The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-04-16
Old Newspaper Habits.

When the British burned the Capitol
and public buildings in Washington in
1914, they destroyed the public records.
Among. the debris q few papers were
found and preserved, but in the Senate
and House libraries the official record OF
Congress only goes back to 1916. The
Senate library, however, contains files of
newspapers running back to 1900, and in
the absence of the official records, they
become very valuable. These files are
an interesting study, especially to cit
| izen of Washington. The oldest paper
on file is the sc National bateltigencer and
Washingoas Adoe,7iser, printed by Samuel
Harrison Smith, New Jersey avenue, near
| the Capitol" The first issue was on
Friday, October 81, 1900, and it contains
the paper out. The mission of the paper,
SO the editor states in a double-leaded
salutatory, ''is to diffuse correct informa-
| tion through the whole extent of the
Union"
An examination of the files shows that
the stirring events of the great civil war
worked quite revolution in the methods
of journalism. It then became necessary
to utilize every avenue for the collection
of news, and naturally the telegraph took
the lead of everything else. The rivalry
between leading New York journals, pri-
or to the civil war, led to wonderful
display of enterprise and an enormous
expenditure of money in gathering the
news. In those days the whole country
looked to the New York papers for the
news, and any means by which informa
tion could be obtained, even a few hours
earlier than through the regular chan
nels, were adopted, without regard to
cost. In the early days of journalism,
however, and before such men as Bennett
entered the field, it was quiet, easy
going sort of business. Taking the files
in the Senate library from 1900 down for
more than quarter of century, it ap-
pears that the chief duty of journalism
was to write long editorials.
Great Importance was attached then to
editorial utterances, as the theory pre-
ed public opinion. A leading feature of
long essays on various topics from
prominent" or ''leading" citizens. For
instance, ssletter from prominent cit
izen of Virginia to friend in Congress"
would be given two or three columns of
space, though nowhere did it touch upon
the events of the day. At one time
discussion upon the virtues of vaccina-
tion ran through the columns of the In
teLtige,aier and drew very long letters
from different parts of the Union.
In those days, instead of the system of
interviewing now in vogue, the editor
would write to public man asking his
views upon certain subject, and then
the correspondence would be published
In this way letters from Madison, Henry
Clay and many other leading men in the
early days of our country appeared in
the newspapers. Very little space was
devoted to current events and reports of
Congressional proceedings, even down to
1925, for two or three days were fire.
quently published on the same day. For
the Congressional report for Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday, each day under
its proper date. Occasionally, as much
as half q column would be given to local
news, but as a general thing the space
was consumed consumed in long edito-
rails and letters from &C noted cisizens.
In one of the oldest papers is published
a proclamation from George Washington,
President of the United States, suspend
ing the first and third articles of the
terms and conditions declared by the
President of the United States on the
18th of October, 1871, for regulating the
materials and manner of building inn
provements in the city of Washington"
These terms prescribed that buildings
should be constructed only of brick or
stone, and that no house should be high
er than forty feet to the roof, nor any
lower than thirty-fve feet. Washington
in his proclamation says that it had been
" found by experience that these terms
impeded the settlement of the city by
mechanics and others whose circumstan-
ces do not admit of erecting houses of the
description authorized" Therefore, he
suspended the Act and permitted the
erection of frame houses. In 1906 a par
agraph says that the House had been in
s secret sitting" and consequently no
report was made of its proceedings. As
far back as 1872, it appears that Congress
was criticised much the same as now. A
leading editorial of that year speaks of
the frequency sin public prints of accu-
sations against Congress of tardiness in
their motions" and then proceeds to de-
fend the lawmakers against the accusa-
tions
In the year 1872, too, correspondent
of the Boston Sentinel, who must have
been of some note from the prominence
given his letter, boldly advocates seces-
sion, saying: 81 have for many years
considered the union of the Southern
and Northern States as not essential to
the safety, and very much opposed to the
interest of both sections" It was a citi-
zen of Massachusetts, who was SO early in
the field as an advocate of secession.
When the war broke out, and the fight
ing began, the demand for the very latest
intelligence put all the newspapers upon
their mettle, and the telegraph supersed
ed everything else as a channel for gath
ering news Washington Star.
takes butcher only thirty days to
how to sell bones with the meat,
II takes 0 husband a lifetime to
to buy 'em separately.
marry lady whom it
M to support, don't
>ss under the i'm
tume pduch.