Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1853-11-05


Then all this earthly grossness quit, &
Attired with stars shall forever sit,
Triumphing death and chance and thee,
Oh Time.
From the New York Weekly Budget.
JOSEPH GALES.
Forty years ago, the 18th day of January, John
Randolph, of Roanoke made speech in Congress.
twas of those long, powerful sarcastic speech
es for which he was so distinguished. It was on the
war question. On the 18th day of the preceding
June, QS12,) war had been declared against Great
Britain. Congress adjourned the 9th of July,
and was called together again the I'd of Novem-
ber to adopt such measures the first brief cam
paign rendered necessary Among other measures
the military committee reported bill for raising
additional army of twenty thousand men, debate
followed on the bill in the House. extending through
twenty days, in which many distinguished men took
part, including Calhoun, and Clay, and Kent, and
Lowndes, and Macon. On the 18th of January
John Randolph rose and blowed his buge blast
through the day, reviewing the whole war subject
and the relations betM this country and the pow
ers of Europe. Like all of his speeches this was
extempore. 1t fell upon the of his hearers and
then was waited away and lost in thin air. Beyond
the mere announcement that Mr.. Randolph spoke
upon the BILL the press of the country gave the pub
lie information, and one, save those who heard
the speech, knew what he had said, ever expected
to know.
And now, 10 and behold on the Sd day of this
present month of September, 1853, that unwritten
speech, uttered forty years ago, appeared at full
length verbatim, as it was spoken, in the National
umns, in small type. Who, at this day, when the
actors in those sleeping with their faith
ers--when Calhoun, and Clay, and Kent and Lowndes,
and Macon, and Randolph, are all in their graves,
who has wrought this literary miracle?
There was living in Washington in those days
young man by the name of Joseph Gales. He was
the young, talented energetic editor of the National
Intellgencer paper which Mr.. Randolph alluded
to in the very speech which has to life as
the "court paper" by which it would that
organs" were in fashion in Mr.. Madison's day.
Well, young Gales edited the Daily Intellgenccr and
we not but he spent half the nghtin setting
types for, if we mistake not, he practical
printer. In addition to those light abors he const
tuted in his own person the whole reporting force of
both Houses of Congress. Reporters were scarce in
those days. and very few understood the mysteries of
stenography. But young Gales himself host
in energy mental capacity, and stenographical skill.
In fact he of the lest reporters the country
has produced; and he managed by untiring industry,
to report large portion of the most important de-
bates in the two Houses of Congress for many years
thus adding large stock of the valuable elements of
history which, but for him, would have been lost to
the world. But he could not do everything, nor be
in the Senate and the House, and the printing Office
all at the same time.
1t often happened in the course of his Iabors that
he took stenographc notes of speeches and debates
which he had neither time nor the physical power
to write out in English, and there else at
hand who understood the mysterious art well enough !
to do it for him. Many of these unpublished sketch
have been preserved to this day in the Intelligent
Ger Office.
Now the venerable Mr.. Gales is still the senior !
editor of the Intelgencer, which, Al connexion with
his honored partner, W. w. Scaton, he has conduct
ed for nearly half century. The ability, courtesy,
dignity, and honorable bearing, which have distin-
guished the Inteligencer have long since given it
reputation worldwide and earned for it the title of
the model paper of the country All parties respect
the Intelligencer and all speak well of it. with per-
maps occasional exception, arising from cool judg
nent. We were gratifed, therefore, and not
Drised to find statement in the Inteligencer of the
Sd inst, from which we take the following paragraph
e 1t may be very generally known that the pro-
oretors of the National Intelligencer engaged in
work, under the sanction of the Government, which
to embody and preserve the already perishng his
DRY of the earlier Congresses In this undertaking
hey have thus far succeeded, even beyond their
hopes In the prosecution of this work it has been
brought down to the twelfth Congress-"
This important work could not possibly have been
committed to better hands. 1t will undoubtedly
esult in very valuable addition to the historical
ecords of the country. 1t in the prosecution of
hese abors that Mr.. Gales dug up the stenographic
notes of Mr.. Randolph's speech and wrote them out
or the ANNALS of Congress" and to give the public
foretaste of the work in preparation published the
peech at length in the Intelligencer