Evening star., 1946-11-17
Capital Sidelights
Bu viii p. Kennedu

There will be 113 new faces In the
Eightieth Congress-92 in the House and
s in the Senate, while II others who
served as Republicans in previous Con-
crosses are returned. In the past 90
years the Republicans have been in
control Of the Senate in 80 Congresses
and Of the House In ~ Congresses.
Three times the Republicans have had
Senate majority Of one-in the Sixty
Congresses, while back in the Forty
seventh Congress the two major parties
were tied, each having 81 Senate seats.
As rule the Democrats when in
Senate control had larger majorities
For example, in the Seventy-fifth Con-
gress 1937-l939) the Democrats had
majority OF rs to II. During those
90 years the Democrats had control
In the Senate only Is times and in the
House 10 times. In the incoming Con-
gress the party division in the House
is Republicans, lag; Democrats. 1873. The
highwater mark of House control was
held by the Democrats also in the
Seventy-fifth Congress, 333 to SO. The
Republicans best House showing was
in the Sixty-seventh Congress, 800 to 1872.
y
Thanksgiving Day, our annual ma
tional festival in appreciation of the
! henefactionS and mercies of the closing
year. while 1t harks back to the Pill
grim fathers, really was brought over
by them from Holland. Such an OBJ
seryance was held in Holland in 1874
when it was decided to build the UNI
versity of Leyden. There are records
Of another observance in Holland In
1900 when the Pilgrims were in that
country. The Pilgrims after their first
harvest observed day Of thanksgiving
by direction Of Gov. Bradford of the
Massachusetts Colony at Plymouth in
1921. Another in 1923 was in apprecia-
tion Of q fall Of rain after a drought.
Since 1880 an annual thanksgiving has
been observed. Congress recommended
days Of thanksgiving during the Revo-
luton and in 1874 for restoration Of
peace. Washington also appointed such
day in 1859 after adoption of the
Constitution and again in 1795 for the
benefits and welfare of the Nation.
President Madison similarly called for
general thanksgiving after peace was
restored in 1915. Since 1868 the Presi-
dents have issued proclamations follow
ing the wartime example of Lincoln.
r. kkr t1,n E,~ct fof -
set up its Legislature (officially known
as the General Court, which assembled
at Boston October IS, 1880, with John
Hancock as the first Governor, and
Massachusetts, still operates under its
original constitution with few amend
ments,, while many other States largely
have rewritten their constitutions. In
the Office of the Secretary of State of
Massachusetts there is preserved let
ter from George Washington dated
October 2, 1889. to Gov. Hancock trans
hitting an official copy Of the Bill
Of Rights approved by Congress on
August Is, 1859. II now IS being urged
I that Massachusetts exhibit that original
document In q special shrine at the
Statehouse. Fourteen copies, by order
OF Congress, were inscribed on parch-
ment, and IS Of those were sent person.
ally by washington to the several States
for ratification or rejection. Some Of
those original documents have been
lost. Only 10 known copies are In ex-
istence. The FIRST two proposed amend
ments never were ratified by suficient
number Of States, but the 10 others COM
prise our Bill Of Rights. Those IL pro-
posed amendments to the Constitution
were boiled down from 70 suggested
amendments in resolutions from the
State conventions which Madison, known
as the Father Of the Constitution, !, laid
before the First Congress.
+x# 4
It was John Adams who said at the
very birth Of this Nation: sYou have
rights antecedent to all earthly gov
ernment; rights that cannot be repealed
BY human laws; rights derived from the
Great Legislator Of the Universe"