The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-03-21

them to machine with the assurance
that they will come ont in acceptable
form. But what do you think would be
the result of transcribing and putting
i'll The Congressional Record exactly
what is said by each member of the
house and senate in public debate? 1t
would make The Record the most
amusing publication in existence
One of the official reporters read to
me from his notes the other day the
language of distinguished senator ut
tered in debate. You would have thought
1t came from a man with very little ed
ucation. 1t was full of grammatical en-
rors; double negatives abounded, and
though you could not have mistaken the
mans meaning if you had heard him
speak you would not have been at all
sure of it if you had seen his language
and not heard it.
The official reporter always edits his
notes as he dictates them to the graphic
| phone. He keeps the notes for reference
in case a question of his accuracy is
raised. The fact that his report is not
verbatim is recognized when member
language of another member be taken
down." This means that he proposes to
hold the speaker accountable for tho ex-
act language he used and not for the
tempered report of it, which may get
into The Record the next day.
The official reporters of congress,
judged by money standard, are as i'm
portant as the senators OF representa-
tlves. The reporters of the house receive
| 80, 900 year each, and they work only
when congress is in session. In the SEN
| ate the work of reporting debates is
taken under contract. Dennis Murphy
had the contract for many years. When
he died, couple of years ago. it was
| transferred to his chief assistants Ed
ward V. Murphy and Theodore F.
| Shuey. Mr.. Shuey has been one Of the
senate reporters since 1869. Edward
Murphy's service antedates that time,
and Dennis Murphy first entered the
senates employ ia 1848.
Hard Work, but Short Hours.
Out of the $25, 900 year which the
| senate pays them, Shuey and Murphy
pay four assistants These assistants do
other work as we'll One of Them Harry
Gensler, was clerk to Senator Cameron
for many years at So day, and he is
one OF the brightest, quickest stenogra-
piers in Washington. Murphy and
Shuey rank high as reporters of debates,
and they undoubtedly make as much as
! the house reporters-$5, 900 each-out
OF their contract with the senate. Their
| pay, you must remember, is for work
which usually averages l 2 months in "a.
the short session Of congress being
three months long and the long session
seldom more than nine months. Two
years ago, when the senate met in spe-
| cial session, all extra sum was appropri-
ated to pay for the extra work of the
stenographers, though under their con-
tract with the senate Murphy and Shuey
| could have been compelled to report the
extra session without extra pay.
The So, 600 which the congressional
reporters receive is not the limit of their
earnings. That sum pays for their work
in reporting debates. When they are
asked to report committee hearings,
they are paid according to the amount
of testimony taken. Not all this COM
mittee work goes to the official stenog-
raphers, but they have enough of it to
fill in much of their time, and it is not
an uncommon thing for one Of the re-
porters to make $1,000 during the ses-
sion at this extra work.
These men are not overpaid. Remem-
Der that the house reporters must be not
only the finest stenographers in the
country, but intelligent, well read men;
that they must have sufficient knowl-
edge of every question before congress
from science to agriculture, from In
dams to tariff rates--to be able to fol-
low understandingly all the intricacies
of high pressure debate, and then take
into account the fact that the strain on
| their nerves is so great that they are
likely to break down before they are
past middle age. The price is not too
high.
Some of the official reporters have be-
come rich, partly through their savings
as stenographers and partly through the
favorable investment Of those earnings.
Mr.. White has been in number of
profitable enterprises, and he could re-
tire from work if he chose Andrew De-
vine, another of the house reporters, has
made good deal of money in the devel-
opment of the graphophone and III other
investments and speculations. Dennis
Murphy left nice little fortune. On
the other hand, Mr. McElhone, though
he received Sc, 900 year for many
years before his death, left no property
to his family. Mr.. McElhone had eight
Or nine children, however, and in Wash
ington large family is a luxury.
Pay For First Glass Work.
know one stenographer at the CAPT
toll who makes nearly $40, 900 year at
official work But he is an expert in
certain lines, and stenography is the
least of his accomplishments. Many
committee clerks whose chief work is
stenographic receive So, 800 a year A
j o4 ~