Evening star., 1933-05-05

Proposed curtailment of the expense
OF preparing, printing and distributing
the Congressional Record is regarded
generally as an academic question. be-
cause of the valuable personal publicity
that members of Congress derive from
this Government journal A measure
introduced by Representative Cannon,
Democratic member from Wisconsin,
would save $4,000 day by limiting the
free circulation. Mr.. Cannon calls the
Record. as now conducted, "a colossal
fraud on the taxpayers" Many believe
that leave to print" speeches never de-
livered should be limited.
Commenting on undelivered orationS,
the Buffalo Evening News feels that
this method of fraud has been coun-
tenanced so long that the great ma
jority of Congressman now regard it as
quite innocent" In its discussion of
the Record and the prospects of reduc-
ing this expenditure, the News declares:
Senators and Representatives print
brilliant perorations under the priv
ilege of extending their remarks. For
them the Record is propaganda pub
lication-an agency through which to
present themselves to their constituents
as great figures in Washington. How
ever, in the last few years they have
been shamed into paying small part
of the expense of making the welkin
ring in fancy. Not printed at Govern
ment expense Is a notation occasionally
seen on excerpts from the Record that
are broadcast. But it Is significant that
while the cost to the taxpayers of print
ing the Record in the first session Of
the Seventy-second Congress was $685.
584, the total receipts for the publica-
IN, Iof QQ9
Yes, Mr.. Cannon is utterly right about
this matter; largely the cost of the
Record is money thrown away. How
ever, he has no chance to win his case
for economy. His colleagues will refuse
to change the order to which they have
become accustomed, as to the Record or
anything else"
THE campaign is a worthy one" says
the Milwaukee Sentinel, but we are
afraid the young Congressman has
embarked on a fruitless effort. The
abuse of the Record has become such
a part Of congressional privilege that it
is going to be very difficult to bring it to
an end. No statesman is likely to OBJ
ject when some other statesman wants
something printed in the Record. be-
cause the first statesman knows in his
heart of hearts that some day he Will
Mr. Cannon well in his effort, but, un-
less by some miracle the Record can
be brought under the jurisdiction Of the
President in his economy plan, 1t Will
continue to contain hundreds of pages
at $50 a page that nobody will read
and that never should be printed. The
boys in Congress won't cut 1t down any
more than they'll give up their mileage
and their family clerkships."
1T is no secret" AYERS the Baltimore
Sun, that speeches neither delivered
nor written by members frequently are
given extensive space in the Record. 1t
costs $1,000,0 900 year to print and cir
culate the publication, an expenditure
which would not, perhaps. be subject to
criticism II 1t were not that presentation
of the details of congressional procedure
could be made more serviceable by SEN
sible editing and by stricter limitation
on leave to print. Not only economy,
but . common-sense desire to give the
public q readable record of the doings
of Congress should prompt action in the
matter" The Charlotte, Observer ap-
provingly quotes the objections Of
Representative Cannon to "the useless,
nonsensical chatter" with which, ac-
cording to the Observer, Its pages are
stuffed" N
Efforts for reform in this direction
are applauded by the Louisville Courier
Journal. while the Lexington Leader
holds that the Record 'is padded with
articles, editorials and speeches not ac-
tually delivered, which are either with
out value or which have little or no
connection with the legislation that Is
pending" The Leader adds, however:
1T Is not too much to say that no one
who fails to read the Congressional