Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-05-26

lHey IOundeu anu ldlu OUT they WOulu
be delighted with their work.
Pub. Docs, Seeds and "Sich."
As a relief from the oyerworked
problems of who will be the Democrat
ic presidential and vice presidential
nominees and of who will be the Re
publican vice presidential nominee let
US turn once more to the really live
subject of the distribution of public
documents and seeds. have explain
ed it fully more than once, but will do
so once more here and now Every
body should cut this out, paste it in
his hat, display it publicly and commit
it to memory. Trying to save trouble
to representatives and senator's? Oh,
yes, but trying to save both trouble
and expense to the people-those who
send representatives and senators to
congress. How save them expense and
trouble? It is some trouble for any
body to write a letter. 1t costs about
cents to do so. to say nothing of the
loss in time.
The opinion is generally entertained
and frequently acted on that a repre-
sentative or senator can get all the
books, speeches, garden seeds, flower
seeds, ETC., he wants free and can send
them free. Nothing is further from
the truth.
AS to speeches delivered in house or
senate-his own or those of anybody
else-he gets none free, none whatever,
except the representative gets thirty
one copies free of the daily Congression-
al Record containing the proceedings,
including speeches. Three of these he
needs for his own use-one at his resi-
dence, one at his desk in the house and
one to go into the bound volume. He
needs them for ready reference in serv-
ing his constituents. Senators have
about forty each. The representative
usually sends the few copies he does
not use to editors, libraries, etc.
Any speeches of his own or of any
other senator or representative that he
gets the senator or representative must
pay for. But they are printed at the
government printing Office? Yes, if or
dered to be printed there and paid for
in advance. Instead of printing speech
es free for congressman and senators
Uncle Sam actually makes 2 per cent
prOft-must do it-under a law passed
by the senators and congressman who
are supposed to get everything free
Wouldn't the average printer be glad
to have a 2 per cent profit guaranteed
him by law, to be paid in advance?
The truth is that, although the gov
eminent has the type already set up
for the Congressional Record, the gov
eminent rate of printing speeches is so
high that if representative or sena-
tor desires many copies of speech
10000, say-it is cheaper to go to a
private printing office and have the
work done much cheaper sometimes
Instead of speeches being free to rep
resentatives and senators they actual
ly bring them out in debt. Somebody
makes a speech which the papers ex-
plot. giving only extracts. Letters
begin pouring in to representatives and
senators for copies. What do they do?
I don't know know what / do. /
go down in my pocket, fish up a coin,
buy copy of the Congressional Rec
ord for that date, costing from to 20
cents, according to size, and send it.
/ probably spend $50 sometimes moreJ
d year that way.
OF course, il the senator or repre-
sentative whose speech is demanded
has had it printed in pamphlet form
he will generally furnish his fellow
members a copy; but, as a rule, his
supply is out or he has never had it
printed in pamphlet form.
As to books and documents, each
representative or senator has a quo
ia, usually from two to ten copies.
When this quota is exhausted and he
wants more, he goes down into his
jeans, gets his own money and pays
the BILL In this way probably spend
from $50 a year up.
With garden and flower seed it is
much the same, except the quota is lar
ger, and by swapping books, docu-
ments. etc., the number may be some
what increased.
give my own experience because !
know it. Ny case is not exceptional
am not complaining The average
representative ar senator nprlans does