Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-01-08
Hailg Nireiniau.
SPEECH
VICE president DGE
oN NACAtlNG THE OLD SENATE EcHANBER.


IN NAc,1lNG TIE OLD SENATE CHAMBER.
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Crittcndcn's remarks
Vice President breckenridge addressed the Senate
rs follows
Scnators;l have been charged by tho com
mittcc TO whom YOU eonhded the arrangements of
this day, with the duty of expressing some of the
the reflections that naturally in taking final
lea," "t chamber which has 80 long been occu-
pied by the Senate. In the progress of our coun-
| try aud the growth Of tho Representations this
room has become too contracted FOR the represent
ativcs o the States now existing and soon To exist
and accordingly you are about 10 exchange it for
n hal. at rlnL accommodations adequate to tho
pie-cnt AID the future. Tho occasion suggests
many interesting "reminiscences. md it mny bc
| agreeable IN the first place to occupya few min
ut"s with n short account of tho various places nt
which Congress has assembled. OF tho struggle
winch preceded the permanent location Of the seat
Of gvcrmocnt, and Of tho circumstances under
which il was finally established on the banks of
the ptenar
The Congress # the Revolution was sometimes
fugitive u ding its sessions, NJ the chances II
war required, II, Philadelphia. Baltimore Ian.
easter, AouapolS, and Yorktown. During tho
period between the conclusion of pence and the
commencement of the present government. it
met ut Princeton Annapolis, Trenton, and New
York.
Attcr The idea Of apermancnt Union had been OK
ccuted in pnr' ly the adoption Of the Articles Of
Collaboration, thequcstion presented itself OF fix
ing seat OF government. and this Immediately
call"a forth intense interest and rivalry.
That the place should be central having regard
TO the population and territory of tho Contedcrncy
was the only point common to the contcnding par
ties. Propositions Of all kinds offered dcha-
ted and rejected, sometimes with intcmp"rate
warmth AT length, on the 7th Of October. 1888.
the Congress being ut Princeton--whihcr they
had been driven from Philadelphia by the insults
of IA body ol armed men-it was resolved that Il
building for the use OF Congress TO DO erected near
the falls oi the Delaware, This was after
modified by requiring suitable buildings to he al
80 erected near the falls of the Potomac, that the
residence of Congress might alternate between
those places. But tho question was not allowed to
rest, and ut length after frequent and warm de-
bates, il wa- resolved that the residence Of Con
gross should continue at one place; nnd commits
sioncrs were appointed with full power to lay out
II district for federal town near the falls Of the
Delaware. And in the meantime Congress
srmblcd alternately ut Trenton and Annapolis :;
but the repro sen,nvcs Of other States were ui
rmitting in cxettioAs for the e o pecti,c loctli-
ties.
On the oGi If Dcronbcr 1874. it was resolved
20 remove to tho city Of Now York, ana to remain
tbrrc until the bull ling on the Delaware should be-
ry, l7S', tn" Congress met at New itrk. where
they continued to h Id their session un1l the Con.
federation gave place to the Constitution.
Tho go onmissiancr4 to lay out federal town on
tn" Delaware reported their proceedings to Con-
rrcss. hut no further steps taken to carry the
resolution into effect
When The bonds Of union were drawn closer by
the organization Of the new government under
the Constitution on the Sd Of March, 1799, the sub
icrt was revived and discussed with greater
warmth than before it wns conceded on all sides
tina, tLc residence ofCongress should continue at
one l'er aud the prospect Of stability in the GOV
crnuen, invested the question with deeper in
terost.
Some members proposed New York as bcing
">nporior to any place they knew for the orderly
and decent behavior Of its inhabitonts' To this it
was answered that it was not desirable that the
political capitol should be in commercial metro
tropos. Others ridicued the idea Of building
palaces in the wcod,. Mr.. Gerry, of Massachu-
sets, thought ii highly unreasonable to fix the
seat or government IN such position as to have
States If thiiteen to the northward of the place;
while the South cnrolinaus objected TO Philadcl-
lha account Of the number Of Quukers who.
they sad continually annoyed the Southern mem
bcrs with schemes ofemancpa,on.
In the midst Of these disputes the House Of Re-
pre1cntativcs resolved: That the permanent
seat of government ought to be ut some convenient
the introduction of bill to give effect to this reso-
lution- much feeling was exhibited especially by
Southern members. Mr.. Madison thought il the
proceedings Of that day had been foreseen by Nir-
gina, TINT State might not become party to the
Constitution. The question was allowed 10y eve
ry member to be n matter Of great importance. e.
Mr.. Scott SAID the future tranquility and well be-
! ing Of the United States depended as much on this
as on any question that ever had or could come
before Congress. And Mr.. Fisher Ames remark
cd that every principle of pride and honor. and
even Of patriotism, were engaged. Fora time any
agreement appeared to be impossible; but the good
genius of our system finally prevailed. and on the
10Th of July. 1890 an act was passed containing
the following clause:
THAT n district territory not exceeding ten
miles square, to be located as hereafter directed,
on the river Potomac. at some place between the
mouths ofthe Eastern Branch and Conogocheag 10
be- and the same is hereby, accepted, for the per-
manent seat of the Government of the United
States"
The same act provided TINT Congress should
hold its sessions at Philadelphia until the first
Monday in November, 1900, when the government
should remove to the district selected on the Poto-
mae Thus was settled question which had
produced much sectional feeling between the States.
But all difficulties were not yet surmonnted; for
Congress, either from indifference or the want Of
money failed to make adequate appropriations for
the erection of public buildings, and the commits
sioners were often reduced to great sfAits to main
tain the progress Of the work. Finding it impos-
sible to borrow money in Europe, or to obtain it
from Congress, Washington, in December, 1896,
made personal appeal to the Legislature OF Ma
ryland which was responded to by an advance Of
100000; hut in so dcplorable condition WIS the
credit Of the federal government, that the State
required AS guaranty Of payment the pledge Of
the private credit Of the commissioners.
From the beginning Washington had advocated
the present scat of governmcnt-its establishment
here was due in large measure. to his influence;