Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-08

rine barracks; and
private enterprise be-
gan the erection of a
| large number of buildings Tor stores and
residences. The National Intelligencer in
| the latter part of 1901, estimated that more
than 30 houses had been built since the
advent of the government, and that the
population had been doubled. An associa-
ton of citizens also began the erection of
a city market house on the spot where now
stands the commodious structure of the
Center market In September. 1901. the
Washington Building Company was or
ganized on the cooperative plan. having for
its object the building and sale of houses
and the loaning Of money to its members.
The number Of shares was limited to $40,
and no member was allowed to hold more
than ten shares. The first officers of the
company were George Blagden, treasurer
Thomas Herty, secretary; Thomas H. Gill
lis. John Kearney and Andrew Way. jr.,
trustees; lanes Thompson, Henry Bin
ford, Thomas X. Beale. Thomas Carpenter,
Joseph Huddleston, Hugh Denfiey. John
Gardner. Leonard Frailey and Joseph Bur-
rows, building committee. and Clotworthy
Stevenson, chairman of the committee.
One of the most interesting incidents Of
Mr.. Adams administration in Washington
the House. Mr.. Sedgewick, and the editor
of the National Intelligencer. Mr.. Samuel
H. Smith. The latter had been the editor
of the Gazetteer in Philadelphia, and when
the seat of government was removed to
Washington he came here and started
tri-weekly paper. The first issue appeared
October 81, 1900. under the title of THE
National lnteiiigencer and Washington Ad-
vertiser." Papers were not conducted in
those days upon the same extensive scale
a AVID n Srr1ff hnin OF
pher, undertook himself to report the de-
bates in the House for his paper. In def
erence to the Speaker, he waited on him the
! frat day of the session and asked his per-
mission to occupy a place within the bar
Of the House. where he would have proper
facilities for hearing and noting the de-
bates. He understood the Speaker to grant
his request and with professional prompti-
tude. had a desk made that day for the
purpose When. however, he appeared the
next morning at the bar with his desk he
was informed by the Speaker that there
was no room within the bar for him or his
desk, and he must take his notes as best
he could outside of IL.
Excluding the Press.
This he did for some time. until on a GER
tain occasion the Speaker having ordered
the arrest of a man in the gallery for dis
orderly conduct, Mr.. Smith made a report
of the case, ct which the Speaker took Of
Tense. and gave orders that Smith should
be excluded from the House. The order was
communicated to him by the sergeant-at-
arms Smith then asked IL the Speakers
order was intended to exclude him from the
gallery also, to which the sergeant replied
he thought not. Thereupon the reporter re-
moved to the gallery, where he proceeded to
take his notes. The Speaker pursued him
even there however, and gave orders that
he should not be allowed to take his notes
there. An interview with the Speaker de-
veloped the fact that he had determined not
to allow the reporter to take notes at all.
as in his opinion, the reports Of the debates
did the Speaker and his party injustice.
Thereuron the reporter resolved to appeal
to the House. and he presented a memorial
signed by himself and Thomas Carpenter.
also newspaper man. asking to be allowed
seats within the bar of the House for the
purpose of reporting its proceedings. The
memorial was referred to a committee. con-
sisting principally of the Speakers political
friends, who reported that 1T was mot ex-
pejient' to take action on 1t.
A debate ensued in which the whole mat
ter was ventilated, Mr.. Nicholas of Vir-
ginia leading the forces in behalf of the
rights of the press. ard the Speaker de-
Tending his own action. When the vote
was taken there were 45 in favor of sus-
tanning the committee and 40 against it.
The Speaker gave the casting vote in favor
Of the committee and himself The progress
of ideas has worked a revolution since that
time, and now 100 or 300 representatives of
the press are furnished with the best ac-
commodations for hearing and reporting the
proceedings of the House. The attempt of
Speaker few years ago to exclude a
distinguished correspondent from the re-
porters' gallery resulted in the political de-
struction of that Speaker. Mr.. Smith, I'm
spite of the obstacles placed in his way by
the Speaker, continued to report the de-
bates and proceedings of the House. and
when, in February, 1901, the House sat
with closed doors during the eventful con-
test for the presidency between jefferson
and Burr his paper contained not only the
results of the ballots, but the individual
ynt of ahnr of f1a
was the first to establish a successful news
paper in Washington.
The first paper published i'm the city was
a semi-weekly, issued by Mr. Benjamin
Moore in 1872. The editor, in his salutatory,
announced the object of his journal to be
Ito obtain living for himself" and Ito
amuse and inform his fellow mortals." He
does not seem to have succeeded in either,
for his journal disappeared after a very
brief and precarious existence
Gales and SeatOn.
In 1907 Joseph Gales came to Washington
to take the position Of reporter on the In
tellIgencer. Two years after he was taken
il to partnership by Mr. Smith, the latter
shortly after withdrawing from the paper
leaving Gales it's sole proprietor. He drop
ped the latter half of the papers title, and
it appeared after that time as 1.-The Ma
ticnal Intelligencer,' under which name Il
was for more than fifty years one OF the
most influential journals of the country.
On january 1910, 1dleS associated
with himself in the ownership of the In
telligencer. William Seaton, and the paper
flourished under their joint management
Until the death of Mr.. Gales in 1860. Mr.
Seaton continued to publish it until the
end of 1854, when he retired at the age OF
eighty. Up TO 1920 Gales and Seaton did
their own reporting. Mr.. Gales attending in
the Senate and Mr.. Seaton In the House
They received more consideration than Mr.
Smith, and We're assigned seats by the side
of the presiding officer in each house.
Up to 1901 the federal party had held I'M
il terrupted possession of the government,
sir ce its establishment under the Constitu-
ton in 1883; Washington having held office
eight years, and John Adams four. But
when Mr.. Adams took possession of the
Presidents house in November, 1890, ii MAS
IL the shadow of defeat, and with the
knowledge that his occupancy would only
be for a few months. The elections held
throughout the country had already fore
told the triumph of the republican party
under the leadership of Thomas jefferson.
JeffcrsOn-Burr Contest.
The republicans were, of course delighted
with their triumph, and jefferson, who was
the universal choice Of his party for Prcsl-
dent, was overwhelmed with congratula-