The new South-news., 1908-05-23
.....-.. .~o.~rn wfOA n II DONE
kkP1MIN6 IfkAltN... CONGREBS.

com pc S1tiOn fOr the Omcl3i reror TN
in Congress WAS under consideratlon
a thrd OF q century ago Dennis Mug
ply. who was In chafge OF the Senate
reporting, expressed q preference Tor
contract system. which would give
him a lump sum for doing the wors.
instead OF q salary. and would Incl.
dentally allow him a free rein In The
selection OF assistants. MIR. Murphy
first took the contract In the early 7Os
and after his death IL was trarsferred.
In 1896. to his brother Edward V. Mur.
ply and Mr.. shuey, who hold it joint.
ly.
The price paid for reporting the pro-
ceedlngs OF the Senate Us 100000
year. so that 1t would Appear o-'~Ne
face OF things the House dtsRS6es0
tatiyes pays somewhat mOrS he
verbatim record Of its proceedings
than does the Senate. 1t was the ori-
sinal intention, however. that the ex-
pcnditure for this purpose should be
about equal for the two houses of Con
gress. In the investigation OF the
matter which resulted in the soopticn
OF the contract plan In the Senate
aud the salary scheme In the House
Il was discovered that there was very
little difference in the volume Of the
reporting in the two houses. A com
putation covering several years
showed that on an average the varia-
rion between the chronicles Of the
Senate and House OF Representative
did not exceed thirteen columns OF
the Congressional Record for an entire
session of the law making body.
To the army Of stenographers em
pioyed on small salaries In all parts
OF the country the $4,000 received by a
Congressional oficial reporter for work
that seldom occupies more than seven
months OF the year, and sometimes
! does not exceed three months In IL.
may appear decidedly alluring. As
matter OF fact, however, the pay is
not excessive considering the high or
der of ability and exceptional quail
fications required. The shorthand
sharps at the Capitol are In literal
truth the pick OF their profession.
First OF ALL 1t Is requisite that they
shall have the ability to attain the
acme OF high speed work--not In an
occasional squirt but as a regular daily
grind.
Many of the achievements In rapid
writing which the Congressional onl-
cial reporters dismiss lightly as com
monplace feature OF their regular rou-
tine are little short OF miraculous.
lssac Pitman In his text books claimed
that 100 words a minute Is the average
public speaking. whereas many OF the
revised modern text books on short
hand promise the beginner that q
speed of $50 words a minute will quail
ify him to do verbatim reporting. A
speed of 200 words a. minute Is gener-
ally considered ann " sunhclent for
all court and conf ztion sten0gra-
. ply, and yet even tn rate OF writing
would fall far shofeV WINE require
ments In recording the sharp colo
quies that occur in any exciting de-
bate in Congress. Just to illustrate
/ the skill OF the official reporters 1t
might be cited that one Of them 10
recent demonstration before the stu
dents of a shorthand school wrote on
an ordinary blackboard with common
chalk at the record breaking speed OF
260 words a minute. making charac-
ters that were legible in all parts OF
the large schoolroom. The principal
OF the school was SO dumbfounded that
he had the blackboard photographed
and had number OF the persons pres
"a hn
pied by the test.
That the Congressional reporters
must keep up their whirlwind writing
, In abbreviated form not merely foz
. minute or an hour but for working
/ day OF six or seven hours Is attested
by the fact that at one recent sitting
of the House Of Representatives there
we're spoken and recorded In the leg
islative chamber an aggregate Of 81,
) coo words. OF course no one reporter
5 keeps tabs on the proceedings for any
protracted interval When his note
> book is filed he is relieved by another
S reporter and repairs to the work room
: of the corps in the Capitol. where he
: reads his notes TO a receptive phono
j. Sidpu VI ilStcuiu8 StcuO6i oPaASi .
+ This done he can II need be go back
and in turn relieve his alternate
r Meanwhile his dictated notes are be
4 ing transcribed on the typewriter. onf
e later in the day he must correct tn
r manuscripts duty of very
l. ing character.
No, only In equipment but in wot
: ing methods have the passing Year:
d Witnessed an evolution Ia the mos
/. difficult form OF reporting In the world
r Years ago when the membership o
J. Congress, and particularly OF th'
T. House Of Representatives, was email
g er it was entirely feasible for N ol
:. fcial reporter to sit near the speal
/. er's desk and hear clearly all thA
y took place. With the larger body o
IS lawmakers and the perhaps NOR
n strenuous proceedings this Is no longe
D. possible Nowadays the ofiicial stel