Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-07-10
SUMNER SESSIONS.
How Congress Gradually Melts and
Disappears.
SIGNALS OF AN EARLY ADJOURNMENT WAVED
IN THE HOUsE-LONG SESSIONS IN THE PAST
WHY PRESIDENT ADA Ms ACKNOWLEDGMENT
NESS THAT HAS KEPT CONGRESS HERE.

WHY PRESIDENT ADAMS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NESS THAT HAS KEPT CONGRESS HERE.
The prospect of sitting until the lst OF
August, possibly later has very depressing
elect upon most OF the members of Congress.
The obvious impropriety of sitting in the hall
of Representatives in their shirt sleeves, or of
taking of their collars and cuffs when they
find 1T necessary to make speech, makes O
long summer session the more odious to
many VINO are in the hubit Of taking their own
rude case when at home. When the sun
breathes ninety degrees of summer heat upon
them the shoulders OF some OF the less estnetic
move nervOusly In their coats and their hands
involuntariiy go up to their collar buttons. The
amount OF lnopping done In the House on hot
day would do credit to q corps of professional
scrub women. The bald headed men have the
most mopping to do A. they have more surface
to cover. They always have TO keep an extra
supply Of handkerchicis in their pockets Tor
summer weather. Haudksrchlefs of great
variety of colOrs are Haunted in the speak er's
tace each day, signaling au early adjournment.
They are hot weather signals, and also the
signs OF mutiny that threa ton q revolt against
any more "work.
Congress generally melts away. The melting
begins with the collar. The Speaker sees col
lars cOllapSinK one by one and is warned that
the members Will soon disappear. Two or
three weeks very hot weather and more than
half the House has melted away, SO that there
Is not d quorum present
EARLY CONGRESSES.
The aversion to summer sessions was devel-
oped at = very early period. SO early, indeed,
that 1t may be called constitutional. John
Adams, when he called an extra ses ion OF the
Fifth Congress to meet in Philadelphia in May,
1897, to consider an insult u our mutton by tile
French government, and = threat to iucitS in
ternal trouble. to destroy our commerce and
possibly our institutions, went to the Capitol
and Representatives to assemble 1T the seat OF
government IT time when they naturally
felt 1t their right 70 stay At home He urged as
his excuse that the nation needed y navy and
coast deienses at once. After sev9ral days de-
Liberation Congress informed Mr.. Adams that
They then proceeded to sit until the 10th of
July, fully maintaining the honor OF the ma
ton.
But the LIST of August ought not to brighten a
member OF Congress out OF his seat. Congress
has often been i'll session later than that. The
very first Congress sat until the 18th OF August
and had an extra session.
THE Longest SESSION.
The Thirty-nrst Congress met on the Sd Of
December, and Gid not adjourn until September
3Oth, being In session for 3O2 days. The tuxi-
tive slave act aud other cntanglem n Is growing
out OF the slavery question kept them. Nearly
the whole OF December was spent In trying to
elect Speaker, Is many 49, sixty. rec ballots
being taken, with dozen or nore candidates
in the field, Robert Winthrop aud Howell Cobb
being the principal oues, and the latter getting
the election Without "A majority or the House
One session stretched over greater period OF
session as many days That WIS the Fortieth
Congress, which kept In session, taking O num-
Der OF recesses, until November 10th, Is to
watch over President Johnson.
SENDING FOR MEMBERS.
The Forty.fourth Congress, when the demo-
Gratis got the ascendancy Tor the first time
alter the war. was in session until the 18th
OF August, the impeachment of Bskuap
aud otner matters kept them here, but they
had terrible time getting quorum. The
members had to be sent Tor aud compelled to
attend the sessions, and then II Was found i'm.
possible TO keep enough here tor more than q
day ut time.
The Eorty-seventh Congress did not adjourn
until August sth. The Thirty-iourth Congress-
met December Sd, and adjourned August 18th
without making any appropriation for the
army, and was called back " President Pierce
Aug st 21st aud sat ten days longer. There
were three sessions OF the TWsnty-SeVenth Con.
YreSs. al extra session from May - Septsm.
Der 18th, called BY President Harrison (whO
died before they metz - consider nnaucial mat
ters, and the first regular session from Decem-
Der 9th until August 31sI
The FIRST session oil the Twenty.nipth Con-
grsss lasted from December 1St until August
10th, aud the Thirueth Congress until August
lAth. II was the It'll OF August before the Thir-
ty-third Congress adjOurnSd. The Thirty-sscond
Congress adjourned August S1st.