The Washington times., 1921-11-05
$4,000 Plates
Of ORATORY co
|NME[T|NCPOT
Government Printing Office De-
stroys Several Tons OF Con-
gressional Globe.

lWtnlY-lnTtt PaoNN'
in printing the old Congressional
Globe, and containing the debates Oh
many OF Americas foremost orators
who served in the House and Senate
before and after the Civil war. have
been destroyed at the Government
Printing Office.
The elimination OF these plates from
the great subway vault OF the Dig
print shop was necessary to make
room for the more recent records OF
the Government. The plates, howeVei'
have not been thrown into the waste
pile, but were melted and Will be useo
in other ways.
Twelve of the plates, containing
statements to the House ana senate
made by Henry Clay stephen Douglas
and others, have been saved ana VIII
be put on exhibition in the Govern
ment Printing office Museum.
The Old Congressional Globe, which
appeared first weekly and later daily
was printed by individual shops from
1888 to 1876 when the Government
took over the work. The contract for
the work was held by several men ana
there was continued pickering for the
privilege of printing the records OF
Congress.
In those days, the record was print
ed slightly different from now. The
remarks in the House and Senate
were not all taken verbatim but were
composed largely of what the re-
porter construed the member to mean
to say.
Speech on Slavery.
In one of the plates a proof shows
some remarks on the slavery ques-
ton. Lyman Trumbull, Senator
from Illinois. suggests to the House
that the negroes be sent to another
part of the earth where they may es-
tablish their own country. He is en-
phatic in his statement that both
races cannot get along together IL the
negro is set free. Mr.. Trumbull pre-
diets the time will! come when such a
country will have formulated and the
negroes will have a government OF
their own.
William Pitt Fessenden. Secretary
of the Treasury under Lincoln and a
member of the Senate, took a prom.
inent part in the Panama" canal
question back in 1856, according TO
the Globe. which published Fessen-
dens speech on the question of com
munication between the Pacific and
Atlantic Oceans.
Great Britain must be prevented
from obtaining control of this i'm
portant route of communication" de-
clares Fessenden while discussing a
South American treaty before the
Senate.
The proofs Of one of the plates show
that in 1858 public land for use Of
actual settlers only" could be pro.
cured in New York. The record
shows a petition introduced by a New
York Senator Praying that the pub
lie lands may be laid off in farms Cr
lots and granted free of cost to actual
settlers only"
ID. c. Pay In Issue.
Another portion of the records re-
fers to an appropriation bill relating
to the District of Columbia. 1t shows
that the fight for increased pay for
Government employees was on as far
back as 1854. The bill, which was
passed by the Senate in that year pro-
vided twenty per cent increase IN
pay for the watchmen employed al the
White House, the drawkeepers of the
bridges across the Eastern Branch md
fOIDmaC riVtt, the lamplighter on Res
ervation No. 2, the doorkeeper and as.
sistant doorkeeper at the White House,
and policemen stationed at the Cani-
tol.
The destruction of these plates ih
the Government Printing Office was
done under the direction of john
Greene, recently appointed deputy
public printer. Mr.. Greene DESTROYED
the plates after the Government Print
ing Offices Board of inspection had
condemned them. On the committee
are MI. Greene, chairman, Limo,
Moorehead, foreman of printing and
Walter w. Scott, inspector of the
joint committee on printing.
One of the plates was submitted TO
the Bureau of Standards to be an.
alyZed. The analysis showed each
plate to contain more than ten differ
ent substances. Each plate is sold
and hard. 1t is about one fourth %
.nCh thick and very difficult to break.
DR.. CRECCERSON TALKS