The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-12
A PIONEER NEWSPAPER
Tie Washington Gazette Auteda'es
the Gid Intelligencer.
Pnbiished ON Wednesdays and SAT-
urdays for a Member of weeks.
FORCED Out of Existence for
Lack of Funds-Enigm NAUTICAL state
ments of the Editor and Proprietor

IL appears 10 De the prevailing opfn-
ion.'' said an old journalist to a Times re
porter recently. "that the National In
telligencer' was the first newspaper prir.-
ed In this ely This. however" he con-
tinued. 'is an erroneous notion Tbs
Washington Gazette was first published
here in June 10. 1896. by bookseller
named Benjamin More. 1t was a semi
weekly sheet, issued on Wednesdays and
Saturdays, at a subscription cost OF 81 per
annum. The Gazette was a remarkable
specimen OF neat typography for those
days, with an engraving Of shield. CEN
tired with an eye dartlng rays, and the
motto 'Nunquam Dormio.'
This paper continued to be published
by Mr.. More for over year, at the end
Of which period the following notice ap-
peared in It's columns: The Washington
Gazette" wifi not be published again un,n
the publication is attended by some profit
TO the publisher and it was further stat
ed that nothing but want of money stops
the paper It Is said to have been mat
ter of public wonder at the time, now the
publication was ever to be attended by
some profit unless 1t were published. but
Mr.. More appears to have been in the
habit OF puzzIIng his readers by some very
odd announcements in his generally clev-
er sheet. On September 16, 1897, the Ca
zette' again bodied up serenely' with the
following notice: The washington Ca
zette' again makes Its appearance and It's
editor hopes to receive that encourage
ment from the public which will enable
him to continue the publication uninter-
rupted, until he shall be able. from expo
rience. to sing of mercy as we'll OF judg-
ment'
Here was another enigmaticaI state
ment for the public to bother their minds
over. although what Mr.. More exactly
meant was probably never determined.
Such announcements partook largely Of
the nature Of the celebrated toast: May
the contentious 81 our minds always con-
tain the ideas to be brought forward here
after, behaving 10 ourselves in consequence
thereof-there is possibly a very deep
and subtle meaning hidden in SUCH inYolv-
ed phraseology, but the troubla is to- make
1t out However. 10 return to Mr.. Moro
and the 'Gazette.'
After continued struggle of about
thtrty-tive weeks. evidently against ad-
verse conditions. he eccentric editor an
nounced, in his issue Of March "a. 1898, the
following: I shall not be able 10 continue
the publication OF the Washington Ga
zeste'' unless some friend should lend
helping hand Hope has led me into a
thieket of difficulties. and appears to be
departing from me- The fact was that
Washington then, what there was Of it,
did not offer very promising field for any
newspaper. and there can be little doubt
~
extremely sanguine temperament ever TO
have attempted the venture, and in that
light this last announcement of the luck
less editor has certain pathetic meaning.
THE National Inteliigeneer' was estab-
lished in Washington in October, 1900. at
about which time the removal of the Ed
eral Government from Philadelphia to this
city took place. The first number OF this
paper appeared October 81, the editor and
proprietor being Samuel Harrison Smith.
The office Of the publication was in row
of brick buildings on New Jersey Avenue.
erected by Thomas Law. The private resi-
dence OF Mr.. Smith. the editor. was long
one OF the most conspicuous objects in the
vicinity. being situated on a command ng
site about 800 feet above the waters o. The
Potomac.
THE .InteRigencer' was what is termed
a tri-weekly. that is, published three times
scope of he paper in his prospectus said:
The appearance OF the National IL
telligencer' has been protraeted TO this
day October 81, 1900 by the inevitable
though unanticipated, embarrassments at
tending the removal Of the printing Office
The vessels which contained the greater
part of the material sailed from Philadel-
phia on September 20. but did not ar
rive in this city until the 25th instant,
49, haa ff-f-r SIN
by the violence of the late storm
The editor, at the commencement Of his
duties considers it not improper to state
the nature Of the plan which he irtea
TO pursue. and eoneisely TO notice the pm
ciples by which ne proposes TO regulate Is
OWN conduct as veil as those by which 1t
is expected that correspondents will regu-
late theirs. etc.
-'hfter considerable amount Of rhetoric
devoted 10 the question of the freedom of
the press, he continues:
But while the editor classes with our
dearest rights the liberty OF the press, he
is decidedly inimieal to its RIGHTEOUSNESS
As. on the one hand, the conduct of the
public men and the tendency Of public
m aslres will be Fl esly exaUinsd, so, on the
other hand. private character viii remain
inviolable. nor shall indicate expressions
be admitted. however disguised by satire
or enliTened BY VII
1.-The worthy editor became afterwards
known as Silky Milky Smith,. and his pa
per was popularity dubbed the National
Smoothing Plane but it continued never
theless a prosperous career for three
score and ten years or from 1880 to 1870
when it ceased to exist.
Politically the Intelligeneer' supported
Thomas Jefferson for the Presidency to
succeed John Adams. The reports of the
debates of Congress became one Of the
leading fea ures Of the paper. Mr.. Smith.
after victorious struggle with Congress
for that privilege in 1901 managed TO Sc
cure the services of an able stenographer
by name Joseph Gales, jr.
Mr.. Gales. ST.. himself an editor in
Sheffield. England. had been driven from
his native country on account OF the free
dom which he exercised in the publica-
tion Of his paper. During his ocean voy-
age he acquired the art of shorthand. IN
which both he and his son won such dis
tinction in this country. The latter sue
ceeded Mr.. Smith as proprietor and editor
of the Intelligencer. While head OF the
paper Mr.. Gales reported the debates in
the Senate. and his partner, W. W. Seaton
those in the House. Had II not been for
the presence of the former in the Senate
the great speeches of Hayne and Webster
would have been entirely lost to the world.
In fact it is to the editors OF the Ma
tional Intelligencer' that we owe the pres
ervation of the earlier debates Of Congress.
The politics OF the National Intelli-
gencer during its entire term of exist
ense would form somewhat complex mat
ter for investigation The sutj CT is lump
ed by the old journalists in the statement
that it was Jeffersonian till J2ckson's time.
an I ipa In ION =