The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-27

ing.
EARLY CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS.
How the Speaker Tried to Prevent Re-
ports Being Secured 100 Years Ago.
There was a time when the House Of
Representatives tried to exclude report
ers, on the ground that to report the
daily proceedings was not good public
policy. In this it was following the
policy of the British Parliament, then
in vogue. When the offices Of the gov
eminent We're removed from Philadel-
phia to Washington, Samuel Smith
came, bringing with him the outfit for
newspaper establishment. He had
for several years been engaged in
printing a paper in Philadelphia, but
concluded to follow the fortunes of the
government, so he removed to the new
city in the wilderness on the banks of
the Potomac. He gave TO his new pa
per a high-sounding name, THE Ma
ttonal Intelligencer and Washington
Advertiser Mr. Smith was the fore
runner Of the modern daily papers and
being a stenographer% demanded to
give his readers a daily report of the
dcines Of Congress.
When the session was about to open
Mr.. Smith waited on the speaker, told
him what he had in mind and asked
the privilege of placing a desk on the
floor Of the House, Where he could see
and hear to good advantage. The
speaker gave his consent and the
next morning Mr.. Smith made his APP
pearance, followed ~ a colored man
carrying small writing table. He
was stopped at the door by the SER
geant-at-arms, and after much wrang-
ling the whole matter was referred to
the speaker. The speaker decided that
thee was no room for fine reporter in
side the bar, but graciously gave him
the privilege Of taking his notes as best
he could on the outsides Mr.. Smith
was an enterprising journalist and did
not propose to have his readers cut out
from knowing what was going on, so,
for some time, he took his notes "as
best he could sometimes standing up,
sometimes using his knee for a table,
and at other times making his hat
serve that purpose.
The session was about half over
when the crisis came. One day man
in the gallery offended the speaker by
persisting in applauding some of the
speakers and deriding others and the
speaker ordered his arrest. Mr., Smith
proceeded to get even with the speak
er for excluding him from the bar of
the House, and animadverted in severe
terms on this action of the speaker,
Evidently the speaker was a reader of
the National Intelligencer and Wash
ington Advertiser, for when Mr.. Smith
made his appearance the next morning
he was notified by the sergeant-at-
arms that the speaker had given or
ders to have him excluded from the
LOBBY In submitting to the order Mr..
Smith asked if it extended to the gal
lery, and on being assured that it did
not, took his place in the gallery, and
continued his taking of notes. The
speaker was stubborn man, however,
and was determined that no more
notes for publication should be taken
so he extended his order Of exclusion
so as to include the gallery.
Mr. Smith appealed to the House,
presenting a memorial requesting per-
mission to have a seat within the bar,
and to be permitted to take notes of
the proceedings and debates. The
memorial was referred to a committee
appointed by the speaker, who saw to
it that the committee was composed OF
his friends. After long delay the
committee reported that 1t was not eX-
pedient to take any action on the men,
orial. This report provoked an ex-
citing debate, which lasted for several
days, the speaker taking a prominent
part, claiming that the reports hitherto
published had done him and his party
injustice. The vote on the memoria
was a tie, and the speaker gave his
casting vote in favor of the report ant
| thus the House was made to put Itself
on record as opposed to having the
proceedings published.
BY some means Mr.. Smith continued
| to get quite accurate reports in the
face of the opposition of the speaker
and what was more to the credit of his
journalistic enterprise he succeeded il
getting daily reports of the secret SEES
sions of the House in February, 1901
held to take action on the election con
! test between Jefferson and Burr. He
not only got a report of the debates
but of the vote as cast each day
which anew aroused the anger of thu
speaker-Rochester Post-Dispatch.