Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-04

4 ~
~kikFH former size in ten
| ILyVr years. There are other
conditions, OF course,
| to account for the 10000 pages In the BIZ
! ennial publication. The two houses of Con-
| gress now adjourn at and o'clock, when
3 or 4 o'clock was the hour of adjournment
| twenty-five years ago. The sessions OF Con-
| gress, too. are longer. Then, while the MEN,
| bership of the House can be reduced in the
| reapportionment, the membership of the
! Senate Increases constantly. Therefore the
| speechmaking increases. The Record grows
until It's great bulk is appalling. and the
| proposition that an editor should be ap-
pointed to blue pencil the copy for the
| congressional daily has been discussed a
| great many times.
! Two years ago II was even made the sub
| ject of an investigation. OF course, nothing
came of the Investigation. A recommended
| ton was made to the Fifty-second Congress
/ that an editor be appointed. not for the pur-
pose OF cutting down the speeches made in
| the Senate ard House, but for the excelsior
! or unnecessary matter in tine report OF the
proceedings. But so many objections were
| raised and so man. difficulties were en-
| countered that the subject was finally-aban-
| doned without the accomplishment of any
| good. For example, 1t was proposed to omit
| from the Record the fun text Of bills which
| are read at length. The argument IN favor
| or This economy or space was that the bill,
| being numbered, could be consulted in the
original. But the official reporters objected,
! saying that the member of Congress did not
| take copies OF all the bills introduced 70 ms
| home, and that all intelligent Unders tanding
| of the debate in certain cases coui! not be
had. perhaps. unless the bill was accessible
| occasionally the reporters OF Debate take
| II on themselves TO cut out Of the report of
| one house what has already appeared or is
| TO appear in The report Of the pros ceilings of
the ether house. Nc objection has ever been
| raised 10 this. And, Of course, the official
] reporters do not always repeat word for
word what is said either in debate or In the
! transaction of the routine proceedings Of the
| House or Senate.
! Not as Reported.
| For example: The little conversation all
| in due form, between the presiding officer
and the Presidents private secretary which
| occurs when the messages of The President
are presented is ep!tomize1 by the reporters
| In few weil-ci osen words. 1t would be
! great waste of space TO print the whole of
| the little dialogue, which runs something
] after this fashion,
Presiding otiicer-The Senator VIII SIS
] pend while the chair receives q piessage
| from the President of the United States.
| Capt. Bassett-i message from the Presi-
| dent Of the United States
| Private secretary-Mr. President
Presiding otiicer-Mr. See cary
| Frvate secretary-I directed by the
PRESIDENT of the United States to present
70 me senate sundry messages in writing
| In place OF this form Of dialogue which
| ls repeated several times each week 10 the
! great ediHca ton Of the gallery. the reoort
| ers note in the proceedings that a message
was received from the President. The char
| acter or the message is developed when II
! Is laid before the Senate by the prasiit1o,
| oincer Then there Is the dialogue which
aoS acc the presentation of petitions
| ana memorials. Instead OF giving the Mr.
| President and the THE Senator frcr, pa,p
| sylvania which preceies the pres :ntation
| of a petition by Mr.. Cameron, the report
ers say that Mr. Cameron presented
| petition Of -. And when the new m 2r1-
| Der becomes embarrassed and shutters and
stanmers in addressing the chair and saws
| a great many things that he doesn't want
| to say, and omits q great many thai
| are vary necessary, and al of this time is
| simply trying to offer IA simple amendment
| without debate. the reporters do not at
| tempt to reproduce the suffering or tn
| unnecessary words.
| Wanted 1t All In.
| But the necessity for accuracy even in
| these small things is sometimes shown very
| strikfnGfy. Fer example, VIXEN Mr. Reed
| was 81 eaker unanimous consent was asked
| one day by a republican member for per-
mission 10 continue his speech after the
| limit Of time allowed him had expired.
| Some one objected The Speaker, looking in
the direction whence the objection came,
| said: The gentleman from Texas objects
| a southern member. addressing the chair
! said: 1T is not the gentleman from Texas
that objects, but the gentleman from Penn
/ sylvania Mr.. Buckalew. Mr.. EuckaIew
confirmed this statement, and the reporters
| abridged the incilent So that il read in the
| Record next morning.:
| The Speaker-Is there objection?
| Mr.. BuckaIew objected.
The southern member who had made the
| correction came TO the reporters the follow
| Ing day and made quite a fuss about this
| infringement. He said that the statement
| of the Speaker that the gentleman from
| Texas objected" should have been printed
| There is point in that" he said The
| Speaker mas an object In throwing the
| odium Of objecting upon southern man,
] and / want his remark to appear in the
permanent Record
| The reporters made the change In the
| copy which is used In making up the per-
| manent or bound Record. Where there
| could be no objection to cutting down the
| matter in the Record Is In the item of re
| consideration" Wherever a bill is passed
| some one moves to reconsider the vote and
| then motion is adopted to lay that motion
| On the table This is what might be termed
| In the vernacular of the west a legislative
| cinch. 1t ties the bill I'D SO that no one
! can by any chance move to reconsider the
| vote by which that bill was passed. AS this
! proceeding used to appear in the Record it
| read:
] The bill was ordered to be engrcssed and
| read third time. and being engrossad 1t
was accordingly read the third time and
| passed.
| 'Mr. Saunders moved to recon sider the
| vote by which the bill was passed. ana also
| moved that the motion to reconsider be laid
upon the table.
| THE latter motion was agreed to-"
| Object to an Editor.
| This useless form took up six lines in the
| Record. and figuring only en- the bills and
! joint resolutions which have passed both
| houses and been signed by the President in
| one Congress- the form occupied 1874 lines
| in one Record, or 13l columns OF that valu-
| able publication. Even that space was
worth saving.
Part of it has been saved by judicious
| pruning in this Congress. There IS a great
| deal more space which could be economical
| by an editor, If such an officer were au-
| thorized to be appoin ted But the Jealous
member Of the House fears that the ap-
! pointnent of an editor for the purpose Of
econonizing space Is the first step toward
! abridgihg the piSvilsge Of free speech, either
direct or by "leaveeo print" So the propo-
! sition for the appointment of an editor
| languishes.
OF course 1t would never be practicable
| to edit the speeches OF members Of the
r.,l 70 T,fF.