Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-30

The story OF the Thirty-sixth congress
is the most dramatic chapter In the his
tory Of the national legts ature. Its first
session began on December g. 1859. and Il
ended when Abraham Lincoln was in
auEurated president OF the United states.
Before its stormy career was over. six Of
the southern states had seeded and had
formed the Confederates States Of Amer
lea. jefferson Davis was inaugurat'd
president OF the confcderacy on February
1861. Only a few weeks before he had
babe farewell to the United States SEN
ate in a speech Of profound pathos. Other
southern senators and representatives left
the congress as their states seeded from
the union. and at the end the Thirty
sixth congress was almost a purely sec
tional body.
Every effort possible was made by that
congress to devise a compromise which
would again postpone the Inevitable con-
flict. John J. Crittenden. a senator from
Kentucky. whose public service began In
the war Of 1872. and who entered congress
as early az lsl6, earned the respect Of
congress and the praise Of history for his
efforts to effect a peaceful, compromise.
but his work was vain. Peace was i'm
possible. That congress opened with the
house so evenly divided between the op-
posing factions that two months elapsed
before il was possible to elect a speaker.
William Pennington Of New Jersey finally
was elected. the vote Of Henry Winter
Davis Of Maryland. a southern American"
giving the republicans victory after the
long. long struggle. But the regular re-
publican candidate, John Sherman, could
not win because his name had been signed
TO an endorsement Of Helpers book, The
impending Crisis" Pennington was a
new member end his strength was alto
gether in his weakness-he was unknown
and had no enemies.
In the senate the chair was occupied
by John c. Breckenridge OF Kentucky, vice
president, and the candidate OF the south
ern wing OF democratic party for presi-
dent. He witnessed the departure of his
political followers and supporters as they
left the senate; but he kept his seat, he
presided over the count Of the electoral
votes and he declared Abraham Lincoln
and Hannibal Hamlin elected president
and vice president Of the United States.
A little later he was a general in the
armies of the confederate states. The
senate during this congress honored Jesse
d.. Bright of Indiana by electing him
president pro tempore Of that august
body; In the next congress 1t expelled him
on a charge Of treason.
The history Of the Thirty-sixth congress
is important only because OF its ramatic
incident. It did little or nothing affecting
the permanent status Of the country. 1t
engaged itself in vain, but patriotic, en-
deavors to avert the storm that is now
believed to have been inevitable. But in
those days men still hoped for ~reconcilia-
ton. There was a strong union sentiment
both north and south, and in both sec
lions there was an element which floutcd
the constitution. The extreme secession
party, supreme in South Carolina, blazcd
the way for d~isunion. Yet Alexander II
Stephens. Zebulon B. Vance and men of
their kind opposed secession. When their
states decided to leave the union the vast
majority held to~the doctrine Of state
sovereignty and gave their allegiancs to
the state rather than to the nation. AT
the north the extreme abolitionists had
denounced the constitution as "a league
with death and a covenant with hell"
There was by nc means a sufficient anti
slavery sentiment in the north to justify
a battle upon that Issue. The north made
9TH Union" it's shibboieth.
OF the men who made up the Thirty
sixth congress, but few are living. Perhaps
the only survivors are General Daniel e.
sickles and Judge Roger A. Pryor. Both
were democrats, Sickles from New York
and Pryor from Virginia. Sickles became
a major-general in the federal army, Pryor
was a member OF the confederate congress.
Both now live in New York.
The Thirty-seventh congress met first in
special session on July 4, 1861. at the call
OF President Lincoln. The civil war mad
then begun. but as yet no one expected it
TO last long, and no one dreamed what
four years would bring. Nine of the Sc
ceding states had no representation, the
loyal portions Of Virginia and Tennessee
sending both senators and representa-
tives.
Galusha A. Grow of Pennsylvania was
elected speaker OF the house, but Thad-
deus Stevens assumed the position OF par.
liamentary learder Of the republican party
and became. in fact. the master OF the
house. The speaker reflected his will, and
he drove the house to an acceptance OF his
DEGREES. A man whose private life and
personal mannerisms were such that he
could never attain genuine popularity, he