The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-27

takes them from the graphophone on the
typewriter. A few moments later down
comes the second man, whose place on
the floor has been taken by third re-
porter, and dictates, his 1000 words to
another graphophone, from which his
amanuensis copies them in typescFipt.
Taking turns in this way. the five re-
porters keep the stenographic report of
the debates going continuously. each
mans stint fitting on to that which has
gone before, so that the whole recital of
the sayings and doings of the house is
finished and typewriter within half an
hour after the close OF the session. FOR
merly the dictation was given to short
hand writers, but the graphophone does
better services, partly because It is able
to take more words minute. II, by an
accident, the record on a cylinder is i'm
perfect, it can be reproduced by referring
back to the original stenographic notes.
The typewriter operators employed to
transcribe the cylinders are very rapid.
On an average, the cylinders hold 200
words each, but this depends to some ex-
tent on the character of the stuff:
Each reporter goes over all of his type
written matter for errors. He frequently
improves the grammatical construction of
sentences, but otherwise he makes no
changes whatever. Members commonly
look over and correct their own speeches
in the typescript copy, but it is rarely
that they bother with their utterances in
debates, unless there has been bitter
fight and acrimonious words have been
exchanged In such case it may be de-
sirable to do little "toning down" the
reporters get the fOLlnS rOll-callS from
the clerk of the House, and extracts from
books quoted in speeches are obtained Dy
sending to the members for the volumes,
or by procuring copies from the House
library or the library of congress.
There is one assistant reporter at 81 200
a year, who has charge of all the copy"
As fast as it is produced in the manner
already described, he puts it together
Having been corrected as 1t was turned
out, 1t is in compete shape for the printer
within a few minutes after adjournment.
"a 4lon 10 frr hAn rft1u
and ends about p m. A special messen-
gen comes on a bicycle from the govern
men printing office, and by o'clock. the
bulk of the Copy" for the next mornings
Record is in the public printers hands.
If there is a night session, however, the
last of the STUFF may not be delivered
until l a. m. In the government printing
office there is a separate department for
the Record work, and a special staff of
compositors The Record is put into type,
is stereotyped, and goes to press just like
an ordinary newspaper, so as TO be leliv-
cred to subscribers before breakfast It's
daily circulation is 5000 copies, and the
subscription price $1.50 a month. Each rep
resentatve is entitled to twenty-five cop
les, free, and each senator to forty-tWo
The cost of publishing the paper is $125,O00
per annum.
In addition to the five shorthand experts
who work on the floor, the House employs
two reporters for committees" at 5000
each. These men are always at the call of
the chairman of any of the ifty-eight
a
rush, other stenographers are hired for
special service from outside. The commit
tee reporters divide between them the
work, which is the most arduous and diff
cult toll of this kind imaginable; in fact
no other sort of stenographic employment
Is so hard. 1T consists chiefly in the taking
of the testimony of witnesses before the
committees, and such witnesses are fire.
quently summoned to talk on subjects alb
strusely technical. Each item of a tariff
schedule is Always deliberately discussed
nnf0FH fha W. VS. md
lnasmuch as a tariff bill embraces some
S,00 distinct articles, the reporter must
needs be well educated and widely inform
ed, else he will be involved in maze OF
puzzlement.
For example, suppose that aniline dives
are under discussion. The subject has a
big technical vocabulary of its own, with
many buiit-up words of fifteen or twenty
syllables. Such words can hardly be writ
ten in Englsh-much less in shorthand.
yet the reporter must not miss one on
any account. If stuck, he cannot inter-
rupt the proceedings of the committees nv
asking witness to repeat or to spell ont
a word. The, same sort OF difficulty is
iound with electricity, which has a most
witnesses who testify about tariff mat
tiers In behalf Of various trades speak Eng
llsn very imperfectly. The experts sum-
moned are men who know their subject
IRON to lizard, and are anxious 10 teIi
all they know. They pour IL forth in a
more or less incomprehensible stream.
spond with continual fire OF questions
Sometimes a hearing before a commit
tee runs over 1000 pages Of 1000 words
each-a million words! The reporter die
tates the stun to his graphophone. from
which his amanuensis takes Il on the tyne-
writer. As II goes along he corrects IL
and practically as soon as the hearing is
over. the whole business is completed in
typescript. IL makes a book and the
shorthand expert Is the editor Of The vol
ume. From bis hands II goes direct TO the
public printer, to be issued presently as
House documents No. So-and-So. or what
not Occasionally witnesses ask permis-
sion TO look over and revise their tcsri-
mony, but IL is UNUSUAL. In no case are
they permitted 70 alter the sense OF what
they have said.
The seven Hous,s reporters hold their
plhces Tor life. Tho positions they occupy
are 10 the gift OF he speaker, under whose
Ilfect authority they are. hut they cannot
Pc removed except .'Or Cause None OF them
have ever been dismissed up 10 date
vacancy Ia the corps, made BY death or
resignation, ~ oiled by tho speaker Merit
hhu not iAvorltism Rn0Cr~s these appoint
lnthihi TOR only nlNt-clnss expert can
20 inc work The pay. though good. rs
not 80 nigh na That of many court stenog-
iaphgrs. who's. labor rs notl 20 arduous nor
20 --heulL II was in 1852 that the nrft