The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-12-20
IN THE GOOD OLD WAY
Congress Won't Have Ncw-Fangled
Spelling IDEAS.


Of Representatives Wednesday went
ON record in opposition to the new
spelling as recommended by the
President. BY a vote of 142 to 20
the following was adopted as sub
stitute to the item reported by the
Appropriations Committee in the
Legislative, Executive and Judiciai
Appropriation Bill, which read as
follows:
"No money appropriated In this
act shall be used in connection with
printing documents authorized by
law or ordered by Congress, or eth
er branch thereof, unless the same
shall conform to the photography
recognized and used by generally ac-
cepted dictionaries of the English
language"
For hours the debate on simpli-
fed spelling held the attention OF the
House. and score or more members
took part In the discussion.
Representative Crumpacker, of In
diana. made point of order against
the original paragraph in, the bill
which provided that public docu-
ments should be spelled as Webster's
or other generally accepted diction-
aries spells them. This provision
was held to change existing law. and
the point of order was sustained
Representative Bingham, of Pennsyl-
vania. in charge of the bill, then Of
fered the amendment quoted, which
was adopted.
During the discussion Mr.. Sullivan,
of Massachusetts,, remarked that If
the President by imperial ukase
could change the spelling of 300
words of the English language he
would have the authority to change
10000 words, or every word in our
language. If this could be done he
thought new court language might
be established by executive decree
for the new American empire.
I'VE got along very well with the
English language until the reign sof
the present President of the United
States," said Mr.. Sullivan.
Offensive To The Eye.
Representative Lacey, of Iowa,
thought the paragraph as originally
reported should remain in the bill.
He said the new words were often
sive to the eye, but "perchance by
constant association we might get
used to them"
To put them by executive order
into the laws of the land before they
have reached literature" remarked
Mr.. Lacey, lis getting the thing
wrong end foremost. Literature
comes first, orthography afterward
Let this Congress put this declara-
tion into law; it is not enacting any
thing, but it is simply protesting
against interference with established
customs as it has been followed for
more than 100 years"
Mr. Crumpacker, of indiana, said
the House was not responsible for
an order of the executive on the
question of simplified spelling. He
was of the opinion that legislation
would retard progress and reform in
spelling.
Mr.. Lacy asked Mr.. Crumpacker
if he thought the public printer
would have the discretion to spell
the word "Crumpacker" with 'K''
and Mr. Crumpacker replied that he
thought he would.
Representative Grosvenor, of Ohio,
wanted to know what existing law
that the paragraph changed and in
sisted that there was no law as to
spelling, except as to the commonly
accepted way. The effort to define
how words should be spelled. he
said, was absolutely germane to the
bill.
Mr. Tawney remarked that IL the
simplified spelling should go into
effect it would necessitate the re-
printing of all the schoolbooks and
dictionaries, to say nothing of the
cost it would put upon the govern
ment to make the change.