Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-12-06
XIVu.
THE NEW CONGRESS.
sCENrss AT the OPENING YESTERDAY.

| 8CENES Al HE OfE01N6 YESTERDAY. 4.
Ths Rev tpeaksr's Fsrmal Iatroductios.
When Congress met yesterday the view
over the House was very enlivening. Ac-
cordiDg to the Times correspondent, upon
the speakers table rested four exquisite
floral designs, which only waited for the
formal election of the gentleman who was
to fill the vacant chair to be appreciated.
There was . handsome bouquet upon the
desk Of the veteran Judge Kelley, of Penn
sylvania, while Pound, of Wisconsin; Tom
| Young, Of Ohio PettibOne, of Tennessee ;
| Dunnell, of Minnesota, and Ryan, of Kan
sas. came in for their share of floral favOrs.
| There was Congressman Springer, with
| tho inevitable boutonniere, and there was
the youthful Frost, of Missours, following
suit with the lapel decoration. A short
| time after the session began the desk of
Charles O'Neill, of Philadelphia, was lit.
orally loaded with roses. The pinched and
withered form of Alexander H. Stephens,
in his wheeled chair, was moving uneasily
up and down the space in front of the
clerks desk. On his check bone was a
court plaster patch as big as a silver Gol-
lar. On his head was his customary slouch
hat, which he always wears during the
session of the House and which he
only removed to take the oath. On his
hands, which arc no bigger thana child's,
was pair of kid gloves, the fingers of
| which were at least two inches too long,
giving a grotesque and hooked appearance
to his hands. stephens has been dying
for a good while, but lie does not seem to
be any nearer death than upon his first ap-
pearance on the floor of the House Repre-
sentatives after the burst up of the Con-
federacy.
The keen eyed Kasson sat in a central
portion of the Republican side, flanked by
Robinson, of Ohio. and Calkins, of Indi
aha. The rotund Robson bounced in and
out Of his chair into the main aisle, both
of which lie appeared to fill with his
robust person at the same time. "Sunset +"
Cox, fresh from his European tour, kept
bobbing around, shaking hands hero and
there among the members aud holding
quito levee on the Democratic side dur
ing the earlier part of the days session.
His new chin whiskers seemed to set
strangely on him. Hiscock occupied an
extra chair at the extreme rear of the Re-
publican side and leaned pensively against
the railing, bearing a decidedly melan-
choly look. Ex-Speaker Randall occu.
pied his old scat on tho floor on the right
of the speakers desk and looked sedately
through his spectecles on the scene around
him. There was an incessant hum of
voices, which was only hushed when the
nominations for speaker were made.
Keifer's Speech.
Kcifer having been declared elected, after
several blunders by Clerk Adams, in one
of which he declared Greenbacker Ford
elected, the new speaker said: Gentle
men of the House of Representatives, 1
thank you with heart filled with graft
tude 70: the distinguished honor conferred
on me by an election as your speaker. l
will assume the powers of this high Office
with, trust, a due share of diffidence and
distrust of my own ability to meet them
acceptably to you and to the country. 1
believe that you, as body and ipdividu-
ally, will givo me hearty support in the
discharge of all my duties. promise to
devote myself faithfully and assiduousIy
to the work before me. I invoke your
and the country's charitable judgment
on all my official acts. will strive to be
just to all, regardless Of party or section.
found to be a Republican, but in all other
respects hope to be able to act free from
party bias. 1t is singular fact that, at
this most prosperous time in our nations
history, no party in either branch of Con-
gress has an absolute ma ajority over all
other parties, and it is, therefore, peculiar
ly fortunate that at 10 other time since,
and for many years prior to the ascension
of Abraham Lincoln to the executive
chair, have there been SO few unsettled
vital questions of national character
in relation to which party lines
have been closely drawn. The national
prosperity of the people is in advance of
any other period in the history Of our gov
ernment. The violence of party spirit has
materially subsided and in a great measure
because many of the reasons for it's exist
encc are gone. While the universal ten
dency of the people is to sustain and con-
tinue 10 build up an unparalleled pros
perity, it should be our highest aim to
permanently promote aud not cripple it.
This Congress should be, and profoundly
hope it will be, marked peculiarly as a
business Congress. II may be true that
additional laws are yet necessary to give
to every citizen complete protection
in the exercise of all political rights.
With evenly balanced party power,
with few grounds for party strife, and
with no impending presidential election
to distract us from purely legislative du-
ties, venture tO'suggest that the present
is an auspicious time to enact laws to
guard against the recurrence of danger to
our institutions and to insure tranquility
at perilous times IN the futre. Again
thanking you for the honor conferred, and
again invoking your aid and generous
judgment am ready to take the oath
prescribed by law and the constitution
and forthwith proceed, with my best
ability, guided by sincere and honest
purpose, to discharge tho duties belonging
to the Office with which you have clothed
me.
A Little FURRY.
During the swearing in Of the members
there was a little friction when the Obiec-
tiOns were announced. Mr.. Jones, of Texas,
objected to the administration of the oath |
to Joseph Wheeler, Of the Eighth district |
of Alabama, and asked that he stand aside. |
Mr.. Randall asked for reasons, and held |
the standing aside was the members |
voluntary act when any member objected. |
The speaker held that the chair had |
the power to designate the order in which |
members might he called and, therefore,
ruled that Mr.. Wheeler must stand aside. |
MIR. Randall declined to appeal from tho |
decision, and Mr.. Wheeler stepped aside. |
The swearing in of members. was then |
continued. The next objection was made |
to Mr.. Cults, of Iowa, by Mr.. Springer, of
Illinois. Mr.. Van Voorhees,. of New
York, objected to Mr.. King, of Louisiana,
who returned the compliment by object
ing in his turn to Mr.. Van Voorhees, Mr..
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