Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-25
WILSON SITS IN
HANCOCK'S CHAIR
Philadelphia Takes Holiday as
Old Congress Hall Is Re-
dedicated.
SPEAKER CHAMP CLARK
AND PRESIDENT ORATORS
Twenty-one Gun Salute by
Warships Concludes His
toric Function.

tOItC QItIhiOIls
PHILADELPHIA. Oct 25.-Con-
gress Hall, in Independence square.
the building where Congress met
from 1890 to 1900, was rededicated to-
day. after having undergone restpra-
tons to almost it's original appear
ance. The President of the United
States, the President, the chief
justice and associate justices of the
Supreme Court of the United States;
members of the Senate and House of
Representatives, ambassadors from
foreign lands, governors of the orig
inal thirteen States, and leading citi-
zens of Pennsylvania and Philadel-
phia participated in the ceremonies.
Philadelphia, as it has on many &C.
cations when patriotic ceremonies
We're held at the historic square, prac-
tically took holiday. The spectacu-
lar feature of the celebration was a
big parade, in which was represented
the two arms of the national military
service, the Pennsylvania National
Guard and patriotic societies. whose
members are descendants of those
who helped either on the field of battle
or in leg 3iative halls to found the
American government.
The exercises included an address
by President Wilson and the orator of
the day was Champ Clark, speaker of
the National House of Representa-
tives.
President Is Welcomed.
President Wilson arrived mere 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 Presl-
dent came Speaker Clark, senators
from the thirteen original States
and members of the House of Rep
resentatives equal to the number OF
members sitting in Congress in tha
latter part of 1899 and the beginning
of 1900. Ambassadors and ministers
of European and South American
countries who had accepted invita-
lions were in the Washington party
as were also the chaplains of the
Senate and House.
Luncheon was served at the Belle
yue- Stanford Hotel at which were
present the President and Vice
President, all the other invited
guests from Washington, the gov
errors of number of States and the
several committees having charge OF
the ceremonies.
After the luncheon came the parade
with President Wilson near the mead
of the line. In the procession were
all the sailors and marines stationed
at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; four
companies 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
attached 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
escorted to Congress Hall He was
attended by the First Troop, Phila-
delphia City Cavalry, which has es-
corted every President who has Wis.
tied Philadelphia since the time or
George Washington.
sets I'm Hancock's Chair.
As the President approached the
historic hall a chorus of one hundred
voices greeted the nations chief exec
utive with a patriotic song. Brass
bands blared forth stirring music.
and the great crowd of people massed
The old building is small, having a
width of fifty feet and a depth of
about seventy-five feet. For this
reason only $50 persons could be
crowded on the first floor, where the
lower House of Congress met. The
Senate held it's sessions on the second
floor. During the exercises today
President Wilson sat in the chair oc-
cupied by John Hancock when he pre-
sided over the Continental Congress
at the signing of the Declaration of
Independence. 1t was the first time
the chair had been used since Presi-
dent Grant requested the privilege
of sitting in it in 1876
The invocation was delivered by
Rev DIR. Henry N. Couden, the
chaplain of the House of Representa-
tives at Washington. This was fol-
lowed by the singing of Hail. Column
bia."
Frank Miles Day. of Philadelphia,
read a brief statement concerning the
restoration of the building. Mr. Day
was chairman of the committee of
architects having charge of the work.
Then followed the delivery of the
building to the city by the president
of the Philadelphia chapter of the
American Institute of Architects
JOHn HAL hdHhln, anu lis acceptance
by the city.
The grafton by Speaker Champ
Clark and the address of President
Wilson who stood on the rostrum
of the house where Washington de-
livered his farewell address. followed
Salute Is Fired.
The exercises were closed with the
singing of another patriotic song and
the announcement of the benediction
by the chaplain of the United States
Senate, Rev. Forrest J. Prettyman.
AS the ceremonies came to an end
a salute of twenty-one guns was fired
by the warslIips in the Delaware riy-
err.
Congress Hall is a two-story, shin
gle-roofed building. 1t stands on the
southeast corner of Sixth and Chest
nut streets, or in other words, in the
northwest corner of Independence
Square. To the east of it is indie
pendence Hall.
The building was constructed for
county purposes. Two different funds
were raised to cover the expense. In
colonial days it was the custom for
the mayor of Philadelphia, then go
ing out of office, to give banquet.
Instead of doing this, one of the may
or's contributed the cost of the feast,
$50 pounds, to the building fund for
the new county hall. The other mon
ey used in it's construction came from
the sale of an old Jail and workhouke.
Gangs of convicts. then known as
"wheelbarrowmen," began it's con-
struction in 1887 and it was completed
in 1889.
On March 4. 1889, the Assembly of
Pennsylvania, acting for the county
of Philadelphia, rendered the use of
the building as the temporary home
of Congress. Congress, which was
meeting then in New York, after
much debate. fixed the permanent
location of the national government
on the banks of the Potomac, and