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

Ds 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 $50,
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 Denfey. 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
was the episode involving the Speaker of
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 a
tri-weekly paper. The first issue appeared
October 81, 1900, under the title of THE
National Inteliigencer and Washington Ad-
vertiser." Papers were not conducted in
k.aon dax ell Ia
as now, and Mr.. Smith, being a stenogra-
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
fret 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 II.
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 serseant-at-
arms Smith then asked II 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-
yeloped 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.
Thereupon the reporter resolved to appeal
to the House. and he presented a memorial
signed by himself and Thomas Carpenter,
also a 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 it was mot ex-
peiient' to- take. action on it.
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 1t.
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
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
votes of each member of the House. He
was the first to establish q successful news
paper in Washington.
The first paper published i'm the city was
semi-weekly, issued by Mr.. Beniamin
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,
brief and precarious existence.
Gales md SeatOn.
In 1907 Joseph Gales came to Washington
to take the position Of reporter on the In
telhgencer. Two years after he was taken
ii to partnership by Mr.. Smith, the latter
shortly after withdrawing from the paper,
leaving Gales its sole proprietor. He drop
ped the latter half of the papers title, and
it appeared after that time as 1.-The Ma.
tiCnal lntellSencer, un0er which name IL
was for more than fifty years one of the
most influential journals of the country.
On January 1. 1913. Mr.. Gales associated
with himself In the ownership of the In
telligencer, William Saaton, and the paper
fiourished under their joint management
Until the death of Mr.. Gales In 1860. Mr..
Seaton continued to publish it until the
end of 1SG4, 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 were assigned seats by the side
of the presiding officer in each house.
Up to 1901 the federal party had held I'M
II terrupted possession of the government,
sir ce it's establishment under the Constitu-
ton in 1859; Washington having held Office
eight years, and John Adams four. But
when MIR. Adams took possession of the
Presidents house in November, $780, it Was
In 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.
JeRersOn-Burr Contest.
The republicans were, of course, delighted
with their triumph, and jefferson. who was
the universal choice Of his party for PresI-
dent, was overwhelmed with congratula-
tons. In short time. however. Ii began