The morning call., 1893-12-02
2la&R|;;''>
N MURPHY BUILDING, +
Market and Jones Streets.
CONGRESSMEN'S SPEECHES.
The Photograph Plays Part in the
Publishing of the Record.

Washington corr. of Chicago Tribune.
The term "skirmishing" is usually applied to
the practice prevalent among the House re-
porters when speaker cannot be heard dis
tinetly at the long low table just beneath the
desk occupied by Speaker Crisp. Hence it is
not an unusual spectacle to witness an atten-
tive listener busily jotting down in his notebook
the utterances Of some embryo statesmen, ap-
pareutiy ObliviOus OF the Difference being shown
him. There five Uf these official reporters
the Oldest in point of active service being David
Wolfe Brown, who, for quarter OF century.
caught words Of wisdom from Congressman and
perpetuated them In The Congressional Record.
Next In seniority and service comes Andrew
DeviDe, Scot, who has been about the Capitol
almost as long as Mr. Brown but not on the
floor Of the House. His work was principally
among the committees OF that body. John b.
White, A. c. Welsh and Fred Irland make up
the remainder of the corps, while John j. Cam
erOn Is the assistant official reporter and iii
charge Of copy. After making 4 report of the
utterances of the Speah ers in the House the
slenographer who takes the turn, usually about
1900 words. or column OF the Record. being
the assignment, hurrles downstairs 10 a WELL
lighted, commodious apartment facing south.
Here he finds photograph In readIn ess for
use and he Immediately begins TO talk into the
mouthpiece of that Instrument.
As the pre- pared cylinders revove the words
uttered 10 the debate upstairs are transferred
TO its polished surface until click announces
that The cylinder is filed 1t Is then removed
and turned over 10 typewriter, who, with little
rubber tubes In his or her ears, as the case may
be, listens attentively aud transcriDes the whir-
ring sounds as they slZZle oil The monographs
cylinder. From five TO six minutes are required
by the reporter in taking turn into the pbonO-
graph, and the work Is well regulated that
by the time ne comes down for another sitting
at The photograph the preceding turn has be en-
transcribed from the cylinders and is ready for
revision and editing.
Composition or typesetting on the Record
begins at the Government Printing Office at
O'Clock every evening during the session of
Congress, and about seyenty-five persons are
engaged In the work of getting out the report
of the proceedings In the halls OF legislation
during the day. After the copy has been re-
vised by the reporter who took the notes ii is
liable to be called for by the Congressman who
made the remarks, and this accounts for the
paragraphs often encountered In this inter-
esting family story paper: mir. with.
holds his remarks for revision" Or
dinarily, however, the course Is pur-
sued only In the case of set speeches,
but cOlloquial interchanges OF courtesies be-
tween members of the House are permitted to
go pretty much as they were uttered Some
Representatives. however, insist not only upon
revising their speeches in manuscript, but
must have printed slips submitted to them by
the Government Printing Onics. Tbs neces-
States relay OF messengers who 60 around
from house 10 house collecting these corrected
proof slips so that he Record can be made
ready for printing not later than A. NJ. at
that hour the journal of debates goes to press.
and any copy coming In after that time must
take its place In the publication Of the succeed.
ing day.