Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1913-10-25
CONGRESS HALL IS
DEDICATED AND
RESTORED
HISTORIC STRUCTURE or THE EARLY
DAYS OF The REPUBLIC RE-
STORED AND OPENED WITH
PATRIOTIC EXERCISES IN ROOM
WHERE CONGRESS FIRST MET.
PRESIDENT AND MANY
NOTED GUESTS PRESENT

! Inllduelpnid, fd., WI ID Noii
gress hall, scene of many historic
events in the early days of the re
public, was re-dedicated today in the
presence of President Wilson and {
great crowd.
| Rain fell intermittently, but did moi
/ Interfere with the patriotic exercises
which were held in the hall where con
gress met from 1890 to 1900.
| The old structure has been restored
to almost its original appearance by
architects who sought to make the
building look as it did when Wash
ington delivered his farewell address
within it's walls.
President Wilson was given a
cordial reception by large crowd
He was welcomed by reception com
mittee headed by Mayor Blankenburg
and was driven through crowded
streets to Congress hall in Independ-
ence Square.
The president and Speaker Clark
were the principal speakers at the eX-
ercises. John Wanamaker presided,
as the reception plans called for visit
to Swarthmore to speak at the Annual
Founders day exercises.
President Wilson arrived here in
the early afternoon and was officially
welcomed by a large reception COM
mittee composed of some Of the lead.
ing men of the city. With the presi-
dent came Vice President Marshall,
Speaker Clark. Chief Justice White
and several associate justices. sena'
tors from the thirteen original states,
and members of the house of repre-
sentatives equal to the number OF
members sitting in congress in the
latter part of 1899 and the beginning
of European and South American
countries who had accepted invita-
tions were also the chaplains of the
senate and house.
vue-Stratford hotel at which were
present the president and vice presi-
dent, all the other invited guests from
Washington, the governors of num-
Der of states, and the several commit
tees having charge of the ceremonies.
After the luncheon came the parade
with President Wilson near the head
of the line. In the procession were all
the sailors and marines stationed at
the Philadelphia navy yard; four COM
panies of coast artillery from Fort du
Pont and Fort Mott on the Delaware
river; a provisional brigade of the
Pennsylvania national guard, the
Philadelphia cavalry commands at
tached to the state militia and the
patriotic societies. The parade
wound its way through the business
section of the city to Independence
square, whence President Wilson was
to congress hall. He was
attended by the First troop, Philadel.
phia city cavalry, which has escorted
every pTeSlueHJ VINO Has Fsslltu Tllll'
adelphia since the time of George
Washington.
AS the president approached the
historic hall a chorus of one hundred
voices greeted the nations chief ex-
ecutive with a patriotic song. Brass
bands blared forth stirring music and
the great crowd of people massed in
and about the square cheered.
The old building is small having
width of fifty feet and 9 depth of
about seventy-five feet. For this rea-
sen only $50 persons could be crowi-
I'd on the first floor where the lower
iouse of congress met. The senate
leld its sessions on the second floor
1uring the exercises today President !
Wilson sat in the chair occupied ty |
[ohn Hancock when he presided over
he continental congress at the sigh
ng of the declaration of independ-
nee. 1t was the first time the chair
lad been used since President Grant .
the privilege of sitting in
t in 1876.