The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-25
ruF coNcnrssvosAI. nrconD.

Congressman CoWherd might nave
better employed his time in denounc-
ing what the last issue % the Congress
sional Record contains in the way of
argument rather than In getting mad
at it's appearance, Thanks to Con-
gresham Williams Of Mississippi. the
House decided on his motion, not to
make the Congressional Record for
weeks after adjournment the vehicle OF
campaign material. He invited judg-
ment. and Judgment was rendered
against the practice. This was eonfns-
ing and upsetting. General Grosvenor
had a desk filled with speeches on ev-
cry conceivable topic, except such as
were being debated in the House ana
he was ready to print hundreds OF pages
of stun prepared by young Republican
students on the achievements and
promises of his party. These would
have served as campaign material and
might have been circulated unoer
franks throughout the country. All
these were killed and scores by other
Republicans were killed by Williams OF
Mississippi. Two men were found to
have reserved the right to print when
the bill providing for delegate from
Alaska was under discussion. These
two were McLeary of Minnesota ana
oImstead of Pennsylvania. The Repuo-
licans have taken advantage OF this
fact and have loaded these fictitious
sneeches with arguments on the tarin.
the report OF the Moseley Commission
and elaborate eulogies of Roosevelt. No
member of Congress will be shocked
at this. This practice has been fol-
lowed over and over again for years
and the members will laugh at the good
luck that CHANGED TO McLeary and
olmstead. The Republican Campaign
Committee will ensure the names OF
these gentlemen shall become house
hold words by Republican hresides.
They are both modest and retiring men
and would never have deliberately
sought the prominence the distribution
of millions of reprints of the Record
will give them.
The real remedy of this abuse must
be sought by the House in the House
itself. The practice of giving leave to
print Is, in the best phase of it, de-
grading to the House. No other legis-
iative assembly in the world would toll
crate such a practice. It puts a pre-
MUM upon timidity. upon laziness and
is a constant invitation to deceit and
lies II the House had due regard
for its own honor, 1t would never per-
NIT the backstairs production of a
clerk or some other hired man to be
shoveled into the Record as a speech
actually delivered in Congress. They
would not permit a member, himself.
however gifted to retire to his closet
to compose an imaginary speech and
ship it of to the public printer as con-
tanning words spoken In debate. The
level of debate is low enough and unin-
spring enough as it is, without lower
ing it still further in the eyes of the
people by these "Ransy Sniffles"
speeches, seem how he could fit"
If CONGRESSMAN Cowherd's indlgna-
ton, misplaced as we think, just at this
time, shall result in the House, at it's
next session, taking seriously in hand
the whole question of printing under
leave and abolishing the custom, the
public will hail him as a benefactor
There is no one cause that so deadens
public debate in the House as this rule
allowing the publication at the govern
ment's expense, of imaginary speeches