Year: 1876

Congress publishes, at the public expense,
the Congressional Record, which purports
to present to the country ver6dtim his
tory of the proceedings and debates Of
Congress. To accomplish this end divers
and sundry shorthand reporters are en-
gagged at large expense to fill the columns
of the Record with correct narrative of
what is done in both Houses. The people
pay and are entitled to the truth. But un-
fortunately they do not always get it.
There have been two instances during the
present session where, in the House of
Representatives, the Record has been fal-
sified, and in both instances to save former
traitors from the just consequences of their
disregard for the proprieties alike of
legislation and good citizenship. In the
first instance, Ben Hill, of Georgia,
flaunted his reasonable proclivities in an
offensive manner in the face of loyal men,
TO the disgust of the country, and he was
allowed to falsify the record by striking
out what be did say and iusertiag what he
did not say. The people of all parties
have looked upon him since only to de-
spise his unmanly method of gaining
credit with his constituents and other
Southern politicians for using language
in debate pleasing to their rebellious pro-
clivities, and which being telegraphed
away TO the daily press effected his evil
purpose ofstIrring up strife; but which he
shrunk from assuming and fathering when
they were presented to him in the Record
proofs.


The second instance occurred on Tuesday
last, during the discussion of the question
of public printing. Mr.. Vance had made
tame speech, composed of tumble of
falsehood and inconsistency, when Mr..
Ballou, the Republican on the committee,
made a very fair, candid and just report
in which he defended the Congressional
Printer from the calumnies that the ma
iority of the committee were heaping upon
him. He was followed by Mr.. Singleton,
of Mississippi, an exConfederate colonel,
who went for the Congressional Printers
scalp without mercy. During his bitter
and nonsensical TRADE he opened an assault
upon Senator Anthony, for which he was
called to order by Mr.. Garfield. Mr.. Bal
lou also rebuked him for his assault upon
the Congressional Printer, and an episode
ensued which should have been perpet-
uated in history as an exhibition of planta-
tion manners at the Capitol OF the nation.
Singleton disgraced himself, and should
have passed into history in disgrace. But
all that portion of the debate which was
colloquial and exciting, and which revealed
the true spirit of the occasion, was ex-
plunged from the Congressional Record,
and Singleton was allowed to escape the
just consequences of his unparliamentary
meanness. This, we understand, was en-
gineered by one of the official ste
nographers, who Is paid by the country for
furnishing it with true, and not falsified,
history. He is reported to have negotiated
a suppression of the disgraceful part of
Singleton's performance, so much stronger
are his party ties than his sense of duty to
the fidelity of history.


IfGeneral Garfield and Mr.. Ballou con-
sented to this garbling of the page of his
tory to save the feelings of an offensive ex-
traitor and ex-rebel, we are sorry for it,
for both are true men, and prefer truth to
falsehood in the makeup of Congressional
history. Who will see that the Record is
made truthful, that it may be entitled to
public confidence and respect. Is there no
one in the House who will call for the
proper correction? Let us see