On Feb. 29 and March 1, the Congressional Research Service of the Library sponsored a conference on "Informing the Congress and the Nation" as part of the yearlong commemoration of the Library's Bicentennial.
Among the panelists at the recent Congressional Research Service conference on "Informing the Congress and the Nation" were (from left): former Rep. David Skaggs (D-Colo.), former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-Kan.), Dr. Billington, former Sen. Dale Bumpers (D-Ark.) and former Sen. Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.). - Yusef El-Amin
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), an administrative unit within the Library, works exclusively and directly for all members and committees of Congress in support of their legislative, oversight and representative functions. CRS provides research, policy analysis and information services that are timely, objective, nonpartisan and confidential on a wide range of domestic and international legislative issues.
The conference explored various aspects of the "informing function," the means by which Congress has collected, processed and acted on information vital to its role as national legislature over the past two centuries. The conference was supported in part by a generous grant from the Teresa and H. John Heinz Foundation.
The conference opened on the evening of Feb. 29 with a reception hosted by Dr. Billington and CRS Director Daniel P. Mulhollan in the Great Hall of the Jefferson Building. Dr. Billington welcomed an audience of members of Congress, scholars and invited guests by noting that the Library's Bicentennial year also marks the 200th anniversary of the relocation of Congress to the new city of Washington. He emphasized the importance of public information and knowledge in a representative democracy, quoting James Madison in his assertion that, "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."
Participants also included congressional and Library of Congress staff, representatives from the National Archives, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the First Federal Congress Project, the Office of the Senate Historian and other invited guests.
The guest of honor and distinguished scholar at the conference was Merrill Peterson, Jefferson Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Virginia, who delivered an original paper, "The Golden Age of the Senate: Webster, Clay and Calhoun." Mr. Peterson examined the extraordinary careers of these members of the "Great Triumvirate," who dominated the Senate from the 1830s to the early 1850s. In addition to the abilities of these giants, he also cited the Senate's small size, its reputation for comity and even the role of the superb acoustical characteristics of the Old Senate Chamber in the Capitol as contributing to the eloquence of debate that cemented the upper body's legislative preeminence during this period.
Proceedings continued the following day in the Jefferson Building with panels of historians, former members of Congress and members of the press, who explored various aspects of the informing function.
The morning panel of historians, held in the Members' Room in the Jefferson Building, discussed the informing function in the early 19th century. It was moderated by Noble Cunningham of the University of Missouri at Columbia. Mr. Cunningham drew on his pioneering scholarship as he discussed the use of "circular letters," widely circulated personal reports from members to their constituents, which were an important source of congressional news during this period.
Thomas Leonard of the University of California at Berkeley noted that Congress only gradually, and sometimes reluctantly, began to report its debates and proceedings on an institutional basis in the 19th century.
Richard John of the University of Illinois at Chicago emphasized the revolutionary effect of the spread of a nationwide postal service during this pre-telegraphic era. He also noted that, from the beginning, the U.S. Postal Service preserved correspondents' privacy and resisted proposals to censor the mails for political content.
Donald Ritchie, associate historian of the U.S. Senate, reviewed the origins of congressional reporting, establishment of press galleries in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the multiple roles often played by Capitol Hill reporters during this period.
Dr. Billington moderated a panel held in the Northwest Pavilion of the Thomas Jefferson Building that was composed of former members of Congress. Former Sens. Dale Bumpers and Nancy Kassebaum Baker and former Reps. Mickey Edwards and David Skaggs evaluated the role of information and analysis as they discussed public policy issues from the perspective of their combined total of 70 years of service in the houses of Congress.
Shared perceptions emerged as participants discussed the challenges facing legislators in an era when communications media are evolving rapidly and the volume of information available to members is growing at exponential rates. These included the increasing complexity of legislative issues members must address, a development further complicated by the proliferation of information.
The former members expressed their appreciation of the Library and the Congressional Research Service for the quality of their service to Congress and for being able to distill information from so many sources. The panelists also discussed how mass e-mail, the growth of single-interest groups and the proliferation of news sources on cable television and the Internet have increased demands on members' time and affected legislative deliberation.
The conference closed with a journalists' panel moderated by Paul Duke, veteran newsman and retired moderator of the Public Broadcasting Service program "Washington Week in Review." He was joined by Catalina Camia, Capitol Hill reporter for the Dallas Morning News, Pat Towell, longtime defense correspondent for Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, and Congressional Research Service Director Mulhollan.
Panelists discussed some of the working relationships within news organizations, among reporters covering the same beat, and with members of Congress. They recognized the importance of the "informing" function of news organizations, and the reporters expressed their satisfaction in fulfilling this role.
CRS Director Mulhollan characterized the conference as "substantive, eloquent and informative for participants and audience alike. We hope this program will stimulate new interest and further studies in the field of congressional history."
