Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, December 16, 1921, Page 16

i 4 i was: to. By O. P. AUSTIN Just 131 years ago the Congress of the United: States was bidding aditu, to” Wall Street, where it had ssociated with the “money power” for ‘a fiveryear period, returning _:emp_orar{l.\!..tn its scenes of former activity Rz hiladelphia, whence it 3 nally rémave to' the new capifol' to be established on the Batomac. %swgf'ihe théusands of people who pass the historic spot at the sornerof Wall and Nassau streets, &_lflt a few feet from the doors: of e ¥ National City Bank of New 'ofk, are mindful of the stirring eygnts which occurred during the five years in which it was the abid- ing-plece of Congress. | . New York Eighth Capitol © I¢ was in 1785 that the Congress of the Confederation, after a de- cade ‘of wandering in search of a ';grmaflem abiding place, estab- .15bed,ns'e1f in the modest old City Hall, which'then stood at the cor- ner of Wall and” Nassau streets. During the period of its existence, whlih; began. at Philadelphia in 177 h it had held session in no_less thag” ‘seven different cities and towas, thus making New York the alg}uh itol of the United States, while shington became in its turn the ninth capitol. Kept on the Run The peripatetic life which Con- es5 had led during the decade be- fore settling down in New York hiad. been in large degree due to the ucqssity of ‘hurried moves to pre- vent the Capitol 'and the Congress falling in‘o the hands of the British. The' first movement from the oflgmgl meeting place, Philadel- hia, occurred in 1776, when the British were preparing to move up- on ‘that itown, and the Degember * pession of that year, 1776, was held at_Baltimore. Wih the danger of an immediate occupation of Philadelphia tem- porarily removed, however, the C.ongk;s returned to that city in Mareh, 1777, But_with another moyement of the British in that direction, it hastily removed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where it remained but for three days, re- moying thence to York on the op- nosite. | 3?&?,1;;51)?[( ]allwof that ‘terrible T in which Washington was at ViHley Forge. al Returns. to Old Quarters Qn_ the evacuation, of PhilnrlfllJ phia by the British in 1778, gross returned to its old quarters lxggthnt eity, remaining there until 783, i Owi to some misunder- 4 with the Philadelphia authoritiey, it removed aver night ta Irinecton, 'N. (A it completed” il nand thore adppted. o plan’ Tor the creation of {wo._ permongnt capitol cik ¢s, ane 4o be located on the Polomae river, and. the; other on the: Deln-, . side of the Susquehanna, ware; the sessions pending the con- struction. of the proper buildings at the new capitols to be held alter- nately at Annapolis and Trentom, Lure of Great City The session of 1783 was held at Annapolis and ‘that of 1784.at Tren- ton, where it appears that the Jure of the great, city of New York, which had then a population of 33,000, overturned the double capi~ tol plan, and in January, 1785, 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 coutse, occurred under | the Articles of = Confederation, which, however, had proven um- satisfactory, and when the ninth state ratified the proposed Constitu~ tion, in 1788, the Congress, then in session in New York, hastily passed a measure reguiring that the vote for the President, provided by the new Constitution, should eccur on “the first Wednesday .in January, 1789, that the electoral votes should be cast on “the first Wed- nesday in February,” and that the President should be inaugyrated on “the first Wednesday in’ March.” As it happened that the first Wed- nesday. in Ma{ch fell upon the fourth day:of that month, the date “March 4th,” as. the beginning of the term of the President and Con- ress, was thus permanently estab- lished, : Inauguration is Delayed ‘With the limited facilities of com- munication and’ travel ‘which char- acterized those days in which the telegraph, the wireless, the railroad or the flying machine had not yet been dreamed of, the official report of the election did not reach Gen- cral Washington. at his lome in Virginia until April 14, 1789, and because of the time occupied by his journey thence to New York, his actual inauguration did not occur until April 30, 1789. Meantime, the