Evening star., 1939-03-03
Congress Will Mark
1Nth Anniversary
Tomorrow
90-Minute Ceremony
To Be Held in House
Wing Of Capitol

Congress will celebrate its 150th
birthday anniversary tomorrow with
elaborate ceremonies in the Sol
Bloom style which will be featured
by talks by the heads Of the three di-
visions of the Federal Government
President Roosevelt, Chief Justice
Hughes, Speaker Bankhead and
President Pro Tempore Pittman Of
the Senate.
Until the proceedings, which begin
at noon, are over, the House wing Of
the Capitol will be barred to all vino
lack ticket Of admission. The cere-
mony is to last for 80 minutes, and it
will be broadcast on national net
works by the National. Columbia and
Mutual chains. Gladys Swarthout
and John Charles Thomas of the
Metropolitan Opera Co. will sing.
The House chamber is the scene
of the ceremony, which is part of
the extensive celebration of the Con-
stitutions adoption being directed by
Representative Bloom, Democrat, of
New York. The first illustration in
the program for the occasion shows
Federal Hall, New York City, where
Senators and Representatives gath
cred for the first time March 4,
1879.
There was no quorum on that day
nor on any day until April 6, when
at last the members accomplished
the business for which they had
come Notwithstanding the votes
cast by the presidential electors on
the first Wednesday in February.
The II Senators and "a Representa-
tives present April found that
George Washington was the choice
for President and John Adams for
Vice President.
600 Invitations Issued.
More than 600 elaborately en-
graved and gilded invitations have
been issued to select list of persons
who will be privileged to sit on the
House floor for the sesquicentennial
of that first vain New York meeting
Each member of the House and
Senate was given a ticket for the
gallery, where such a crowd is ex-
pected that reserve seats have been
allotted on the stairs Most of these
Congressional tickets have been dis
tributed to wives and daughters.
The diplomatic galleries are re-
served for the members of the fam
lilies and the guests of the men in
the diplomatic corps The State De-
partments protocol division will have
a man at the Capitol to facilitate the
seating of the diplomats on the floor
and in the gallery. The executive
gallery is reserved for guests with
White House connections
The members of the joint Com
mittee on Arrangements expect that
many of their colleagues will bring
their children with them to the
floor. These will be unlimited
guests. The invited guests include:
The President, the Chief Justice
and the associate justices of the
Supreme Court, the Ambassadors,
Ministers and charge d'affaires of
foreign governments here (53); Gen.
Pershing; the chief of staff, Gen.
Malin Craig; the chief of naval
operations, Admiral William D.
Leahy; the major general COM
mandent of the United States Ma
rine Corps. Thomas Holcomb; the
comnandant of the Coast Guard,
Rear Admiral Russell R. Waesche;
the members of the cabinet, and the
District Commissioners.
Garner to Preside.
The President. with his body
guard and military aides, will be
the last to enter He will sit on the
rostrum beside the members of the
Committee on Arrangements. while
Vice President Garner, sitting next
to Speaker Bankhead behind the
President, will preside
The Senators and the Repre-
sentatives will occupy the benches
in the chamber, while the other
special guests will face them from
seats placed in the ample we'll of
the House. The program follows:
Miss Gladys Swarthout sings
"America';; Mr.. Bloom reads the
concurrent resolution. passed Feb
ruary /. providing for tomorrow's
celebration: Speaker Bankhead
talks after being presented by Mr..
Bloom; Senator Pittman talks after
being presented by House Majority
Leader Rayburn; John Charles
Thomas sings; Chief Justice Hughes
talks after being presented by Sem
ate Majority Leader Barkley: the
President talks after being pre-
sented by Vice President Garner;
Miss SWarthout and Mr.. Thomas
sing "The Star Spangled Banner;
the Rev. Ze Barney T. Phillips,
Senate chaplain, pronounces the
benediction.
The members of the Joint Com
mittee on Arrangements, besides
Mr.. Bloom, are, for the Senate, Sem
ator Barkley of Kentucky, chair
man; Senator Pittman, Senator Pat
Harrison of Mississippi Senator
McNary and Senator Borah of
Idaho; for the House, Representa-
tive Rayburn, chairman; Represen-
tative SABBATH of Illinois, Represen-
tative Eaton of New Jersey and
Representative Sumner of Illinois.
Delegation to Visit Capital.
Before the ceremonies tomorrow,
Georgetown University delegation
will visit the Capitol at 11:30 am.
to present to the Vice President and
the Speaker message of felicitation
to Congress on the commemoration
of its anniversary.
The delegation will be received in
the Office of Speaker Bankhead,
who is an alumnus of the George
town Law School. Other alumni
present at the ceremony will include
16 members of the present Congress.
Georgetown also is observing its
sesquicentennial anniversary this
year, having been founded the year
the Constitution was adopted. The
Very Rev. Arthur A. OLeary, Sd,
president, and DR.. Edmund A. Walsh,'
7 chairman of the GEORGETOWN