The Washington times., 1901-12-22
MEN AND MEASURES
TN SIXTH CONGRESS
First Legislative Body That Met
in Wash ngtou.
MANY COMPLEX PROBLEMS.
Across tic Ale
Ehcny Mountains One of Them.
William Henry Harrison Delegate
From the Northwest Territory.


ton. in 1900. was the crossing Of the Al
lesheuy Mountains. a few adventurous
and hardy pioneers had even then climb
ed that great barrier between civilization
and the wilderness and settled in the
great Northwest territory. which had a
Delegate In the Sixth Congress in the per-
son OF William Henry Harrison. who for
ty years afterward, in 1910, was elected
President Of the United States.
In the present Congress this great
Northwest territory. instead of having
| one Delegate, has twelve Senators and
| eighty-fve Representatives from the pop
| ulous States of Ohio. Illinois. Indiana,
Michigan. Wisconsin, aud Minnesota.
Building national turnpikes over these
| mountains. two or three hundred miles
from Washington. so that the Ohio and
Mississippi valleys and lake region might
be settled. was then a matter for the
consideration Of the Sixth Congress. The
present Congress will consider the ques-
tion OF the Irrigation of the arid lands IN
the Rocky Mountain region. at that time
not part OF the United States, as the
Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican ac-
QUESTION both occurred afterward.
The proposition of irrigating the arid
plains at the base of the Rockey Noun
talns would have astounded member Of
the Sixth Congress. and the mention in a
Presidential message OF considering the
Porto Rican and Philippine problems and
governing those islands of the distant
seas as United States possessions would
have paralyzed both houses of Congress.
Congregational Representations.
The Sixth Congress had 80 Senators and
ll2 Representatives. while the Fifty-sev-
enth Congress has 30 Senator'S and 357
Representatives. In the Sixth Congress
the two great States were Virginia and
Massachusetts. the former having 20 Rep
resentatives and the latter 10. Pennsylvania
being next In size. with II Representa-
tives. while the now Empire State OF New
York had only 10 Representatives. Now
New York has 81 Representatives. Penn
sylvania 2S. and Virginia and Massachu-
sets. respectively. 10 and Il.
John Randolph. OF Roanoke. was the
Republicea leader Of the Sixth Congress
ministration leader until nominated by
President John Adams. Chief Justice OF
the Supreme Court The Speaker of the
House and President OF the United States
were then both from Massachusetts,. JEFF
ferson was Vice President. hence the two
most populous States. Virginia and Massa-
chusetts. had the President, presiding
officers OF both Houses. and the two paEty
leaders Ia the House. The Speaker Of
the present Congress, DaTid 3. Henderson,
comes from a region shat was then a
part OF France, Dubuque. Iowa. as the
French name OF his home town indicates.
person from that region then would
have been addressed as the gentleman
from France.
John Randolph. the Republican or Dem
ocratic leader OF the House in the Sixth
Congress, was brilliant but erratic and
naughty.
He was wealthy and proud OF the fact
that he belonged to one Of the aristo-
cratic families Of the Old Dominion. not
withstanding h,a family is said to have
descended from PGcr hontas. .
Once. in a controversy with a Con-
necticut member. who had been a saoe-
maker. Randolph asked him what he did
with his leather apron when he came TO
Congress. TIE quick -witted Yankee in
stantIy replied that he had made Con-
necticut Pocahontas pair OF moccasins
with II.
The Sixth Congress had its Hanna and
Platt, though Mr.. Hanna was from Penn
sylyania. but Mr.. Platt came from New
York. They do not appear. however. 10
have possessed the quaNsies OF leadership
which characterize the members by that
name in the present Congress.
Party spirit ran higher in the Sixth
Congress than in the Fifty sixth. and
higher than the Indications now are that
IL will run in the Fifty-sCyenth Congress.
An old writer says 1t was fortunate that
the inauguration of jefferson and the
closing scenes of John Adams admins
tration took place in the seclusion of
washington rather than in a large city
like New York or Philadelphia as thus
bloodshed was probably ayerted."
This Congress possessed men Of good
ability; for example. John Marshall. call
cd by many our most profound jurist.
But some of the Congresses that soon
followed were more brilliant. those in
which such men as John Quincy Adams.
CLAW. Webster. and Calhoun we're mem
hers. John Quincy Adams served seven
teen wears in the House OF representa-
tfyes after he had been President four
years, Minister to England eight years,
and Secretary OF State under Monroe
eight years.
Author of 'hc Monroe Doctrine.
He is the principal author of what is
known as the Monroe Doctrine" pro-
Mitigating it in his report as Secretary
OF state and having his views endorsed
by President Monroe in his message to
Congress. No one. however. ever thinks
Of giving him any credit for having orig
mated this much-talked-of and popular
American doctrine. He was probably the
longest in public life Of any Of our states
men. and At last was struck down by par
alysis in his seat in the House OF Repre-
sentatives and died in the Speakers room,
TO which he had been removed.
There we're some gag rules in the House
then and the old man eloquent" fought
them In season and out 6f season. and at
last succeeded in getting them abolished
three years before he died. He is con
ceded to have been one OF the most schol-
nrly and polished of our public men. but
it is questionable whether the following