Thursday, January 7.
Stenographers.
The House went into Committee of the Whole on the standing rules of the House.
Mr. Leib moved the addition of the following rule:
"The Speaker shall assign such places to the stenographers on the floor, as shall not interfere with the convenience of the House."
Mr. Leib prefaced his motion, by observing that, in the standing rules proposed, no provision appeared to be made for the admission of stenographers. They had heretofore been subject to the will of the Speaker. However great his respect for the present Speaker, he was of opinion, that they should not depend for their accommodation upon the will of any man; and he thought it became the House, on this occasion, to establish a precedent which would place those who took the debates above the caprice of any individual.
Mr. Huger moved to amend the motion so as to read as follows;
"Stenographers shall be admitted, and the Speaker shall assign to them such places on the floor as shall not interfere with the convenience of the House."
Mr. Leib agreed to this modification.
The motion was opposed by Mr. Griswold, Mr. Rutledge, Mr. Varnum, Mr. Hemphill, Mr. T. Morris, Mr. Eustis, Mr. Dana, Mr. Elmer, and Mr. Goddard; and supported by Mr. Leib, Mr. S. Smith, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Claiborne, Mr. Smilie, Mr. Holland, and Mr. Sprigg.
Mr. Huger opposed the original motion of Mr. Leib, but supported the motion, as amended by himself.
The opponents of the motion declared, that it did not relate to substance, but merely to form; that it was allowed on all hands, that the debates should be taken, and that stenographers should, consequently, be admitted. But the single question was, how, and under what authority, they should be admitted. They remarked, that they had heretofore been admitted by the Speaker, under whose direction they had remained; that the Speaker was the only proper authority under whose direction they ought still to remain; that, as the preservation of order and decorum rested with him, the stenographers, as well as other persons, should be permitted by him to enter the House, and be by him excluded, whenever, in his opinion, the order and a respect for the House required it. That, in case stenographers deported themselves in a disrespectful manner, or grossly misrepresented the ideas of members, the Speaker was the only person who could effectually cure the evil; that there had been, and might again be, instances of such misconduct; that, in one case, a stenographer had entered the House in a state of intoxication; another case, a speech of a gentleman from South Carolina, had been perversely misrepresented, and the stenographer had refused to correct his errors, for which he had been expelled the House; and that, in another case, the Speaker, considering himself as misrepresented, had expelled the stenographer.
Among the opponents of the motion, a great diversity of opinion prevailed. Mr. Eustis, Mr. Varnum, and Mr. Elmer, objected to it, merely on the ground that it was improper to come to any solemn decision, which was the less necessary, as the stenographers already occupied convenient seats, from which there was no probability of their being extruded by the Speaker.
Those who supported the motion, considered its decision as involving an important point; a point no less important, than, whether the debates of that House should be taken with accuracy, and published without fear or partiality. They averred it as a fact, that, owing to the unwarrantable conduct of the Speaker, this had heretofore, at many periods, not been the case. The public had sought information without being able to get it. It was true, that a stenographer had been expelled for publishing a speech of a gentleman from South Carolina; but it was not for misrepresenting that speech, but for faithfully publishing it; and in the other case alluded to, a stenographer had been expelled by the Speaker, for stating, with correctness, what the Speaker had himself said. These were alarming facts, not to be forgotten, and which claimed the interposition of the House. If stenographers should be guilty of indecorum, they could still (this rule notwithstanding) be expelled the House. It was acknowledged that the gentleman who at present filled the chair, was entitled to the full confidence of the House, but it was dangerous to vest arbitrary power in the hands of any man, and it was peculiarly proper to provide in fair, for foul weather; and it was added, that though the proposed rule would not be obligatory upon a future House, yet it would form a precedent, which they might see fit to respect.
The motion, as modified by Mr. Huger, was then agreed to—yeas 47, nays 32.
The committee then rose, and reported the rules with the above amendment.
The amendment was immediately taken up; when
Mr. Rutledge moved to amend the report of the committee, by making it read as follows:
"Stenographers may be admitted under the direction of the Speaker, who shall assign to them such places on the floor, as shall not interfere with the convenience of the House."
On this amendment a further debate ensued; after which, the yeas and nays were called, and were—yeas 27, nays 51.
Another motion was then made and seconded to amend the said amendment, by inserting after the words, "stenographers shall," the following words, "until otherwise ordered by the House;"
And, the question being thereupon taken, it passed in the negative.
And the main question being put, that the House do agree to the amendment for an additional rule, as reported from the Committee of the whole House, it was resolved in the affirmative—yeas, 47, nays 28.
Resolved, That this House doth agree to the said standing rules and orders, as amended.