The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-02-09

witness to repeat or spell out word.
The same sort OF d flicully is found
with electricity, which has most elabo-
rate verbal technology. MANY ot the
witnesses who testify about tariff mat
tiers in behalf of various trades speak
English very imperfectly. The experts
summoned ere men who know their
subjects from A to lizard, and are
anxious TO tell all they know. They
pour it forth in a more or less incom-
prehensible stream, while the members
of the committee respond with con-
tinual fire of questions.
Sometimes hearing before COM
mittee runs over one thousand pages,
of one thousand words eech--a million
words The reporter dictates The
'stuff" 10 his graphophone, from which
his amanuensis takes it on the type
writer. AS it goes along he corrects it,
and, practically, as soon as the hearing
, is over the whole business is complete
in typescript. 1t makes a book, and
shorthand expert is the editor of the
volume. From his hands it goes direct
TO the public printer, to be issued pres.
emily as House Document No. so-ard-
so, or what not. Occasionally wit
nesses ask permission to look over and
revise their testimony but it is unusual.
In no case are they permitted to alter
the sense of what they have said.
The seven House reporters hold their
places for life. The positions they oc-
cupy are in the gift of the speaker, un.
der whose direct authority they are;
but they cannot be removed except for
cause. None OF them has ever been
dismissed up to date. A vacancy in
the corps, made by death or resignation,
is filed by the speaker. Merit and not
favoritism, governs these appoin nents;
for only a first class expert can do the
work The pay, though good, is not so
high as that of many court stenog-
raphers, whose labor is not so arduous
nor 80 dfficult. TWAS in 1862 that the
first appointments of stenographers by
the House were made, two men being
employed TO do committee work. It
ought to be mentioned, by the way,
that one copy of the Congressional
Record is carefully corrected by the re-
pOrters each day and filed away as Off
cial, in case any disputed point shall
come up at future time, requiring
reference to exact authority.
The shorthand business over in the
Senate wing of the capitol is managed
on plan wholly different. All of it is
given out by contract 10 two men named
Shuey and Murphy at $4,000 year.
Murphy is younger brother of the fe-
nous Dennis Murphy, who served as
an mEloye of the upper House from
the Gge of seventeen until his death,
two years ago, at ifty-seven years of
age. He had the entire contract for
stenographic work and employed four
assistants not counting amanuenses.
Shuey and the younger Murphy now
employ three assistants with several
amanuenses in addition. Three men
do the reporting on the floor of the
Senate, each taking an hour at time
in turn. There are no official reporters
for committees, the work being done by
outsiders hired for the purpose. There
is comparatively little reporting to be
done for the Senate committees, be-
cause all bills for raising revenue origi-
nate in the House of Representatives
In the Senate the reporters always do
their wark at table in front of the
presiding officer's desk. 1t would
shock the dignity of that august body if
in the sacred precincts of the chamber
shorthand man should approach a
Senator notebook in hand to take down
his utterances at close quarters.