Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-01-30


NOR. blanks than prizes. MIR. Murray, alter
having expended upwards OF 100000 on ms
psnrese ntative, sold il to The proprietors oil
rnr Nrw Times for about 500 pounds, and the
British Press, after having ruined know not
how many CAPT alists, was sold 10 the same con-
Germ for. believe, considerable smaller sum-
The mos, renarkabl the peculiar feature,
the Circumstance which gives its importance
to an English newspaper as The organ oil Phohc
o,iu,on. is TO be found in the copions and faiths
fiI mannei in which the proceedings OF the
House of Commons are reported. without
such means of communicating their acts 10
the people e Engllnd, and TO he world, Inc
Commons House # Parliament YOU'D become
meie instrument of the so ereign nr the ar's-
,ocracy. True and unques'ionablr as THIS ls,l'is
not le IS true lha' he reporting ,hesr proceed.
ines i, breach OF their pIi'i lcses,& IN di
violation Of e pandlnp orners ad AT the
comu,, nee EFT VI eseIys $50 Sncn~A person
as re- po,te, is MT known i,0w the walls oil
St. Stephens hapel. His existence is n,tre-
cnpnized He is at any moment liable to he
committed 10 Newgate on the motion OF any
member of the Fl use; nd it is only necessary
for any number 10 cal! out "S'rangeis III the
gallery" and the speaker must instantly order
thegallery to b. Cleared.
In despite Of all this, year IF er year dors this
folly go on-the house disowning the existing
Of reporters, and We, year after year the speak
er is enlargng their comforts and co"venlen"
ces. In tive time Of w oodiai! and Johnson they
were not distinguish from strangers-had no
| privileges apart from a mere stranSer--had no
accommodation whatever. 1t was the prac-
,ce on all important occasions, 10 open the gal-
lery as early as eight or nine O'Clock IN the
mornine-it was instantly f led-and the help
less reporter, whose turn dill no, begin proha-
| bly, before midnight. was compelled to wait TINS
! long interval, amid pressure and perspira-
| ton which would have suHoca,ed an ordinary
man. No es they could take none-'he very
sigh, Ola goose-quilI would have cleared the ga
| cry Instantly. In this way were collected most
of VIVA, is splendid in he haranguts 81 Chat
nam, Pin, Burke, Fox, Sheridan &c. BY de-
| prees the back row Of the gallery was secured
TO the exclusive use Of the reporters; and on
occasions, when a crowded house was EXPECTED
their admiltance was secured by private en-
! trance This was a great point gained, hut in
| the frequent changes which arose ont OF the
succession of new reporters as their turn came
around. prea, difficulty was experienced IN
e.tting in ard out Of the gallery at the two
doors appointed for Strangers. 10 obvia'e
this difficulty central door was provided tor
| their D, iva,r use, by which their ingress and
rprcs, is effected withou, inconvenience, or al
least, as little inc on, enence a Can b. Expected
| Another accommodation has been recently adj
ded in the shape OF a small room al the end OF
the gallery. appropriated 10 the use Of the re-
G,ss; whs,s they can hang up tntr eloaks
pens, supply their ink bottles, res, themselves,
compare their notes, plan their designs, and
talk over the news Of the day
1his i, believe, p city nearly he present
state Of ;hiugs he only question now is,
-whelher il would not be possible to locate them
more conveniently Cor the purpose Of hearing
The members. TO his on the one hand there
is an obstacle arising out of the privileges of
the house; a?t on the other sort Of apathy
mong the reporters themselves, springing out
Of the con, lotion, that if greater facilities were
fnrnshed, greater responsibility would be- i'm
posed, responsibility which they conceive to
be air, ady grea, enough.
Ii i, III" fashion for some men 10 speak dis
paraginsly ore porters, and desplnr, or aft CT
to drsp S., at once the at ard its professors.
4 mcmbpr,--, fr instance, whose
speeches are rot nI ,nfficien' alue to BE- very
minu,'lv repo ted, looks into the Times and
the Morning Chronicle. AMI he fnds that he had
i cry 'ab1raleIy spokS", very b'ict1y reported,
and with considerable d ffer eHc- in the Two
journals. He al opcs jnmps % the conclusion
that there is no magi, IN the art; ard that be-
ra"se his speeches are not accurately reported.
r. an not very misinfprmcd he worthy mem.
Der is j. he habit Of arguing thus.
Now the fact is this that il cannot happen
once in Thousand times tnar this very worthy
man, hu, moi eloquent speaker, or great states |
MAJ, can have any thing 10 say OF viii h any
reader Of a newspaper. from the Lands End to
JOHN o'Groa,'s, would want 10 know more than
the mere subsistence, compress.d in tn shortest
f,rm possible No class Of men estimate this
fact more Justly han the reportersihemselves; |
and III fore, "a soon this member, or one
Of his ca'ihrc, gets up, down drops every goose.
Quill, a running conversation passes along The
gallery and one notes down word Of what is
saying. just as suits his fancy, merely as catch
words, which are put in shape as soon as they
get to their respective Offices, just as may suit
tarir hnmor; an" without tie smallest Tga'd
20 tn precise "frrm Of words" which had been
delivered 10 the bonch he, Of 81. Stephen's.- |
Tnis is The whole explana ioh of the discrepap-
cies which se occ as onaly, n y say v'rv fire. |
IL, in no rtpH hoe rTl