Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-24
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went to'the Capitol a few days ago and dived
deep into the musty old files Of the newspapers
| there.
The newspaper room is a quaint old place.
| 1t is just off the dimly lighted narrow passage
| that leads from the Senate wing to the House
wing of the building. 1t is very near the spot
where It was proposed to lay the remains of
washington In a marble mausoleum, not under
the center dome of the Capitol" as provided
| In the recommendations made by special COM
mittee to the House in 1880, but north of that
| spot. Mrs. Washington gave her consent to the
removal OF the remains shortly after the first
Presidents death. but there was a strong gen.
eral feeling against carrying out the plan, the
| legislature Of Virginia strenuously Directing to
| it, and SO the remains lie at Mount Vernon.
| But the place prepared for them north Of the
great rotunda Of the Capitol is pointed out to
visitors today.
The newspaper collection is one Of the most
valuable adjuncts Of the Congressional Library.
It is stored away in a room by itself where all
day long its special guardian, Mr.. Van Ness.
| sits under the Pickering light of a single gas
| jet and sorts out the additions to it. When
you wish to consult paper. il you are not q
Congressman or some one else in high au-
thority, you must go to, the Office Of the libra
rian on the main floor of the Capitol and sit at
| one of the long public tables under the eye of
the librarians assistants. Mutilation of the
newspaper files of the library would be a serious
matter. The newspaper collection is worth
many thousands of dollars, and some of its
treasures are almost beyond price, for they
| could never be replaced. Only those in high
place can take away the newspaper files for con-
| sultation. They have furnished much good
| material for use in debate. They are a daily
| chronicle of the worlds history and more valu-
able far thar books with gilded binding.
NEWSPAPERS A CENTURY AGO.
There a daily newspaper published in
/ r. ol,aJ
the first daily newspaper appeared 1t was
| originally the Philadelphia Packet and General
Advertiser, issued as a weekly; and complete
| file OF it is stored away on the shelves of Mr.
Van Ness room. The Packet exists today as
the Philadelphia North American. one of the
great dailies Of the great city Of Pennsylvania
| The first issue of the Packet as a weekly APP
peared October %, 177l. Afterward 1t became
tri-weekly and on September q. lisa. a daily.
| Associated with John Dunlap in its publication
was David c. Claypoole. Dunlap and Clay
poole were among the first public
printers-though they did not hold that
title. They published the journals OF the Con-
tinental Congress and Dunlap is said to have
| been the first man to have printed the Declara-
| ton of Independence. So il is appropriate that
we should take our own account of the celebra-
ton Of Independence Day hundred years ago
| from the files of his paper. then known as Dam
laps american Daily Advertiser. Dunlap did
not respect the 4th Of July as some of the
newspaper proprietors Of TODAY do, by dcclar-
| ing holiday for his employees and getting out
| no paper. On the contrary, he improved the
| day by publishing in patriotic spirit the text
Of the Declaration of Independence. with an
editorial introduction which indicates that lib
erty was not SO fully established on her pedes-
tai as she might have been. He says:
AT a time when some of our citizens are
disposed to view monarchicd power with diff
| ferent eyes from those with which they viewed
| it in l776, We hope ii will not be amiss TO re-
| mind them of the principles and feelings Of the
| citizens Of the United States in that memorable
year by republishing the Declaration of indie
pendence on the anniversary Of the day which
| gave birth to the freedom OF our country. and
| which. we hope, will continue to furnish a pre-
cedent for deposing tyrants in every part Of
| the world"
Then follows the declaration in full. with
some little variations in punctuation, spelling
! and general style, which would appear inele-
CANT today. But we have reformed our Lam
guage good deal in a century.
THE FIRING OF CANNON
There is one little news paragraph about the
observance of the day in the issue Of the 4th.
There was no telegraph in those days and no
| steam railroad. and news came in by carrier
slowly. So there is no reference to the plans
| for celebration in other cities, and under the
head of philadelphia. July T." there is only
a short paragraph telling that the firing OF the
birthday Of American independence and that
| fifteen guns would be fired at noon and fifteen
| at two different periods afterward. Most of
| the public places of entertainment, it was
| stated, would DE ''open for the reception of
company and the evening would be closed with
a grand display of Fireworks Thus" saws
| Mr.. Dunlap. philadelphia will exhibit perhaps
the most splendid scene of any part of the con-
| tinent on this joyful introduction of the eigh-
| teenth year of glorious liberty"
H. g g..
was that In 1892 Vermont and Kentucky had
been admitted to the Union. increasing the
number Of states from the original thirteen to
| fifteen.
In the issue Of the paper for the 5th Of July
| is an account Of the local celebration. II was
not complete. Little scraps of this story were
| published from day to day for nearly q week
| and the arrival of letters from New York fur
| nished additional news. so that the story of the
, celebration was not cleaned up in few hours.
as it would be today, but was scattered over two
| good weeks.
THE ToAsrs.
The account Of the Philadelphia celebration
shows that the morning hours were spent in
making arrangements for the different exer-
cises of the afternoon. Some, says the chron-
| lcler, dined in the country and some in town
The members Of the Society Of the Cincinnati
met at dinner at Oilers Hotel and drank fifteen
| patriotic toasts. They were:
| The day.
| 2-The United States
| 3-The commonwealth Of Penusylyania
| 4-Ihe republic of France.
5-The human race.
| 6-Peace to the world.
The fair daughters OF Columbia
| S-The President of the United States
| 9-The Society of the Cincinnati
lO-Pubic spirit aud social virtue
| ll-Agriculture, commerce and manufac-
lures.