Pueblo chieftain., 1921-12-18
SHIFTING SEAT OF U. S. CONGRESS
EHISTORY CHAPTER INTERESTING
Lawmakers Were Getting Away From Money Power Asso-
tons When Location Change
Was Made

actual Inauguration did not occur
untin April 80, 1883. Meantime, the
| enterprising citizens OF New York. ,
realizing that the dignity of congress
and president under the new constitu-
ton required more suitable surround
I ings than those offered by the old
! City Hall, had contributed s32,oOO for
F., the improvement of that building, and
| il was renamed Federal Hail. and
thus became the meeting place of the
| first congress under the constitution
and the place in which Washington
took theoath 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 con-
| stitution that the events occurred
/ which resulted in the departure of the
congress from New York and the
establishment of the permanent capi-
| tai of the nation at the spot now
| designated as the District of Columbia
F, and the city OF Washington. Ono OF
/ the first important questions laid be-
I! fore the congress had been that of
/ the assumption by tho government of
tue existing debts of the Confederation
and those which the states had ere
ated during the revolution. The foreign
debt amounted to si2,000.00o. the do
nestle debt of the Confederation si2.-
| 100000 while the debts OF the various
states incurred during tho revolution
AIRY war aggregated S26, 100000 making
the grand total OF $4,000. 900. a sum
which then sounded large. no matter
how small it seems to us in these days
IN which we count governmental APP
! preparations in terms of billions.
] IIAMILTON'S THREE PROPOSALS
The proposition submitted to the
| congress- by Hamilton Included: first.
hN IItNf. tIfa ..f In l.t.t .,R
the Confederation: second. the full
i payment OF the domestic debt, which
had fallen far below par in its market
value. and. third. tho assumption by
the government OF the debts incurred
by the rcspcctIv: states during the
revolution. The fret proposition, for
full payment of the foreign debt met
With no opposition. and that for the
payment of the domestic debt was op-
posed by many but received ma
jority vote. i-r
OPPOSITION is AROUSED
Tho third proposition. that tho gov
crnment OF the United States should
assume tho debts created by the re-
spectivc rtates during the Revolution
AIRY war was bitterly opposed and its
, final settlement resulted incidentally
In tho goodbye OF congrcss to Wall
street. The opposition TO payment by
the government OF tho claims OF the re-
spcctivc states WAS bitter and long
drawn out. much OF the opposition he
ing based upon the assertion that the
claims had been already bought by
by spectators and that the assump-
ton 10y III: congress under that date
would not be materially beneficial to
tho states themselves. Most of these
claims wero held In the North. and as
u result. the members from tho north
! crn s,step favored the proposition
I lxtst.t IL, fF sha q, al,
fs,lidly against II and ruccocdcd in
, temporarily defeating this feature OF
tho measure.
HOW IT WAS SETTLED
1T this juncturc. when the a-sump-
: tiou Of tn. debts OF tho states secfnf Il
ukciy to fail. diplomacy got in its fine
work. Tho question a. to the perma-
ucut luca ton OF the capitol OF the Ma
ton wits then pending. New York
y Philadelphia and Baltimore wanted it.
So did several other cntorprising elites
aud towns in the middle states and in
/. Virginia, The South. which was op-
, posing tho measure for the payment
Of IN. claims Of the states. was solidly
, in favor OF the transfer OF tho pcrma-
ncnt scat OF government to that sec
. ;ion OF the country. Hamilton favor Il
tho payment OF the claims OF tho
, states. jefferson favored the location
. OF the Capitol at tn. South. and these
! two experienced men. putting their
r heads together. worked out a plan
! which was laid before certain OF their
= colleagues at dinner at the home OF
= Jcfftrf,nn whore the details were agreed
upon. The next day. to the sstcnish-
| mcrt OF those not Immediately par
,icipating in tho agreement tho hos
tiHiy OF certain southern m.mbcrs to
the payment Of the claims OF the states
: mystcriously disappeared. The bill for
I payment Of these claims was passed
, and a litll. later the measure cstab-
, fishing a permanent seat OF gSycrn-
mont nn ,hc Potomac became u law,
/ with proyiso that congress should