Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-15
Fa1sifying the Record.

Baltimore American, Republican,
The action of the House Of Represen-
tatives excluding from the Record re-
marks which General Wheeler had in
terpolated into his speech, but which
had not been made on the floor during
the delivery Of his speech. IS good, II Il
is proposed to keep il up. General
Wheeler himself helped the movement
yesterday by taking notes. and asking
for the expunging Of remarks not made
by another member. General Wheeler
Is only one OF hundreds Of congressman
who have offended in this way and h
may fairly be considered n victim OF
n reformatOry spasm. He did nothing
that has not been done over and over
again, but il ought not TO be done at
all. IL is species Of false pretence,
FOR II causes those to whom the Record
Is sent to believe that they are reading
the utterances Of their congressman ac-
tualy made on the floor OF the House.
when IN reality much of II was not ut
tered at all. and could not have exerted
the slightest influence on legislation.
1t is an injustice TO ones opponents in
debate. and may place him in very
absurd plight; in fact It frequently has
done so, and has given rise 10 heated
and bitter colloqu.cs on the floor OF the
House. BY reviewing speech with
the memory fresh in the mind Of what
an opponent said, one can say things
which will cause those who read the
Record to wonder why the opponent was
so stupid as not to answer them, or
why he said things I'm return which
seem ridiculous. To obviate such cpl
sodes the opponent must in turn revise
his speech, and so the thing goes on,
until the Congressional Record becomes.
not a faithful photograph Of the proceed
ings but a mere fancy-piece, which Is
wrought principally from the imaginations
Of the members.
Nor is this the only evil which results
from the practice. The bogus Record
costs vastly more than the true Record.
II IS doubtful II the precedent which
the House attempted to establish On
Tuesday will prevent padding. II ad-
hered to. It will prevent the interpola-
ton Of entirely new matter but IL VIII
not necessarily prevent the eiaoora-
ton Of ideas, which Is, from the puoiic
interests, a serious thing. III each
member can swell his speech even a
little bit the sum total i'm year greatly
swells the Record and its cost TO the
people. The leave TO print speeches
never made on the floor of the House is
even a greater evil 1t helps amazingly
10 enlarge the bills OF the taxpayers.
such speeches are absolutely Of no public
use. and their only purpose Is to deceive
the constituents of a congressman, ana
make them believe that ne has delivered
a Speech I'm their behalf when he mas
done nothing Of the knd-when, in nine
cases out OF ten, he has not had the
courage to make a speech for them, but
has rushed 10 the shelter of the Record
when confronted with the trying ordeal
But all OF this has to be paid for by
the people. II is an enormous and
perfectly useless expense. Instead Of try
ing 10 produce the impression of econo-
INV by withholding relief from the VIC
tins OF governmental carelessness In the
Fords Theatre disaster, Congress could
more prodtably try its hand on the Con-
KressiOnal Record.