The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-12

guns inflicted on the British fleet that
sixteen days were required to put the
fleet in readiness to sail This gave
General Jackson time enough to reach
New Orleans, and he arrived only four
days before the famous engagement to
throw up the hasty embanliments and
to drive Lord Pakenham and his army
forever from United States soil one
brig against a fleet, but it was enough,
SESSIONS OF CONGRESS.
There has been mistaken impress
| sion in many minds as to the probabil-
| ity Of a very long session Of congress,
rendered necessary by the war, but
| history shows that the opposite is like
| ly to be true. 1t is hardly necessary
to take into account the sessions dur
| ing the war uC the revolution, for con-
| gress was then great deal like a
| peripatetic photographers car, not
| long for any one place but after the
revolution some of the shortest sessions
| ever held We're those during the wars.
The Twelfth congress was in session
| during the war of 1872. II met Nov. I,
| 1911, and June IS, 1912, passed a decla-
| ration of war and vet adjourned July
| g. 1912. The 9econd session of this con-
| gross which met Nov ., 1872, expired
| by limitation March ., 1913. 1t was
| found necessary to call the congress to-
| gether in extraordinary session May "a,
| 1913, but even then a long session does
| not seem to have been necessary, for
| adjournment was had Aug. 2 after a
| session of only seVenty-one days. The
| other sessions Of this congress We're
| shorter than ordinary. although a spe-
| Cial session was summoned Sept. 49,,
| 1914, and held until the close of the
| war, or. rather fifteen davs after the
! close, namely, March 3, 1915, when it
| expired by limitation.
Leaving out the Indian troubles the
next war congress was the twenty
ninth. which assembled Dec. 7, 1915,
| and closed Aug. 10, 1876, The session
| lasted 253 days, but this was not a
! long time for the long session of con-
| Frcss. as the TWenty-eighth congress,
in time of peace, lasted nearly 800 days
| for the Ions session: the Thirtieth af-
| ter the war, was over 25i days, and the
| Thirty-frst "02 days, and this in a war
| that lasted nearly two years.
| There have been many statements
made as TO the length of congress, the
| Thrty-seventh and Thirty-eighth ex-
| tending from 1861 to 1865. As q matter
! Of fact, the shortest session ever held
| was that after the beginning of the
| war of the rebellion. President Lin
| coin summoned congress to meet July
| 4, 1861. 1t met on that date. and, af-
| ter thirty days in session, adjourned
| Aug. 4, 1861. Three sessions were held
| of this congress, and all three amount
ed to a smaller number Of days than
half the congressional term. The Thir-
| ty-eighth congress, which met in De-
cember, 1863, and continued to the end
| of the war, was in session during the
| two terms, but 299 days Since that
| time there have been but three con-
| eresses which held in session a smaller
number Of days while the Fiftieth con-
! gress was in session 4l2 days. the
| F0rty-siXth, a93 days; the Fifty-flrst,
| 3l7 days, and the others averaging all
| the way from 329 to 347. 1t should be
| remembered that the number of days
takes in all the time spent by the con-
| gressmen and includes both sessions OF
each congress, Based on this historical
past, the prediction is made by the
| mathematiCians in both house and SEN
ate that June 10, at least, will see the
| congressman and senators out of Wash
| ingtOn.