The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-10-25
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL,
ADJOURNMENT OF rHF FIFTIETH
CONGR ESS.

Work of the Longest Session on Record
Comparison With the Other Long ses.
sions. Other Items Of Interest.
WASHINGTON, October 20, 1885
Congress adjourns to day. Major
Louis Latham is the only member OF
our delegation now in the city. The
others are actively engaged in the
campaign. The session closing to-day
has been in many respects remarka-
bic one. 1t has lasted 800 days, ex-
ceediag by 10 days the length of any
| previous session of Congress since the
foundation of the Government. Some
| time ago about September 10th I gave
a resume of the work of the session
| to the readers of THE SENTINEL.
Since that time the number of bills
introduced in the House has been in
creased to 1859; in the Senate to
1859 and the reports from Commit
tees in the House have gone up to
1922, while the Senate has increased
its reports to 1894 The. House has
brought mp its total number to 445,
its miscellaneous documents to 595,
while in the Senate the executive
documents have increased in number
to 208-making the total number of
executive documents received to both
Houses during the session which will
end to-day, 1889. The public or
general acts (laws) aggregate 307, and
Joint resolutions number 3, making
total of 1 ,113 acts during the session.
These are the figures shown in the
official records kept by Mr.. AMI
Smith, superintendent of the Senate
document room, and the total number
he says, will BE- brought to about
1,175 when the records are complete,
there being pobably 80 general and
private laws not yet recorded, but
signed by the President, or will be
permitted to become laws without his
signature. The President has sent to
the Senate 40 yetoes, and to the
House SO during the session, total of
129. A number of important bills
have become laws within that time.
A number of bills are still left on the
calendars of both the Honse and the
Senate. These 90 over to the second
session of the Fiftieth Congress which
convenes on Monday, the Sd of De-
cember. 1t is arranged that as soon
as Congress assemblies il its second
session the Senate will go right along
with-its discussion of the tariff while
the House will Immediately take up
the IA regular appropriation bills
with a view of sending them to the
Senate by the time the latter body
has completed its consideration of the
tariff.
In point of length the session of the
9th Congress more nearly approx
imates the Congress which dissolves
to-day. A glance backward at the
history of that Congress will be re-
plete with interest.
Some of the bet known names in
the history of the country appear on
the rolls of the Senate at that time.
Among them are Daniel Webster,
Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun,
Stephen A. Douglas, Jefferson Davis,
Thomas III. Benton, John Bell, Sal
mon P. Chase, w. IL. Seward, John
G. Fremont, Sam Houston, Hannibal
Hamlin, Gen. James Shields. Jesse d.
Bright, Reverdy johnson, Daniel S.
Dickinson, Henry S. Foot, William
l. Dayton, Robert G. Winthrop, by
appointment, George w. Jones and
Thomas Corwin.
Howell Cobb was speaker of the
House, and among the members of
that body were Elbridge Gerry, josh
ua r. Giddings, Preston King, Alex
ander HI. Stephens, Ehaddeus Stevens,
Gen. Robert c. Schenek, now living
in this city; John Wentworth, re-
Gently deceased Joseph E. McDon
aid, of Indiana David Wilmont,
Robert Tombs, Albert G. Brown,
Humphrey Marshall. James 1. Orr,
Alpheus Felch, George w. Julian,
| and Isham G. Harris, the present
Senator from Tennessee.
Ofthe members OF the Senate, John
Bell, Stephen A Douglas and John
G. Fremont all became candidates
| for President at latter dates, and oil
| were defeated. Hannibal Hamlin
became Vice Presidens and is yet
living. Hon. Jefferson Davis, John
C. Fremont, Alpheus Felch, of Mich.
igan; George w. Jones and MIR
Winthrop are survivors of that me.
morable body.
Those were exciting times. The
shadow of the great civil war had al
ready fallen upon the country, and
the debates of the sessions were among
the most vivid precursors of the forth
coming catastrophe. 1t was turbu
lent, excited session. The questions
OF the admission of California, OF sla
very in the Territories, and the ren
dition of fugitive slaves stood out
above and beyond every other and in
volving both Senate and House il
protracted, most acrimonius debates
/ The session closing to-day has beer
marked by the introduction and pas
sing through the House OF the notable
tariff bill, and the debates have beer
of an almost wholly economic char
acter, prefguring rather the coming
prosperity, unity and glory of tn
country, than the throes of civil strif
and national peril. While the aggre
cation of talent may have been great
er in the long session of 1849 so thai
in the long session of 1887 -S8, there
reason to congratulate the countr
upon other more favorable and Ell