The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-01
CONGRESSES, PAST AND PRESENT.

Inc session OF congress WHICH COhNVHSS
tomorrow will be the first Of the Fifty
seventh Congress, its members having been
elected in November. 1900. 1t is a curious
feature of our political system that re-
quires members of Congress to be elected
more than a year before the Congress
meets, unless an extra session Is called.
The Constitution says: 'The Congress shall
assemble at least once in every year, and
such meeting shall be on the first Monday
in December. unless they shall by law APP
point a different day" The law regulating
the election Of representatives provides
that they shall be elected every alternate
year on the Tuesday next after the first
Monday in November, and that their terms
shall begin on the 4th of March following.
Thus, while the term and salary Of a rep
resentative-elect begins four months after
his election he does not actually take his
seat till thirteen months afterwards, un-
less a special session is called before. 1t is
a curious Illus tration of American adher-
ence to politi ,al traditions and customs
that while Congress- has power, under the
Constitution, TO fix any date for its an
nuaI meeting 1T has never changed the
time originally suggested by the Constitu-
ton, the first Monday in December. One
result Of this provision and Of the long
period that intervenes between the election
and the regular meeting Of a Congress is
that public sentiment and political issues
may undergo considerable change in the
interval. However, no practical embarrass-
ment has ever arisen from this, as the av-
erage congressman possesses considerable
facility in adjusting himself to changes.
1t is curious TO note how early the idea
OF formulating legislation and public senti-
ment through a general congress obtained
among the American people. AS early as
1890 the Governor of the colony Of New
York called a Colonial Congress to con-
slider the question Of general defense. An
other convention of delegates from the CO.
lonial assemblies met at Albany June 10,
1854, Ito strengthen the alliance Of the colo
MES" This was Benjamin Franklin's first
appearance in public affairs. and he drew
up a plan Of colonial confederation which
was adopted by the convention. Curiously
enough. however, it was rejected by the
British government, because it gave too
much liberty to the colonies, while the CO.
lonial m rejected it because 1t gave
too much power to the King. The old Con-
tinental Congress which figured so largely
before and during the revolution held its
first session at Philadelphia, beginning
Sept. 5, IVA. This Congress, also. was first
suggested by Benjamin Franklin. When it
first met neither revolution nor rebellion
was thought of, and it's action was con-
fined to a mere declaration of rights and
wrongs. A second Continental Congress
met at Philadelphia May 10, 1775, and con-
tinued in session till Dec. u, 1776. By that
time the war was on. The delegates to
these congresses were appointed by popu-
lar conventions or by state assemblies. The
idea Of popular elections had not yet taken
shape. As the members of the Continental
Congress were constantly changing, some
being recalled and others appointed in their
places, it was really a continuous body.
Between Sept. 5, IVA, and Nov. 5, 1877, it
held fourteen sessions, three at Philadel-
phia, one at Baltimore. one at Lancaster,
Pa, one at York, Pa, one at Princeton, N.
j., one at Trenton, one at Annapolis and
four at New York city. 1t was a congress
of rapid changes in more senses than one.
Though it rendered great services it also
made mistakes, and by the time its term
expired it's authority was very feeble. Usu-
ally not more than a third of its members
were in attendance. Dec. 20. 1888. Congress
informed the States that only twenty dele
gates, representing seven States, were pres
ent, and that at least two more States must
be represented to ratify the treaty of peace
with Great Britain. This was at last rati-
fed by twenty-three delegates, represent
ing nine States out of thirteen-so difficult
was it in those days to get the Congress
together even for great emergencies.
The Continental Congress was succeeded
by the Congress of the Federation, which
held it's first annual session at Trenton.
n. j., and its next four at New York.
On the I'd of March. 17S9, after the Con-
s~titution had been adopted, only one mem
Der appeared. and the old Congress died a
natural death. 1t left a record of patriotic
self-sacrihcing service, crowned by the
adoption Of the Constitution which it was
instrumental in bequeathing to posterity.
The first Congress under the new Consti-
tuition met in the old City Hall. on Wall
street, New York, where the subtreasury
of the United States now stands. To re-
model the building the merchants Of New
York subscribed SO, 500. which was a great
sum in those days. There the first electoral
votes for President and Vice President were
counted, and Washington and Adams were
declared elected. 1t was while Congress
was sitting at New York hat the perma-
nent capital OF the United States came
near being located at Germantown, Pa.
On the 18th of September, 17S9. a bill to that
effect was passed by the Senate and subse-
quently by the House. with an amendment
, which, owing to the lateness of the ses-
sion, did not pass the Senate, and that was
the last OF it. From 1871 to 1893 Congress
met in Philadelphia.
In December, 1900. the capital was re-
moved to Washington, which had been Sc
lected as a permanent location, and the
first session of Congress held there began
on the 18th of November, 1900, this being
one OF the two or three occasions since the