The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1911-12-29
President S
to Congress
System Whereby Newspaper
Readers Have Message as
Soon as Delivered.

tuting n pile OF 250 or more pages In
this shape 1t goes to Uncle Sans big
printery-not, however, ns does the or
binary public document.
Special arrangements are made
against possible leakage OF its contents
TO the public ears before the time set
for its reading In congress-. An as
sistant secretary carries tho manu-.
script to the government printing of
Ace and delivers It in person to the
public printer. In that office It Is di-
vided into sections.
Original Manuscript Destroyed.
Each group OF compositors. printers
and proofrcadcrs who handle tho VA
rious sections will know only the con
tents OF their sections, for which they
will be held strictly responsible.
II IL safe to say that no editor ever
grilled manuscript moro critically OF
more numerically than does the presi-
dent when he rends the proof Of his
message. When that is completed the
original manuscript Is destroyed at the
White House When the corrected
proof Is returned to the public printer.
each time being conveyed by an assist
ant secretary. the work OF preparing the
message in its completed form begins.
! Printed on heavy white paper in
large readible type, with generous mar
gins on all sides OF ench page, the mes
snge forms volume varying from 200
to 500 pages. nine inches wide by sew
enteen inches long II is bound in IA
black flexible leather cover, labeled in
gilt letters. Every copy that Is print
ed at the government printing office IS
accounted for by register presses,
which record each impression made
These, having been checked up, are de
livered ut the executive offices ana
carefully stored away until ready for
use.
Enough copies are bound In book
form to supply each member OF the
cabinet and each member OF the sen
ate and house with one. Enough are
printed on newspaper proof sheets to
supply each newspaper In the United
States which may care to publish the
message in full Altogether about
1000 copies are run off
There are only two copies made
which are termed official copies.
These are the copies which are formal
ly signed by the president and pre-
sented to the vice president as presid-
ing officer Of the senate and the speak.
er Of the house of representatives.
Old Custom Changed.
In Washingtons and Jefferson's time
it used to be the custom for the chief
executive personally to write his own
message and read it himself before the
Joint assembly OF the congress. This
was in accord with that clause OF the
constitution which provides that the
president shall communicate with con
gress in writing.
SO far as the construction Of the Of
fetal copies Of the message was con
rerned. such a custom prevailed until
quite recently. These copies, which
were delivered to the vice president
and the speaker. were entirely hand
written. voluminous documents that
looked endless to the spectators as the
reading clerks sometimes struggled
uncertainty through them. Within the
past two years. however, that clause
has been construed to mean any kind
OF writing. hand or machine, 30 that
the big presses at the government
printing office now do the writing In
a few hours for both copies, where it
used to require few days for each.
BY far the greater part of these
5000 copies are proof sheets. which
are sent in advance to the various
newspapers throughout the country
under what is termed the syndicate
system. Each copy is headed with the
announcement that 1t is to be released
for publication on certain date.
This in newspaper circles means that
1t Is not to be printed before that date.
Ordinarily the publication before the
release date on the part OF any news
paper publisher would mean com.
plete violation OF the code OF ethics in
the newspaper world, but such a vio-
lntiOn under these conditions would
mean a far more serious matter to
that paper in It's future career. Thus
10y this system citizens in any part of
the country may read the presidents
message I'm full few hours after It
has been read on the floor OF the
house and senate.