Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-05-15

Record, is to be persisted in. What Mr..
Murdoch wants Ia that undelivered speeches
be 80 labeled and shorn Of misleading in
terpolations like applause and laugh
ter" In a statement explaining the purpose
Of this proposed reform, he gives some in
teresting Information about the canned
oratory'' that 10 palmed off on unsuspect-
ing constituents.
1T IL the only honest way" declared
Mr.. Murdoch In explaining his views on
this matter. The Record. under the present
system, IL not true report Of the pro-
ceedings OF the house. II ought 70 be. II
man really makes a speech in congress-
the people In his district ought 10 know t.
H. on the other hand he merely gets per-
mission TO print an essay or a paper. they
ought TO know IT, do not claim that Moth
ing which lie not spoken on the floor should
oe printed 1t may well be, that an article
Oh value prepared by a member of con-
gress' should be printed in the Record.
but II should be 80 designated. That would
De In no sense a reflection upon the article
itset. But II would not be sending the
record out to the reader under false pre-
lenses 80
In my mind the greatest end that would
be attained under this svstsn, u,o,,Ia ~
the shortening OF speeches in congress and
the restoration OF debate to a plans n
once occupied. but no longer does. oratorv
IN the house has been declining for a num-
Der or years. Speeches are too long. Most
Oh them are read from manuscript. or per-
maps only a small part of them is read
ana the rest is Just printed believe that
the practice OF getting leave to insert long
prepared documents TO be mainly respon-
HoIe Tor the decline in the quality OF de-
bate. "a ue-
newspaper man can easily tell from
reading the Record what speeches w.rs
really delivered and what vera not. Ora.
tory and writing have distinct STYLES. You
summarize a news story In the first nara
graph In oratory you leave IL for the
climax. In writing about a man Won us,,-
any start the sentence with his mama
Oratory puts the name at the end OF the
sentence. The methods are totally dis
similar. A reading Of the Record will
snow that 1t tends more and more toward
oeihg collection Of prepared articles
rather than an actual report Of proceed-
lngs on the floor. These articles NAV he
all right, but they do not constitute de-
bate.
The first result of labelling things in
the Record by their right names would
be the abandoning of the present abuse
by individual representatives. When a
mans constituents begin to ask him,
Did you really deliver this speech or did
you just have 1t printed ne will quit the
practice, because the average voter WON
take much stock in undelivered speeches.
Then the congressman will try to get an
opportunity to deliver these long speeches
on the floor. But that will be impossible.
Congress could not possibly afford the
time that would be necessary for the de-
livery of all the speeches that appear in
the Record. Therefore. speeches will have
to be shortened, and they ought to be.
NO man needs an hour in congress to
explain an idea. Half an hour and usu-
ally less, ought to be enough for any man.
When the time is shortened we will see
an Improvement in the material. Lam
guage will be condensed and ideas will not
be clothed in so many words. There is no
sense in a congressman standing up and
reciting weosters reply TO Hayne every
time he wants to express his opinions