Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-01-04
When Congress Met In Wall Street.
BY o. P. AUSTIN,
Statistician. the National City Bank OF
New York.


Just 131 years ago the Congress Of the
United States was bidding adieu to Wall
street, where it had associated with the
money power" for a fve-year period, re-
turning temporarily to its scenes OF
former activity at Philadelphia, whence
it was to finally remove to the new capt.
tai to be established on the Potomac.
Few of the thousands Of people who
pass the historic spot at the corner Of
Wall and Nassau streets, but few feet
from the doors of the National City Bank
of New York, are mindful of the stirring
events which occurred during the five
years in which it was the abiding place
of Congress.
1t was in 1855 that the Congress of the
Confederation, after a decade of wander
ing in search of a permanent abiding
place, established itself in the modest old
City Hall, which then stood at the cor
ner of Wall and Nassau streets. During
the period of its existence, which began
at Philadelphia in 1874, it had held ses-
sion in no less than seven different cities
and towns, thus making New York the
eighth capital of the United States,
while Washington became in its turn the
ninth capital
CONGRESSMAN KEPT
on THE RUN.
The neripatetic life which Congress had
led during the decade before settling
down in New York had been in large
degree due to the necessity of hurried
moves to prevent the capital and the
Congress falling into the hands of the
British
The first movement from the original
meeting place, Philadelphia, occurred in
1916 when the British were preparing
to move upon that town, and the Deem
Der session of that year, 177G. was held
al Baltimore.
With the danger Of an immediate oc-
cupation of Philadelphia temporarily re-
moved, however, the Congress returned
to that city in March. 1777 But with
another movement Of the British in that
direction, it hastily removed to Ian
caster, Pa, where it remained for but
three days. removing thence to York on
the opposite side Of the Susquehanna.
where il spent all of that terrible winter
in which Washington was at Valley
Forge.
SOLONS RETURN
To OLD QUARTERS.
On the evacuation Of philadelphia by
the British in 177S, Congress returned to
its old quarters in that city, remaining
there until 1873. Owing to some misun-
derstandings with the Philadelphia
authorities, it removed over night to
Princeton, n. J. At Princeton it com
pleted its session and there adopted a
plan for the creation Of two permanent
capital cities, one TO be located on the
Potomac and the other on the Delaware:
the sessions pending the construction of
the proper buildings at the new capitals
to be held alternately at Anna polls and
Trenton.
The session Of 1888 was held at An
napols and that Of 1854 at Trenton, where
it appears that the lure OF the great city
Of New York, which had then a popu-
lation Of $4,000, overturned the double
apital plan, and in January, 1TSJ the
Congress removed TO New York, where
it was granted the use Of the city hall.
All Of the meetings up to this time
had, Of course, occurred under the
Articles Of Confederation. which, how
ever had proven unsatisfactory, and
when the ninth State ratified the pro-
posed Constitution, in 17Ss, the Con-
gress, then in session in New York.
hastily passed a measure requiring that
the vote for the President, provided by
the new Constitution, should occur on
the first Wednesday in January, 1899"
that the electoral votes should be cast on
''the first Wednesday in February" and
tina THE President should be inaugurateI
on 1.-The first Wednesday in March" As
it happened that the first Wednesday in