Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1915-02-20
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON, D. c.
ByU. S. Press Association.
Bond Bldg. Washington, u. G.
IxRFFrcIENCY IN GOVERNMENT
Stufing The Record

A feature Of the lack Of system in
Congress which has excited no end Of
trouble is the practice Of lazy mem
bers who have usurped other peoples
remarks in the Congressional Record
as their own. Some members who
are more enterprising have way Of
including a lot Of extraneOus material
In their speeches. Representative
Barnhart told the House Of RepTesen-
tatiVes in June. 1914, that when he
became Chairman Of the Committee
on Printing he was asked by some
leaders Of the House If be could not
be effective in preventing the abuse
of the Congressional Record, by which
newspaper and magazine articles were
included In the remarks Of members.
what / have been trying 70 do is to
prevent the publication of miseellap
eous newspaper and magazine articles
and addresses by Tom. Dick and Har-
~, who are members of the House. -
said Mr. Barnhart, ION subjects which
many times are entirely foreign to
legislative matters. but which is no
doubt wholesome reading to the man
who wants 1t inserted.
Notwithstanding this wholesale in
tent. 1t 10 demonstrated that some Of
the members have a way of defeating
the rules of the House. In order to
satisfy some of their constituents
who might be pleased TO see their
names Ia the Congressional Record.
certain members Of Congress have
caused to be printed in the Record,
petitions on various subjects contain
ing long strings Of names. In one in
stance when there occurred the publi-
cation of a petition giving list Of
names two columns long, a protest
was made in the house Chairman
Barnhart stated that he did not know
ans rule Of the House which prevent
ed printing Of the names Of petition
ers. Along the lines of the same gen
ersl complaint regarding the Record.
he said: Il recall that a few weeks
ago one member Of the House utilized
twenty-six pages OF this Record to
print In full every bill he had intro
dueed since the beginning OF this SEES
sion" Senator Smoot, who Is chair
man Of the Printing Committee of the
Upper Branch Of Congress. declares
that as a result Of a careful compila-
ton. so far as the Senate = concerned
that he has found that about forty
per cent Of all that is printed in the
Record as proceedings Of the Senate
is made up Of outside matter He
stated that the congressional Record
up to June %. 1914. contained more
tbau Il, 600 pages for the session. To
say nothing OF the expense OF printing
the Record. the mere indeXing costs
$l.20 page. Senator Smoot further
declared that the e3rd Congress was
the most extravaganza one In the his
tory Of the Senate printing of public
documents. since that body had or
dered printed twenty-five times as
many documents as those ordered by
the house. While the House Of Rep
resentatiyes has passsd a rule restrict
ing the indiserimlnate use of the Re
cord IS has been the practice in late
years yet il now appears that mrm-
bers Of the House merely have to 90
TO the Senate and ask some Senator
to see that their matters are inserted
with the result that the extraneous
matter appears In the proceedings Of
the Senate. However. not all of the
useless matter is that which is writ
tan or contained in speeches by people
outside Of Congress.
To PUSH BILL For ONE-CENr
POSTAGE
Passage Of bill providing for one.
cent letter postage In the United
States is to be agitated in Congress.
There are two l-cent postage propo-
sitions before Congress. one proyid.
ing for general rate of 1 cent al
ounce on all letter postage. the Other
calling for the l cent rate ON drop
letters or letters mailed In city OF
town for delivery in the same city 81
town. The lattoy proposition seems t,
be the more feasible, and. it is de
elared, has sufficient support al Thu
time to pass by comfortable major
ty.
There are many bills before Con
gress providing for ! cent postage. in
trodueed by both Democrats and he
puhhcans.
Supporters of the bill maintain tina
an increased volume OF letter mai
would prevent any loss IN reyenu
from SEM postage L ~ elaine
that first class mails pay an anaua
revenue Of SO. 600 900.