The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-30
AN OFFICIAL .n PUBLICATION One Provided For in
 Hobson's New Bill TO KEEP PUBLIC INFORMED
Win Contain Information From
 Different Departments.
Expected to Brinx People In Closer Touch With what Government h Doing. and Also Furnish
 Educational Matter
BY ALFRED J. STOPPER.

Washington. Dec. 29.-(SpeciaL)--- Representative Hobson will introduce. as soon as Congress meets again. bill providing for an official journal for the information of the people-at- large. relating what Is being done in the various Government departments. He explains the bill as follows:
 The official journal is intended to make 9 connecting link between the Government and the people. and will be. in effect. periodical report to the people of the work done by all the branches of their Government. The project grew out of my work with the Agricultural Department. where found vast amount of most valuable material that did not reach the people for whom it was intended. My first movement was to take this material to the people of my district by cam paign in which representatives of the various bureaus of the Agricultural Department made short talks. The re- suits of this tour of the Sixth District of Alabama. was like an awakening, and property values advanced appfe- ciably. especially the value of timber lands. and an era of improved agrtcul- ture has begun in that district.
 Upon further examination, found that not only the Department of Agri-i culture but all the Departments of the Government were issuing publications for the purpose of giving the results of their work to the people. Although there are from 150 to 200 publications issued by the Government every week. many of them containing information that would be absolutely invaluable in the hands of the peop1e. yet the vast bulk of stfle people thus far are unable to be reached.
 "I believe that this journal in addi- Aa .H~..F Lr- r-A A.. in form in which it can be utilized. will be the means of famiIiarizing the people with the really stupendous work | that their Government is doing and l will remove distrust end suspicion and will create renewed Interest and con- sfidence among the masses in GoveEn-
 mental affairs. It win tend to put the people In a better condition to control and direct their Government and thus strengthen the foundations of self Government. Ire Journal will be strictly non-nartisan and without any editorial comment. Wnl Aid the Press.
 "It cannot help but aid the press of l the country not only in furnishing a ready Index. but in creating a taste and demand for reading matter and for additional information upon important | subjects that can only be touched upon | In the journal. 'It Is intended that the issues to in- dustrial sections shall be somewhat | different from editions going to agri- cultural sections. that the edition in the cotton States shall be somewhat | different from that going to the grain I States. so that each section of the coun- | try may get most upon the subject in | which it is chiefly concerned.
 '"The control of the journal is to be
 vested in a joint committee which shall
 be independent of any form of iniu- ence. It is intended that during the sessions of Congress the Journal shall | be double the size of the issue between | sessions. The former will have sixteen l pages. the latter eight. Although all
 details are left to the joint committee,
 1t is expected to be weekly. but 1t may
 be semi-weekly. or appear at even
 shorter intervals if found necessary. "The present estimates contemplate l allowing each Congressman and Sena-
 tor. to furnish the names Of 15,000 re- | cipients of the journal. and about S00,-
 900 in addition, making about 1,5D0. 900 | families to whom 1t will be delivered l free. The Postoffice Department will
 handle the copies in blocks, through their carriers; thus saving the expense of addressing. etc. the various post masters and rural free delivery carriers keeping lists of the recipients at their | offices and routes"
 The text of the bill is as follows: "A Bill to Provide for the Publication of an Official Journal. l "Be 1t enacted bv the Senate and
 House of Representatives of the Unit | ed States of America in Congress as-
 sembled: That the Public Printer shall publish at least weekly for the i'm | formation and instruction of the people of the United States an Official Journ- al, which shall contain brief notices of 1 the work of the various executive de- partments and independent bureaus of | the Government. of the Supreme Court,
 and of the proceedings of Congress,
 so far as the same may be of general public interest.
 l k'Sec. ?. That a joint committee con
 sisting of two members of the House | of Representatives, appointed by the | Speaker, one member of the Senate,
 appointed by the President of the Sem
 ate, one member of the Supreme Court,
 appointed by the Chief Justice. and
 one member each from the Depart ments of Agriculture. Postoffice, and
 Commerce and Labor, appointed by the
 respective secretaries, shall arrange | for the preparation of the material
 by contract or otherwise, and for the
 simultaneous publication by contract or
 otherwise if deemed necessary at one point in the middle west and at one point on the Pacific Coast.
 Sec. 8. The size of the Oficial Journal shall be determined by the Joint Committee. and the Journal shall
 be for free distribution under such
 rules and regulations as the Joint Committee shall prescribe.
 Sec 4. It shall be the duty of each postmaster and rural free delivery car rier to maintain at their respective
 offices and routes list of citizens de-
 termined in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the
 Joint Committee, to whom they shall
 deliver regularly copies of the Of1cial
 Journal. For. this purpose they shall notify the Postmaster General of the
 number of copies required to supply
 the persons on the~ lists thus main.
 tained. These copies shall be supplied
 by the Public Printer In bulk on re-
 quisition of the Postmaster General
 who is hereby authorized and directed
 to receive and transmit the Oficia
 Journal through the malls with thu least delay possible.
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