Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-12
Character Of the First Body That Met
in Washington,
NOTED HHu AMONG THE MEMBERS
William Henry Harrison a Terri
torial Delegate.
II q II p A RTY SPIRIT

In the Sixth Congress. the first to assem-
BILE in Washington, William Henry Harri-
son was delegate in Congress from the
northwest territory. Although a man of
considerable capacity, having afterward be-
&C me President and later given the country
another President in the person of his
grandson, Benjamin Harrison, much abil-
ity must have been required to have ade-
quately represented that great region now
represented in the Ffty-sixth Congress by
Twelve senators and eighty-five representa-
tlVes from the great states of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Mime
sofa. But great this difference in repre-
sehtation may seem, larger conception of
the expansion of the United States and the
resultant increase of the membership of
Congress IS secured when 1t is considered
that while the vast territory west of the
Mississippi river had not even a delegate
III congress IN December, lSN. ii now has
thlrty-slX senators and eghty-seven rep
resentatives.
The Sixth Congress had 81 senators and
~ representatives, while the Fifty-siXth
Congress has % senators and 351 represent
auNeS Inc two great states in the Sixth
congress were Virginia and Massachusetts,
the former having ~ representatives and
the latter 10, Pennsylvania being next in
size with IA representatives. while the now
empire state of New York had only ~ rep
resentatives. Now New York has "a rep
resentatlves Pennsylvania ~ and Virginia
ana Massachusetts respectively 10 and Is.
Members Who Became Famous.
John Marshall of Virginia, afterward
known as the brilliant and profound Chief
Justice Marshall, was a member of the
House, was John Randolph of Roanoke
Randolph was called the republican lnader
Of the House. while John Marshall was the
administration, or federaist leader, until
nominated by President John Adams ST.
preme Court justice. The Speaker of the
House was Theodore Sedgwick of Massa-
chuSettS.
John Randolph, the republican leader.
was opposed to even the small military
force then existing and in debate charac-
teriZed the army and navy as "a handful of
raSamuffins eating up the peoples sub
stance under pretense of protecting them
from a foreign foe AS result of this
remark he was insuted on the street by
the soldiers; Randolph at once addressed
President Adams a letter. in which he de-
mdnded that the independence of the Con-
gress be preserved by the executive. The
President referred the communication to
the House but that being controlled by
the federalists gave Randolph satisfac
ton. The Virginia statesman was bril-
liant but erratic. He was wealthy and
bcasted of being a direct descendant of
Pocahontas. Once in a controversy with
Connecticut member, who had been a
shoemaker. Randolph asked him what he
did with his leather apron when he came
to Congress. The Yankee instantly re-
piled that he had made a Connecticut Poca-
hontas pair OF moccaSins with 1t.
Had n Hanna and n Platt.
Jefferson was Vice President and presd-
ing officer of the Senate during the Sixth
Congress- The Sixth Congress had its
Hanna and its Platt, the former being
from Pennsylvania and the latter from
New York. They do not however, appear
to have attained the prominence of the
present senator's Delaware had its Bay
ard, South Carolina its Pinckney, its Rut-
ledge and its Sumter, New Jersey its Day
ton. New York its Livingston and Morris,
Massachusetts its Lincoln, Lee and Otis
and Pennsylvania its Bingham, all names
more or less known in American history.
One hundred years ago the President of
the nation and the Speaker of the House
were both from Massachusetts.
Though perhaps political questions with
which the Sixth Congress had to deal were
not important those of the present
day Congress, party spirit ran higher and
more vtuperous and dangerous,
cording to the historians. One says it was
fortunate the inauguration of Jefferson and
the closing scenes of John Adams admins
tration took place in the secuson of
Washington rather than In a large city like
Philadelphia, thus bloodshed was prob
ably avoided. precedent had been set
for the reelection of President, and the
defeat of John Adams greatly embittered
the federalist party.
Certainly the SecluSiOn of Washington
was great enough to meet the eXigences of
the occasion. One writer says "only the
north wing of the old Capitol whose south
east corner stone Washington himself had
laid in 1893, with imposing ceremonies, APP
peared above the clustering oaks
John Adams Got Lost.
Virgil says that when the pious Aeneas
sailed up the swift Tiber with his frail
banks the gods stayed the swift waters and
safely guided him to the Capitoline hills,
but when John Adams came he got lost in
the woods ten miles from Capitol Hill. and
tramp negro showed him the way
through the wood roads and around inter-
minable Swamps.
PITTSBURG FERRY MAID.