enterprising citizens of New York, realizing that the dignity of Con- gress and President under the new Constitution required more suitable surroundings: thzn those offered by the old City Hail, had contributed $32,500 for the improvement of that building, and it was re-named “Fed- eral Hall” and thus became: the mecting place of the First Congress under the Constitution and the place in which Washington took the oath of office as the first Pres~ ideut of the United States. ‘Why Congress Moved It was during the second session of that first Eongrcs's under the new Constitution that the evenis accurred which resulted “in, the de- vnnrc of the Congress from New ork and the establishment: of the permaiient capitol of the nation at the spot now. designated as the District .of Columbia and’ the city I After five years in old Federal Hall it was pa;cking its bags‘Just‘ 131 years ago to move to Philadelphia, thence to Washington. The American Congress had ten mecting places up until the time t was permanently located in Wash- ington in 1800. TE= pictures reproduced here are from. rare old: prints:and ortginay drawings, collected b 8:y 10. 3 5. étr. A‘:m'"'nlll]‘cyl’ln'rle lli-?liq bcll;);x in the order ‘in which the buildings were octupied by Congress: arpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, 2 v s 3 a Tndepewence Hall, Philadelplia, 1775, 177776, &= QG Hal News Yol oAl ddspssgu l{altiy‘ng?é, ‘December; 1776, z 7.. Federal 7Hall, New York (reconstructed City ourt-house, Yark, Pennsylvania, 1777. idenf Washington was inaugurated. Nassau Hall, Princeton, N. J.. November, 1783. A & i State-house, Annapolis, Md., 1783. 11, ansot Capitol bui!dmg at Washington, D. C, Court-housc, Trenton, New Jerscy, 1784. 1800 N"WAIT STREET [ debt of the Confederation; second, the ‘full payment of the domestic debt, whieh had fallen far below .| ‘par in its ‘market value; and, third, the assumption by the Government of the debts incurred by the re- spective: states; during the revolu- tion, . The first: proposition, for full payment of the foreign debt met with no oppositiqn,'ang that for the payment of ‘the domestic debt was opposed by ‘many but received a majority vote. 2 Opposition is Aroused - The third proposition, that the Government of the Uhited States | should assume the debts’created by the respective states during the Revolutionary War was bitterly op- posed and its final settlement re- sulted incidentally. in the good-bi'e of Congress to«%&lall street. h opposition to payment'by the Gov- ernment of the claims. of the re- spective states was bitter and long drawn_out, much of the opposition being based upon the assertion that the claims had been already bought up by speculators and that the as- srmption by the Congress under = Wall Street in the early days of the Republic. “custom house” sign is on the site of the present City Bank of New York. N \ FRIDAY EVENING,; DECEMBER 16, 1921 scemed likely to fail, diplomacy got in its fine work. 'The question as. to the permanent.lpcation of the Capitol of the Nation was then pending. New. York, Philadelphia and Baltimore wanted it. . So did several other enterprising cities and towns in the . middle states and in Virginia. The South, which was opposing the measure for the pay- ment of the claims of the states, was solidly in:fdvor of the transfer of the. permanent seat of govern- ment to that section.of the conntry. Hamilton favored. the payment of the claims of -the ‘states, -Jefferson favored the location of the Capitol at “the South, and 'these two ex- perienced men, gutung their heads together, worked out a plan which was laid before certain of their col- leagues at a dinner at.the home of Jefferson, where the details were agreed upon. The next day, to the astonishment of those not immedi- ately participating in the ‘agree- ment, the hostility of certain South- ern members-to the payment of the claims of the states mysteriously disappeared. The bill for payment of these claims was passed and a little later the measure establishing a permanent seat of Government on the Potomac becarme a law, with a.proviso that Congress.should: re< move to Philadelphia before the The building with the home of The National . that date would not be materially heneficial to the states themselves. Most of these claims were