New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-04
THE RECORD OF CONGRESS.

There is really occasion to consider seriously
whether there should not be made true record
Of the proceedings Of Congress. Practically all
other bodies, deliberative, legislative or eXecu-
tive have such records Of their doings- Boarus
Of directors and trustees. synOds ana c1fer-
eIces conventions of all kinds, have their secre-
tarios or clerks. whose duty 1t Is to make ac-
curate records OF all that is done, and pains are
taken to secure perfect accuracy by having the
records reviewed and corrected by the bodies
themselves Thus. such minute book becomes
IN authoritative record. 4 citation from which
would he valid legal testimony and the entries
IN which are Of indubitable historical value. IL
uould certainly seem that Congress, the most
important body I'm the land. should have such
a record Yet il has not. and has not for many
wears had. record commanding either conn.,
dence or respect
Indeed 81 scarcely pretends 70 have It, In
old times The Congressional Globe became
hyword. It's name did not indicate II 10 De
true journal of Congress, and, as a matter OF
fact ii was not one When it was changed to
The Congressional Record the name savored
more OF what II really should be. hut the char
actor of the thing remained about the same
That daily publication. produced nj great cost
10 the American people. is uot truthful or
trustworthy record Of the dairgs of Congress
The historian who should Use il as the basis or
ana authority for his narrative would be led far
astray II contains many things which it should
not contain. and II omitS many things which II
should contain. We shall not add that there IS
no good in t. for there Is. no doubt. much good.
But II is difficult to discriminate between the
good and the bad, and it is an exasperatins re-
Election that. without increasing the cost Of the
publication. 81 might be freed from evil ana
made wholly good.
Perhans the chief evil is the printing in II Of
remarks" that in fact. were never made upon
the floor Of Congress Members cut short their
actual speeches and get leave to print" the I'M
uttered remainders. Sometimes they thus get
leave 10 print speeches which they have never
even begun Once such leave is secured, the
member may put into The Record" as some
thing actually delivered ny him upon the floor
Of Congress. any elaborate essay which he may
care to write. or which he may get some penny
a-liner 10 write for him He may put into it
newspaper articles. poems. biographies. novels
encyclopedia articles. or what not A member
with literary ambitions might thus produce at
public expense a voluminous series Of works
Upon the face Of it. every word would appear
20 have been actually spoken upon the floor of
Congress. In fact, not one word would have
thus been uttered This abuse has long been
going on, on a great scale. 1t is only when
some member thus puts into "The Record" I'M
parliamentary matter that objection Is made
10 IL.
But It is all wrong. We know It is argued
that by getting leave 10 print members are
induced 10 make short speeches and thus save
the time Of Congress. and that il is better TO
print their long winded screeds than TO waste
time by having them actually spoken. We are
not convinced by that argument. We doubt IL
members would actually deliver such speeches"
in full We are certain most Of them would
not. But If they did, there should be some way
Of checking them. 1t IS absurd 10 say that
member might read the whole Encyclopedia
Britannica as part Of his speech, and It would
be beyond the power Of House or Senate TO
stop him. We doubt If abolition Of leave 10
print" would result In any material lengthen-
ing OF actual speechmaking But even IL IL did
that would he a less evil than the daily falsif-
cation Of what purports 10 be the record of
Congress. We believe, however, that by the ex-
clusion Of eXtrancous and fictitious matter it
would be possible. without increasing the size
or cost Of the publication, to include the texts
Of bills reported and other matter Of essential
value which is omitted and the omission
OF which greatly impairs the value Of THE
Record