Show FOB THE SAKE OF mcw york times the massachusetts legislature passed a law list year creating a board of editors composed of slate officials choso whoso duty it 13 to i educe tho size of stale reports to reasonable limits aliese publications are growing more and more bulky and massachusetts has taken the initiative in correcting an abuse which prevails to a greater or less extent in all tho states the tendency toward prolixity in all government imports is marked A board af experts in condensation who would perform their labors with judicial severity and impartiality would materially reduce the cost of the reports and hasten their publication the messages of the are in many instances open to criticism which applies to state reports they too need merciless revision for alic bake of brevity and foice according to the chicago the annual message of governor white of W vaas the most formidable document of the kind produced in recent years it is claimed by the people of west virginia that governor whites message H the longest on record A few excerpts from this state paper wandered over nineteen columns of an ordinary newspaper the accord estimates that the printed in non carcil type would reach from red bank N J to what cheer iowa in point of mileage governor exhaustive effort is probably unrivaled the accord harald advises advices governor who produced a message of words to begin his next message at once if lie wishes to enter alio lists governor white with any hope of success one of the secrets of the late speaker success as a statesman was his arief and incisive speech iio rarely made long addresses occasionally a governor message is a model of brevity such efforts are likely to be read and command public attention some years ngo the british house of commons adopted a resolution declaring that the duration of parliamentary speeches was increasing and should be abated the resolution passed by a majority of sixty the evil is not modern however glad stone on a certain occasion recalled that palmerston spoke on an important bill from the dusk of one day to the dawn of another gladstone always forceful occupied 5 hours in speeches on budget it is said however that disraeli and gladstone rarely spoke over an hour on the more serious themes the mover of the house of commons resolution referred to declared thai a parliamentarian should be able td present bis arguments on any subject in an hour the american congress lias not been outdone by the british parliament in alie output of lengthy speeches in this lic adlong ago a terse and concise state paper or public address lias a decided advantage over such an amazing effort as eliat of governor white of west virginia the pall mall gazette com borne years ago upon the old time speeches in parliament said that our british forefathers had an institution known as the full dress debate which they wed with unsparing copiousness governor whites formidable out givings belong to that slow era and anre out of place in the electric transit age |