Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-12-05
Fifty Years Ago
Fifty years ago Congress convened


with less than the customary excitement
because of the fact that there
CONGRESS had been a special session
Meets called by the President due
to the panic of SO, and 1t had
not been so long since Congress had
been open. There was very little Of the
usual noise and hubbub of the opening
session." commented The Star of De-
cember 4, 1893. The galleries were well
filled by the hour of reassembling, but
there was little OF the usual rush for
early chances for seats. = There was
little in today's session to require the
presence of members except the neces-
sity for quorum
The statue OF Gen. James S. Shields,
soldier, statesman and jurist, presented
by the State OF
Soldier and Illinois, was I'M
Statesman honored yelled in statu-
airy hall at the
Capitol this afternoon at o'clock The
ceremonies were impressive and inter-
esting" So said The Star of December
6, 1898. Gen. Shields had been twice
wounded in the Mexican War and once
In the Civil War Politically, he estab-
lished a record not likely to be broken.
He was elected Governor of Oregon
Territory, resigned to become Senator
from Illinois. then moved to Minnesota
and promptly was elected Representa-
tive from that State
Taken for granted now is the stately
Library of Congress on Capitol Hill, but
half a century
Progress on ago it was I'M
Library Of Congress der construc-
tion. Gen.
Casey. in charge Of the work, gave
Congress his annual report. printed in
part in The Star of December I, 1893:
The work has continued without serious
delay or interruption throughout the
year. 1t has consisted chiefly of ma
sonry in the front or exterior walls of
the entire building and in the interior
columns and walls Of the west main
pavilion, the erection Of the dome, the
continuance of the cast iron framing
and casing of windows and doors and
the manufacture of ironwork for the
roof"
The Star of December 6, 1893, re-
ported a serious fire in the Navy Yard
at Norfolk: Fire was
Fire at discovered In building
Navy Yard No. Is, containing steam
engineering and general
stores at 7:30 this morning. g"
The building, IS by $50 feet, and two
stories high, was entirely destroyed, with
its contents. 1t is impossible to state the
loss, but it will probably exceed $3.50, 00o."
~
From Highland Light, Mass, The Star
Of December 6, 1893, reported sea dis
aster: The British ship
AVessel Jason, Capt. Mcmillan, CAL
Islost cutta for Boston, went ashore
last night off Eastman. When
daylight came on this morning it was
seen that the ship had broken in two
amidships. Her main and mizzen masts
are gone and every man but one of her
crew on board, numbering 26, were
washed into the sea and lost"
Interesting today is speculation In The
Star Of December 4, 1893, of the possible
establishment of an Ital-
Republic ian republic, with the Pope
Of Italy? as President. and with the
city of Rome as a sort of
District of Columbia. There was much
dissatisfaction in the kingdom, on the
ground that the King had lost touch
with the desires of his people by unfit
friendship" with the wrong crowd. At
the present moment. no one in Italy's
District of Columbia is permitted to vote,
but plans are being made by the United
Nations to remedy that injustice and
give the Italians a Congress that will
allow Romans the suffrage.
The perennial conflict between Con-
gress and the District Commissioners
over appropriations for the District got
under way. Secretary Of the Treas
ury Carlisle recommended a substantial
cut. Predictions in The Star Of Deem
Der 5. 1898, that there would be q bitter
Tight were verified later.