The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-25
THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD.

A good many efforts have been made
from time to time to reform and popu-
lariZe the Congressional Record 1t is
certain that the Record is vastly inn
portant publication, and its wide cir
culation among the people is much to
be desired. The present price of that
publication is 81 a year. Senator Hey
burn of Idaho has introduced bill TO
reduce the price to 81 year. That
would help undoubtedly; but what
would help good deal more would be
TO have competent editor, who would
include in the Record good many
things that the people would like to
know.
The Record now prints verbatim the
speeches made in both Houses of Con
gress, in full. If this is insisted upon,
then the proposition to cut out or TO
label, as food products are labeled, true
to name, all speeches not delivered, as
"printed On leave" as proposed. should
prevail, This would show to the reader
the distinction between speeches actual
ly delivered on the floor of the Sepate
or the House, and those merely printed
in the Record on the granting of leave.
This is good idea, but 1T would be bet
ter to shut off all such speeches, and
let whoever wanted to print his unde-
livered Speech print it at his own ex
pense, and to carry in the Record only
the speeches actually delivered That
is, make the Record in fact what il
purports to be, record of the actual
proceedings and of the speeches made
on the floor.
There is, however, matter of im-
portance that we may suggest for the
improvement of the Record. II often
happens that propositions of great i'm
portance are left undetermined. so far
as the Record is concerned For in.
stance, good deal of debate and eff
fort at amending the laws for the To-
cation and proving mp on oil claims
appeared in the proceedings Of the
SiXty.first Congress. Debates. wrang
lings, explanations, and various quib
DltS VI put hiub anu duUlutl Oll lHlS
question were put into the Record as
occurring on the floor of the Senate
But there was no final statement in the
Record of what was actually done But
summary of what is done on i'm
portaut matters should be carried in the
Record. 1t often happens that measures
are up in Congress of vast public con
Germ, which one would like to see the
full details Of carried in the Record.
If one is searching for information on
any matter and is referred to commit
tee report of such number, or TO the
bill itself with the amendments that
are supposed to be pending or TO he
attached to it by one house or the
other, it is an annoyance that no in
formation is to be had in the Record
itself on those points. But with proper
editorial supervision the needed infor
nation would be supplied, probably
entire, but in the summarizing Of the
points and effect of such report. of
such bill or of such amendments I'm
portant bills should be carried in full
in the Record on their passage, so
that the people would not have to wait
until the compilation and publication
of the volume of laws after the session
closes. 1t would be Of immense adj
vantage to have those things carried
in the Record, so that one would need
nothing more than that publication to
find out exactly what is going on in
Congress AS it is now, one can find
all the speeches and a vast amount of
stuff of no particular Importance. But
matters of live interest are often mere
ly referred to- and one is put TO a great
deal of pains and delay to get the docu-
ments that supplement the Record s
report and supply its deficiencies, But
if the Record itself carried an intelli
gent report of all these things, then
the Record would be of infinitely more
Importance than ii is now, and the
average person would be more willing
to pay four dollars for the Record so
made up than even one dollar for it
under it's present plan of publication,
What is wanted more than anything
else is an editor of the Record who