European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Talk is not cheap on Cap Tol h l by Tom Seppy associated press w Hen Mark Lim of Dorien. I. Won Tholand of Freedom essay contest sponsored by the friends of free China rep Harris w Fawell Rill placed Hissin Merj entry in Iho  record Cost to us 1,1 payers &&1 cd rep Matthew j of Talco. R n j. Also offered his congratulations in the record on july 7 to the Osollo Park n High school baseball team which won Iho group 1 new Jersey High school baseball championship Cost $120 6t rep Fortney h. Polo Slark d-calif., used the record to congratulate a team of California state uni Vorsila mechanical engineering  for setting a new record of 1,971.77 Miles per gallon in a gasoline powered vehicle in the 4th annual West coast super mileage Competition Cost $16366. Senate majority Leader Ruberl c syrd  described the congressional record As "0 Symbol of our democracy Chr ourth which the people May fully observe the making of their Laws and May hold their lawmakers accountable for their words and deeds " the Constitution provides thai each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings and from Lime to Lime publish the same excepting such girls As May in their judgment. Require secrecy " the House and Senate journals Are inc official records of congressional proceedings but the record is More widely known referred to and used. The record substantially a verbatim account of the proceedings of Congress is in need by the government printing office Al a Cost of $18 1 million his fiscal year. About 22,000 copies Aro printed with some 6,400 distributed to House and Senate members and 8,600 going to correspondents former members of Congress agencies judges and recipients designated by congressional members Al no Cost to them. The remaining 7.000 ate delivered and charged to government department or sold by the superintended of documents it averages Abou 224 pages and is published daily whenever Piltier House of Congress is in session. Over the years the record has been a Bone of Contention Between congressional members and the press and Public Over the insertion of extraneous material rep Henry Al Gonzalez a Texas. Took the floor on july 7 to criticize the sen Antonio newspapers for writing about his Lillig at least 65 pages or $31.915 world of space in the record this Yea with special order speeches and extensions of remarks Hose parts of the publication nol directly dealing with legislative debate. The newspapers did not include the space used by Conzales in debate on the floor. Gonzalez said he has used the record to bring his message to his constituents because the newspapers won t report his actions in recent months a Brouhaha arose when rep. Bill Alexanderjr 0-Arklook it upon himself at an estimated Cost of j 197.873 to insert Inlo the record 3 years of congressional debate on the Poland amendment barring military Aid to the contras fighting the government of Nicaragua Al was the longest insertion in Ino record in Al least 20 Yeats according to a print tag office spokesman Alexander said of the -s03 Page insert the Cost of u 5 policy in Central America is More than a a upon dollars ii this information to used properly to could save us billions of dollars " House minority loader Roii Erl h Michel r Iii. Took the floor to loll gop , and stalls to object 10 Jii Lulu a insertions i hit \ Ouid Cost More Herd Bounty copies of the congressional record ready Lor shipping Al the government printing office. App cog Page in the stars and stripes 1han $10.00010 print. We have gotten quite excessive Maloly and it s just got la Slop he said. Some other recent entries sen Richard g. Lugar. R ind., included his remarks and newspaper obituaries on to rinse Myers described As the first lady Al Indiana journalism Cost sb18.32 rep. Wary Kaptur Dofoo. Inserted a Toledo Blade Magazine article on Barney guilt or. Who Lor 25 years has been speaker pro tempore of Tho Ohio House of representatives. Cost 11,025.18. The congressional research service of the Library of Congress says the publication can be thought of As the world s largest daily newspaper As it contains an account of everything that 15 said and done on the floors of the House and Senoi prior to 1873, when the congressional record was first published thera was no Complete and systematic method of recording congressional proceedings and debates according to historian Elizabeth Mcpherson this May be explained by the Lack of precedent in England As Well As America the proceedings of parliament had been closed Lor several centuries however. The House of lords began to keep a journal of its proceedings in 1509. The House of commons in 1547 following this precedent the colonial assemblies in America kept Only a journal of their proceedings according to a congressional research service study likewise proceedings of Tho first and second Conlin tonal congresses and the constitutional Conven hons also were closed Wilh Only journals recording their proceedings following those precedents the drillers of Iho Constitution provided Toul each House keep a journal when Iho first Congress assembled in 789 m new York City it did nol occur to the members thai .1 a is sunday. September 27. 1987 of the greatest importance thai i hair constituents should be furnished accurate copies of the debates said Tho cars study Quong Karl Mundl from his reporting the debates of Congress. Furthermore the Senate admitted no outsiders during its first live years although the House opened ils doors immediate to to both Tho Public and journalists reports of Tho Early House proceedings were subsequently published in newspapers such As the new York daily Gazelle and Iho Philadelphia Gazelle when Congress moved 1o Philadelphia in 1790. According to the cars study these accounts were irregular and tailored toward the of Chical views of their editors Penalo accounts which were ultimately per milled to be reported some five years later reflected similar problems " the Senate first opened its doors on feb. 11,1794, during the debates on the seating of Albert Gallatin of Pennsylvania. That Experiment proved so satisfactory that the Senate agreed to admit spectators As soon As galleries could be built the first debates of the Senate were published in the Philadelphia newspapers on dec 11,1795 according to historian Mcpherson. The congressional Globe which existed Between 1834 and 1873. Was the Lisl publication of ils Hind to give detailed coverage of the proceedings in both houses of Congress. In 1bbo, the government Pheling of lice was established Lor printing government documents and Iacre wore proposals Lor this new printing establishment to publish Tho official proceedings of Congress finally Congress decided thai the debates could to published More economically and satisfactorily under its direction at the go and that they should to published officially once the contract for the Globe expired at the end of the42nd Congress on March 3, 1873. Congress Voled to have its debates published by the go what is known Loday As the congressional record was published the Nel Day