The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-12-23
A NATIONAL BULLETIN NEEDED.

has been publishing a Congressional
Record which gives complete re-
view of the action of the senate and
house together with full report OF
the speeches made. A number OF
the departments also send out bulle-
tins covering their special work, but
the time has come for the govern
ment to enlarge it's activities in this
direction. The Congressional Record
is limited in circulation and too
bulky for the average reader; and
the department bulletins only cover
part of the government work. Inc
public welfare demands the publlca-
ton CT a digest of the government
work in the form Of a bulletin, pub
lished weekly, or at such other IN
tervals as may be found best, and
sent free to all postmasters, state
and city executives, libraries, col
leges, high schools, newspapers, peri
odicals and other public centers OF in
formation. 1t should also be fur
nished at cost to such individuals as
may desire to subscribe for it, as the
Congressional Record now is.
Such a bulletin, under the control
of a bipartisan (not non-part1san)
board giving the laws passed by con-
gress, a digest of less important
things done by congress and by the
various departments of the govern
ment, reporting the important
speeches delivered, and furnishing
voters with the information neces-
sary to pass intelligent judgment
upon the acts of their public SER
wants, would be of incalculable value.
Without attempting to go into de-
tail it is suggested that board of
three, one appointed by the president
and one selected by the majority
party in the senate and house, acting
Jointly, and one by the minority par
ty in the senate and house, acting
jointly, would give assurance that
both sides would be properly repre-
scented in the control of the paper.
Congress could from time to time
direct what MUST be put into the
paper and what should be left to the
discretion of the managing board.
To make the plan complete GER
tain amount of space should be left
for editorial comment, and this space
should be divided among the parties
represented in congress in proportion
to each party's strength in congress.
This would enable the readers of the
bulletin to know not only what was
being done, but why it was being
done and at the same time have the
benefit of the views of the opposition.
Such a bulletin would be an anthem
tic source of information, and the
voters of the country would find in
it the best arguments from the high
est source on each side of every dis
puted national question. The demo-
cratic theory of government is that
the people think for themselves
and select representatives to give ex-
preston to public opinion. This is
the theory of our government, but
the masses find it impossible at pres
ent to secure that reliable informa-
ton to which they are entitled. The
local press has not the space neces-
sary to furnish the information need
ed, and the metropolitan press is not
always disposed to furnish impartial
ly the matters necessary for the
formation of an intelligent judgment.
This democratic congress could
render no greater or more lasting
service to the country than to estab-
lish such bulletin as is above out
lined. Once established it would re-
main, for no party would dare to
withdraw from the people the advan-
tages of such publication.
1t would not interfere with any
legitimate newspaper enterprise; on
the contrary it would give to the
press Of the country what every edi-
tor ought to desire, namely, an I'M
impeachable source of information, a
reservoir from which to draw facts
that can not be controverted and ar
guments worthy to be considered.
w. j. Bryan.