Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-11
Senator Bristow's Contention.

Senator Bristow, who took up the fight
Tor lower rates in the absence Of Senator
Hepburn, the author of the amendments
for lower rates, contended that a sub
scriptfon list of a million was not assured,
and asked how much of an edition could
be printed on the present equipment Of the
government printing Office.
An edition Of $1,000 copies daily is now
being printed, Senator Smoot explained,
and this could be run up to 10000 copies
without new equipment. That gave Mr..
Bristow his clue, and he Immediately sug-
gested that the lower rates be agreed
| upon up to 100000 subscribers-that is,
lower rates should be extended SO far
as the Records could be issued by the
present equipment.
But Senator SmOot would not accept the
proposition. Citing the cost OIL the paper
upon which the Record is published, he
said that under the lower rates the gov
eminent would receive 70 cents less than
the actual cost of paper to each SUBJ
scriber for the short session and IS cents
less for the long session.
Not a Business Proposition.
But the government is not printing the
Congressional Record as a business prop
osition," remarked Mr.. Bristow, "any
more than 1t prints agricultural bulletins,
of which each senator has 1900 to dis
tribute. They cost the government lot
of money, but they are distributed free of
charge for the purpose of disseminating
information in regard to agriculture. 1t
Is for the general welfare Of the country.
Now, why should we not distribute the
Record at a nominal price, in order that
the people who are interested in the &C
ton Of Congress in the daily proceedings
here may be informed as to exactly what
| Is being done? 1t seems to me that there
DO ic0f I'm hn
out Of the many that are distributed free
Of cost. that could be more properly dis
| tributed than the Record.
Il want to say to the senator" Mr..
Smoot replied, that il the Senate feels
that 1t is incumbent upon the government,
or If 1t thinks it Is q good thing to do to
print and sell the Record at less than
| costa great deal less than half its cost
| of course the bill ought to be amended to
meet that desire of the Senate; but before
| the amendment is agreed to, want the
Senate to understand exactly what 1t is
| going to cost. and then, II they vote TO
amend the law, they will do so with their
| eyes open. and they will know just what
| it is going to cost the government to
do it. The printing committee of the
| House met with the printing committee
of the Senate. and we decided that it was
hardly proper at this time to put that
burden upon the government.
Agreed to in Amended Form.
After further discussion, the amendment
was framed to reduce the rates to 81 and
81 for the long and short sessions. re-
spectively, providing the edition of the
Record did not exceed 100000 copies. and
to make postmasters throughout the
country agents for receiving subscriptions
| to the Record at the reduced rates. In
| that form, it was agreed to.
| The next attack on the bill was against
the provision which took away from sen.
ators and members the Lightweight and
sixty free copies, respectively, OF TIN
Record and made such numbers OF the
Records as q member sends out subject
to his allotment for printing. Senate,
Lodge thought there ought to be some
limitation in the number Of copies. so q
member of Congress could refuse re-
quests for the Record without using al
his printing allotment for that alone. and
suggested a continuation OF the present
allowance. Senator Smoot agreed to the
proposition. and several amendments were
made to the bill to meet this change.
| But as the Record was no longer to b.
a drain on the individual printing allow
ance of each senator and member, Sen
ator Smoot proposed that. the total OF
printing allowance to each member Of
Congress be reduced. Senator Smoot pro-