Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-01-28
MistrIlan(ous.
IFrom the Albany Evening Joutnal.l
The Old Representatives Hall

The removal of the House of Represen-
tatives this week from their old h III in the
centre building of the Capitol, iu.o the new
Hall in the extended southern wing, awakens
many recoilec,ions Of men and events,
which, in this now silen, Chamber, have
played leading parts in the drama of pplili-
cal everts. The old Capitol was DESTROYED
by the British ictess in August, 1914. The
incidents of The war then raging induced
Mr.. Madison TO convene an extra session OF
CoGNess in September OF that year. They
met in S7+.-S-s b. building on Capitol
Hill. Though the country was passing
through the most critical period Of the war,
the message OF the President occupies only
about column OF an ordinary newspaper.
The Speaker, Langdon Cheves, Of South
Carolina, announced the standing commit.
ties the second day of the session. and men,
bers went at business in right good earnest.
AS things are done -a-days, the message
would have filled a huge volume, and a
month have been consrHned in getting into
working order.
A temporary Capitol was erected, in
which the two Houses sat until the assem-
bling of the Sixteenth Congress, on the 9Th
of December, 1919, when the House of
Representatives net for the first time in
their then greatly admired new Hall.
He who shall hereafter write the history
OF these renowned Legislative Chambers
the ancient and the mo1ern-wil not over
look the remarkable fact, that the closing
k1ars in the old Hall of 1919 were devoted
! d 1Eiting debates upon the Missouri CON-
fse question-:hat the opening hours
) new Hall of 1919, now the old Hail. }
Fell as several succeeding months, re-
Sied with the din of debate On the same
{e-that, after a lapse of more than a
of a century, the last Congress which
aied this Hall shook the country with
snesrespecting the same Missouri
g. and that the first speech de-
Ii1IE he new Hall Of 1857, was devoted
q ia ekamfn alton of the principles involved
in the enactment ofthis celebrated measure
and the legitimate consequences springing
1rom'its repeal.
The Struggle respecting the admission oi
Missouri to the Union began in the old
brick Hall, in December, 1918, and
Closed in the more stately Chamber
where Congress then met, in March, 1920.
Scarcely had the members drawn for seats.
in December, 1919, than the fierce sectional
battle of<he last two sessions was renewed.
Challenging to the arena the highest foren-
n hat ab
convuising the country scarcely less than
has the re-ooenina of the controversy in our
time, this essen tally irreconcilable conflict
of opinion finally subsided ipto Mr. Ciay's
superficial Compromise. and the nation sank
exhausted into apparent repose. Though
the fires went down, the embers still smoul-
<dered, and lived TO break out thilty- four
years afterwards with more intense fame
than before. THIs UEQUENcHABLE FIRE YET
.suRYs.
At the opening of the second session o
this Congress, OR. Clay hlving resigned
the Chair,) John w. Tay lor, of New York,
was elected Speaker on the twenty-second
bailot-the opposing VOTES being mostly
given to Mr. Lowndes, of South Carolina
1t was a sectional contest, growing nat
orally GU. of the agitations of the preceding
sessions; and it Presaged, though II but
faintly re-semblei, hat mere recent 5 rug
gle which resulted in placing in the Cha r
at the ciose of more protracted scene in
this great drama, that model Speaker, Ma
thanlel p. Banks.
We have neither time nor materials for
more than brief illusions to some OF the
mighty themes aud great men who haYe
figured in the old Hail, during the eight
and-thirty years Of its occupancy by Con-
gress.
The first subject to which we will refer is
the earliest Congressional proceedings OF
which we have any contemporaneous recol-
lection-Webster's speech, and the sue
cseding debate, in January. 1924. on the
Greek Revolution.