligious
worker even until the last few weeks
of his life.
When Maj. Poore died in 1887, full Of
years and honor, Col. Michael, of Ne
braska, was appointed clerk of tive COM
mittee On printing, and he has Continued
the publication in the form prepared by
Mai. Poore and has added a nuna Der OF
items of interest and value each year.
He says: ''There is nothing lab orious
about this work now because it rs well
systemized, but it contains great deal
of detail work. After a new congress
has been elected it is necessary to write
to each of the recently elected senators