Evening star., 1942-02-22
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The Congress of 1892, there not being
much doing, virtually took a holiday.
Said The Star of Feb
Congress ruary 20 of that year:
And the Fair The Chicago Worlds
Fair excursion has
practically wiped Congress out. At the
Capitol 1t was almost as quiet as during
a summer recess. During the course of
the day there were probably a dozen
galleries were empty and the visitors on.
the floor were few. Everything that
looked like business was shut off"
The reference was to the famous
Columbian Exposition which was to be
opened on May /, 1898.
The Patent Office, until recently, was
sheltered in the Department OF Com
merce Building, but so
Potent Office years ago it was housed
CONGESTION in the old Interior De-
rartment Building, and
apparently in not too good physical
condition. The Star of February 20,
1892, commented: The galleries of
the western salon are stored with
heavy material far beyond the weight
which they were originally intended
to support and at some places be-
yond the limits of safety. These
points should be relieved and no
greater weight imposed" In report
of the chief of the draughting division:
THE recommendation Ito remove the
excess weight cannot be complied with,
nor can orders for the purchase of copies
of patents in future issues be filled un-
less additional space is provided"
Later the use of scale models was dis
continued. drawings and blueprints be-
ing accepted instead, which cut down
greatly space and weight requirements.
Great interest was taken in the COM
ing meet of the L. A. W., initials now
without meaning, but then re-
~r ferring to the League of Ameri-
SIe"'' can Wheelmen. In an article
on February 20, 1892, The Star
said: Probably the most important
problem now being solved by the L. A.
W. is the question of better roads
throughout the United States 4. AL
ready much work has been done, but
there is very much yet to be accom-
plished . In this work the horsemen
will join hands, but cyclers will take the
lead" No expectation then was evil
dent that the automobile would come
along and take the lead away from both.
In view of present criticism of the
government in Britain, it is interesting
to note that so years ago
Crisis " in the British cabinet had a
Britoin crisis, or what was
thought to be one. The
Star of February 20, 1892. reported. in
a dispatch from London: Meeting Of
the British Cabinet Causes Rumors A
cabinet meeting was held today, and
after it adjourned the report spread that
serious dissensions existed among the
ministers regarding the Irish local gov
ernment bill. The opinion was ex-
pressed that a crisis was impending"
to this day the Irish question is not
really settled.
X X
A practical solution was assured to the
problem of riots that had occurred in
Tennessee several
No More months before, when
Conviet Iobor miners objected to
the use of convict
labor in the industry. Said The Star of
February 20, 1892: THE mine troubles
in the Coal Creek Valley have at last
been settled. The Tennessee Mining
Co., which caused the incident by plac-
ing the convicts in the mines, has agreed
to conclude an agreement satisfactory
to all parties. The mines will be op-
Grated by free miners on the co-opera-
tive plan The scheme will be put
into operation Immediately"
=