Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-01-26

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23.-The
records O. the proceedings OF the
great legislative bodies of the world
have been properly kept and pre-
served fer p relatively short period.
r'or many centuries the British Par
lament RICHLY excluded anyone cor
responding in the remotest way to
the modern newspaperman, and even
such chrLn iclerS as would CORES
pond to the present day official re-
porters of debates. Samuel ii. Gray
one of the official stenographlc re-
porters Of the House of Representa-
tives, has spent several years gong
into the whole history of legislative
reporting, with the result hat a re-
markedly interesting and accurate
hist Jrical account has been pro-
ducCd.
! Samuel Johnson, who came 70
London to do am kind of hack writ
ing that would insure him a living,
was the first reai reporter of the
proceedings o. the British Parlia-
ment, ana he had to do it in q
roundabout way to avoid the legal
| consequences of publishing anything
that occurred il. Parliament.
In those days Edward Cave was
| the proprietor of 1.-The Gentleman's
Magazine 7" and because of an official
| position he enjoyed, was privileged
to hear the proceedings Of Pariia-
ment. From the notes he made ana
| from memory he would sketch 10
Johnson what haze occurrd, ana
Johnson would NOT merely outline IT,
but write out lengthy debates. the
language of which was his own, put
the actioE portrayed being painstak-
ingly correct.
In order to dodge the legal con-
sequences, these debates appeared
of.enest when Parliament was not
in session. Also, as e further safe
guard, the accounts of the debates
were headed "Par.iament of the En-
pire of Lill.put." The names of the
speakers were s~keletOnized or sllgnt-
ly changed but an intelligent reader
could place accurately each speaker.
johnson die not particularly relish
this Job, and ted Boswell few
weeks before his death that it was
the only thing In his writings OF
which he al ashamed.
Reporting from Memory
Two remarkable men named
Woodfall and Radcliffe were the sue
cessors t., Johnson. BY this time
enforcement of the rules of the
House Of Commons had been so re-
laxed that people were admitted TO
the gallery, but no ~notations could
he -taGe. Woodfall without taking
a Single ntte, would write at the
conclusion of each session as mucn
as fifteen newspaper columns OF the
ebates ant Sc this to the after.
noon newspapers published the nex'
day. Radcliffe performed even more
remarkably When the days SEES
sion end-S he would post himself be-
tween two c~omI.ositors, n IRON
keep up a running hre OF
dictation o! two different portions
of the proceedings to the two mel
as fast a, they could set the type
Two Englishmen named Gray ano
Perry then purchased the "Mornlns
Chronicle" and in order TO get the
proceedings of the Parliament fo'
their paper, invented the relay syss
tenn Of reporters rms system N
folio we'd. in a highly perfected man
ner, TO this very a. In very lesis,
lative body of consequence. one y
the men employed as a reporte.
was none other than Charles
Dickens. before he set all Engiano
laughing with Mr.. Pickwick AM
Sam Weller.
Dickens had worked in a simiial
caracity on a shee. called The MIR
ror OF Parliament " before the pur,
chase of the Morning Chronicle
by Perry ard Gray.
Even now the House of Commons
is rot entirely ~reconciled to its OIL
} fetal reporters. They are stauone'
in 4 small sort of a gallery. not nav
ing the privilege OF the moor, as II
our Senate and House OF Represen
tatiyes. AS "a result much OF the &C
/ tual wording of speeches is lost ahS
mu.h Of the record of the Britisi
| Parliament is written in the thir'
nerson on that account. The news
papers hav. a corps of stenograph
2 ic repcrsers present also. Inc Oh
ficial COZ ps and the newspaper corp
| cheek their records n with tn
l other.
There exists among the parllamen
: tarv rules governing the British Far
+, lament provision that any membe
I can cal the attention of the speake
, to the fact that there are "stran
gers in the gallery and the speak
| er then must order the strangers re
moved. This would clear the CALLER
) of all aev9snapcfmen. OF eorrs'
1ns lvle has been allowed to hecem
la dead lette~ and Is preserved NOR