Arizona citizen., 1877-06-02
E1traorAtnary Sessions of Congress

T slons or congress ara why they were held. On the call of President Hayes for Congress to meet October 15, the New York Herald gave quite history of the several sessions from which We extract what follows:
 Leaving out of account the irregular short sessions of the early Congresses before yet the government Tn it's legis- lative branch had got into the habit of I regular and long annual sessions, and leaving aside also the special adjourn ments f Congress, to meet at frequent intervals during the reconstruction I perlod, It may be said that there have been only five extra sessions of Con- gress since the beginning of the war with England in 1S12.
 President Madison called Congress Ito meet in special session on the 24th of May, 1913, to provide for the neces sities of the war then going on between the United States and Great Britain l The business of this extra session last ed from the 24th day of May to the 2d of August, or between nine and ten weeks
 From 1913 until 1887, or for nearly a quarter of a century, there was no call ] for a special session of Congress. The immediate occasion of the extra session called by President Van Buren to meet September f, 1887, was the commercial and financial panic of that year and the public distress and embarrassment ensuing. On the 10th of May, 1887, all the banks of New York had suspend ed payment in specie and the financial institutions of all the other cities of the country followed suit soon after Committees of citizens were appointed at large meetings of the people, and petitions presented from the cbmmer- cial cities praying the President to as-
  arrest the depreciation in property, the failure of business houses and the dis tress that pervaded the industrial class es. The President for some time de cllned to act in accordance with these petitions, but afJer the panic had ended in suspension of specie payment placing the financial affairs of the gov ernmenl, too, in an embarrassing situa- ton, he concluded U call Congress to- gether to legisla'e Mr. Van Buren's proclamation was male on the 18th of May, lS}7, but fixed the day for the assembling of Congress- so late as the 4th of September following. The ses- sion continued forty three days, or until the 18th of October.
 The next extra session of Congress was that which assembled May g., lS4I, in obedience To the call of President Harrison, dated March r., 1911. The proclamation set forth that "Sundy important and weighty matters" pnn- cipally growing out of the condition of the revenue and finances of the cOun- try, winch appeared tO the President 10 demand the consideration of Con gress at an earlier day than It's next an- nual session. President Harrison hay ing died on the l4th of April, within six weeks after his introduction into of tice President Tyler, who succeeded him, sent a spccIal message tO the new Congress on June 1, lo4l. This ses- sion continued from May 3l to Septem-. Der 13. The whig party having come into power in both branches by thei overwhelming tidal wave of lo40, itI was genenerally expected that the first measure taken for the relief the country would be chartering of national bank, l to which the party in power was fully committed. Hon Thomas Ewing, then Secretary of the Treasury, made a re !. port, sent in with the Presidents mes sage, which earnestly recommended ] the establishment of a bank. A first ! and secOni bill of this character pass ! ed Congress and was vetoed by Presi- dent Tyler. The sole fruit of this long extra session of Congress of three and half months, was the authorizing loan of $l2,0O0,000, the repeal of the Sub-Treasury act, the passage of gen eral bankrupt law, and some twenty bills of minor importance.
 In August, 1856, the Democratic par ty having a heavy majority Tn the Sen ate and the opposition a small majority of about half a q zen in the House, the House of Representative affixed an amendment to the army appropria- ton bill, providing that nn part of the army should be employed tO enforce laws pas-ed by the Territorial Legisla- .ture of Kansas until Congress should have decided whether it was valid Legislative assembly, and that the Pres . ident should disarm the militia of Kan. sas and prevent armed men from going there for the purpose of enforcing or resisting real or prctended laws" The Senate rejected this proyisO over and over again. The House as pertinaciOus-t " insisted upon II. In this state Of things the Republican maj lrity in the House took the responsibility of de- feating the army appropriation blll| unless this prOvisO was affixed 10 1t, just as the Democratic House of Rep. rc>entalives ai the late session closing March f. defeated the bill providing for the expenses of the army for the next fiscal year, unless they couli pro vide in il that the President should be. restr ined from employing troops to sustain ihe Republican governments of South Carolina and louisiana
 Congress having adjourned without provision for pay of the army during the fiscal year then running. President Pierce issued hi, proclamation on the stme day declaring tha; Congress hal adjourned without providing the neccS sary supplies for the army, depriving thn Evecntire of the nlMpr tn nerf lrm !