New-York tribune., 1908-01-02
let people ascertain what the conditions OF tne
weather reilly are.
THE TRJBUNE ALMANAC FOR 1908.

III
The best traditions of publication long
standard in its class are maintained in The
Tribune Almanac and Political Register Tor
1905 now on sale II remains what 1T has al
WAYS been-essentially political aimanac-and
in the collection and presentation OF pohticai
information il exhibits a scope ana thoroueh-
ness not attained by any rival 1t mas peeii
reproach to American public spirit ana Aiheii
can intelligence that masses OF citizens ana VIZ
ers have been content in recent years 10 t"he
their knowledge of politics and government
wholly at second hand. trusting TO the talk vi
the hour for vague and scrappy acquaintance
with the contents of fnr-reach1ng legisia'i'e
measures and the purport OF administrative
rulings and actions. Such superhcihl lifpies
sions quickly fade and the material with which
to refresh them becomes as rapidly 1naccessioie.
So long as politics affected the daily life OF rhe
average citizen only remotely his indifference 10
details might be readily pardoned. But poiltics
is every wear becoming a greater factor In the
regulation of the minuti9 of indlvldual exist
enca and the citizens comfort safety ana gen.
eraI welfare are becoming dependent more anu
more on political action 1t is more lhior'ah'
today than it was at any other period III our
history that legislation and administration
should ba studied hy voters desiring TO exercise
the suffrage iudciously and intellsentE-
The Tribune Almanac has endeavored to meet
a public want by furnishing a complete SUN
mary of the laws passed at each session Vi
Congress and at each session of the New York
LEGISLATURE The record it thus presents Is III
valuable: for no such summary is available else
where and TO secure the text of the laws would
cost an innuirer much time and effort. Inc I'M
migration act of February 90 1907, concerns
hundreds of thousands of people, yet WITHOUT
sucb aid as The Tribune Almanac offers fe" OF
them would be able to run te earth any one oi
its many far-reaching provisions. Inc puoii'
service law passed by the Legislature OIL Ne"
York at the last session is one OF the most I'M
portant acts ever framed by that body. lts
provisions affect every person in the state 1el
except for the summary furnished IN TINS year
Almanac the law would remain practically a
sealed document to the general reading pubic
These features of the 1908 issue are cited De
caflse they illustrate it's essential purpose WHICH
is to reduce to usable form the vast stores OF
information which lie out of general reach IN
the broad field of politics and political activity.
Accuracy is a prime necessity in the construc-
ton of a reference book and The tribune Anha-
nae is edited with view to obtaining the great
est degree of accuracy possible Ihe dl1ncuitIeS
in tbe way of obtaining correct and complete
election figures from the forty-siX states of the
Union many of which follow the lax example
of New York in not canVaSSlng the NoNelHoei
vote until late in December can be appreciated
only by those who have tried to compile electon
statistics The Tribune Almanac endeavors TO
give complete election returns, not sighting the
minor parties. We value highly, therefore
piece of testimony given last May in an article
in The Worker" a Socialist newspaper, to the
AImanac's fairness and trustworthiness. Sald
a writer in that publication, discussing the OBJ
stacles in the way of obtaining satisfactory cleo
ton figures from all the states:
In doubtful cases whose figures should be
taken? On the whole, or the prlhte.-
records The Tribune Almanac is the SateSt
guide The editor of The Tribune Almanac takes
pride in compiling accurate year booh. ana
when an error is shown him has no hesltancy IN
correcting it.
We quote this testimony because 1t comes
from one vino has an expert knowledge OF the
pitfalls and tendencies to errC encountered IN
collecting state election figures. In the field
which it covers-state and national politics,
education sports or whatever else-The Tribune
Almanac strives to excel in quality. Our ear
nest hope is that it will always justly command
the confidence of the constituency which It
serves.