The Mena weekly star., 1906-12-20
HOUSE GOES ON RECORD.
Decides Against Reformed Spelling in Public Documents by Vote
 of 142 to 25.
DEBATED THE QUESTION FOR HOURS
No Money Appropriated by Congress to be Used in Connection With Printing Orr dered by Either Branch Unless the same Conforms With Recognized Au- thorities on Orthoguphy.

Washington, Dec. 14.--The house Of representatives Wednesday went on record in opposition to the new spell ing as recommended by the president. By vote of 142 to 25 the following was adopted as substitute to the item reported by the appropriations commit tee in the legislative, executive and judicial appropriation bill:
 No money appropriated in this act shall be used in connection with print ing documents authorized by law or ordered by congress or either branch thereof unless the same shall con- form to the orthography recognized and used by generally accepted diction- aries of the English language
 For hours Wednesday, the debate on simplified spelling held the attention of the house and score or more mem bers took part in the discussion.
 Representative Crumpacker of Indi- ana made point of order against the original paragraph in the bill which provided that public documents should be spelled as directed by Webster's or other generally accepted dictionaries.
 This provision was held to change existing law and the point of order was sustained Representative Bingham of Pennsylvania in charge of the bill. then offered the amendment quoted which was adopted.
 During the discussion, MT. 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 chang 30,090 words, or every word in our language.
 If this could be done, he thought a new court language might be estab- lished by executive degree for the new American empire.
 I've got along very well with the English language until the reign of the present president of the United States" said Mi. Sullivan.
 Representative Lacy of Iowa thought the paragraph as originally reported should remain in the bill. He said gle new words were offensive to the eye, but '.perchance by constant asso- citation we might get used to them"
 ITO put them by executive order into the laws of the land before they have reached literature" remarked Mir Lacey. lis getting the thing wrong end foremost. Literature comes first; orthography afterwards Let this congress put this declaration into law; it is not enacting anything but it is simply protesting against interference with established custom as it has been followed for more than 100 years
 While MT. Grosvenor was discuss ing the amendment, MT. Towne of New York asked him whether the item referred to was not on page 23 begin ming with line 23.'
 Yes, believe so.' replied MT. Gros- venor.
 Then is it not a double skiddoo and if So does it not of necessity go out?"
 "Oh! That's an old story" replied Mir. Grosvenor amid laughter.
 The great confusion resulting from the governments double standard of spelling has made it necessary for the joint committee on printing to take immediate action, and Senator Platt and Representative Landis of the committee are at work on resolution designed to straighten the tangle at once Even if the house and senate both pass the legislative bill with a clause declaring for oldfashioned ! spelling. the measure will not become effective until the beginning of the new year and meantime there would be no we'll defined policy as to spell ing Reports from the executive de- partments are printed now in re- 1 formed spelling When congress de sires to include portions of them in it's proceedings it is necessary to make new plates and much addition al expense is entailed