The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-11-29

that the vote for the president, pro-
vided by the new constitution, should
occur on "the first Wednesday in jan
uary, $780," that the electoral votes
should be cast on "the first Wednes-
day in February" and that the preSi-
dent should be inaugurated on "the
first Wednesday in March" AS it
happened that the first Wednesday in
March fell upon the fourth day of
the month. the date March 4th," as
the beginning of the term of the
president and Congress, was thus
permanently established.
Inauguration is Delayed
With the limited facilities of COM
munication and travel which charac-
terized those days in which the tele-
graph, the wireless, the railroad or
the flying machine had not yet been
dreamed of, the official report of the
election did not reach General Wash
ington at his home in Virginia until
April IA, 1889. and because of the
time occupied by his journey thence
to New York, his actual Inauguration
did not occur until April 80, 1889.
Meantime, the enterprising citizens of
New York, realizing that the dignity
of Congress and president under the
new constitution required more suit
able surroundings than those offered
by the old City Hall, had contributed
S32, 500 for the improvement of that
building, and it was renamed @Fed-
eral Hall" and thus became the meet
ing place of the First Congress under
the constitution and the place in
which Washington took the oath of
Office as the first president of the
United States.
Why Congress Moved
1t was during The second session of
that first Congress under the new
constitution that the events occurred
which resulted in the departure of the
Congress from New York and the
establishment of the permanent cap
itol of the nation at the spot now des-
ignated as the District of Columbia
and the city of Washington. One of
the first important questions laid be-
fore the Congress had been that of
the assumption by the government of
the existing debts of the Confedera-
ton and those which the states had
created during the revolution. The
) foreign debt amounted to $4,000, 900,
the domestic debt of the Confedera-
ton $42,0O0,O0O, while the debts, of
the various states incurred during the
revolutionary war aggregated $780,
100000, making the grand total of
100000, a sum which then sound
ed so large, no matter how small it
seems to US in these days in which we
count governmental appropriations in
terms of billions.
HamiltOn's Three Proposals
The proposition submitted to the
Congress by Hamilton included:
First, the assumption of the foreign
debt of the Confederation; second, the
! full payment had fallen far below on
its market value; and, third, the as
, sumption by the government of the
; debts incurred by the respective
states during the revolution. The
first proposition, for full payment of
the foreign debt met with no opposi-
ton, and that for the payment of the
| domestic debt was opposed by many
. but received a majority vote.
Opposition is Aroused
The third proposition, that the gov
eminent of the United States should
assume the debts created by the re-
spective states during the revolution
airy war was bitterly opposed and its
final settlement resulted incidentally