held in the North, and as a result, the members from the northern states - favored ~ the . proposition, while of Washington. important questions laid hefore the Congress had becn that of the as- symption by the Govérnment of the existin and. those: which the, states: had created during the revolution. forgign debt amounted to $12,000,- ‘ these days in which we count gov- ernmental appropriations in .terms of billions. Hamilton’; Three Propdsals The proposition sl)bmitt_cd to the Congress 'by Hamilton included: 000, the domestic debt of the Con- federation $42,000,000 while the debts of the various stales incurred during the, Revolutionary War ag-" gregated - $26,000.000 - making the - grand total of $80,000,000, a.sum " which thew sounded - large, no mat- ter_how small it scems. to-us in Que of the first debts of the Confedcration The Boy Scout Axes . . Hammers ........... Saws ... Pliers. .i.on s dwids Chisels ........ ‘Screw Drivers . ... .. MAY WE SUGGEST FOR MEN— _ Tools. Especially if they are good Help “Him” get a whole. set—one. thing' now and then soon accumulates a fine chest of needed articles. Carving Set. e iii....v..$1.25-$1.50-$2.00 eieiii....90c-$1.60-$1.75 e 2$2.00-82.75-84.50 ceiiev..25c-50c-$1.25-$1.85 e i ke et e s e 908 20 S1S0 .25¢ to 75¢ CARVING SETS FOR XMAS Every household should possess a good What better time than now to bn;erlthe whple family a present, $3.75 to $12.00 \.‘!_ ~A 8tore Full of Gifis "~ YOU’LL be surprised at the great number of ‘really useful things to be had here for Gift Giving.. What will surprise you most is the mod- erate prices -on goods ‘of very evident merit. What you buy here must give service-—or we want it back! - L 5 WE ARE, IN OUR NEW HOME! Shopping here will bé a_pl_easure for you and for |lus—we can serve you'very handily without the usual hurry and crowding ‘of Christmas time. SPECIAL, WHILE THEY LAST {A FIVE:PIECE'ALUMINUM BAKING SET; reg- ular $2.85 valug= ° L B you for a \ &) 3o - fisst, the assumption of the foreign | ;!lllllnillI!llfl!!!im!HI!HiiSI!llillfilil!llllIIIHIIIIINHHIH!IH!!!Qliiilllfl!fl!l ' ICE SKATES SEWING MACHINES WINCHESTER SCISSORS AUTO LUNCH KITS those of the South were almost solidly against.it and succeeded in temporarily defeating this feature of the measure. How it Was Settled At~this juncture, when the as- sumption of the debts of the states it T GIVE SXATES No.doubt there will be, ample opportinity to ‘uég them be- fore spring, and good skatés last xvna'ny‘scaspns:—‘h,ex:e at $1 .50—$2.25—$5.00—$8.00~$12.5 date=set for the next session, the first Monday in . December, 1790, and remain_ there until the. year 1800, by which time the Qapntol buildings and presidential residence would be ready for occupancy. And this js how it happened that 131 years ago Congress was tear- fully packing its helongings at the corner of Wall and Nassay streets preparatory ‘to the ‘trip to delphia, which was then a natter of several days instead of a couple L % =, of houts as at present, 5 od, 0 LUNCH KITS WITH GENUINE ICY-HOT BOTTLES Special for Shristmas Trade $3.00 BOYS NEED KNIVES Even the grown-up boys would thank good Knife—and you can select here from-the best; at— 60c 76¢ :$1.25 $1.50 -~ $2.00 $3.00 and up g 'MAY WE SUGGEST FOR WOMEN—- SK’AT!NQ EQUIPMENT =~ ELECTRIC GRILLS WINCHESTER SHOT GUNS, AMMUNITION FLASHLIGHTS oS : KITCHEN. GUTLERY FISHING RODS SKATES SKATING SHOES _ S AR ‘ PERGOLATORS ELECTRIC TOASTERS SKIS AND SNOWSHOES ~ GUN CASES . BIEYCLES Also a few ALUMINUM KETTLES, DOUBLE FLASHLIGHTS - ELECTRIC IRONERS TOOL CABINETS GOLF BAGS, CLUBS, BALLS ;| BOILERS and PEROOLATORS left over from our COFFEE SETS BUTCHER KNIVES WINCHESTER AXE HUNTING AXE Grand Opening;last Saturdaygs 4« 0 “WINCHESTER CARVING SETS - RIFLES POCKET KNIVES RAZORS : At ; s, EUSTRIE GURLING RO 5 REVOLVERS ' VACUUM BOTTLE e CASSERQUES. . SABLE SiLVE FISHING TACKLE, LUNCH ROXES WATCHES AUTOMOBILE ACCESSOR{ES: TOOLS AUTOMOBILE WRENCH SETS GIVE DAD A GOOD RAZOR . Like Master Barbers use, that will make a joy of shaving, at— AUTOMOBILE TIRES CORNER 4TH and MINNESOTA AVE. o installed fir'the use of farmers’ wives and families who wish to heat their lunch wlien they ‘conie 'to the city. Make ap- pointments to meet your friends here. \ Ll THE C. W. Vandersluis " ELECTRIC HEATERS VALSPAR VARNISH ELECTRIC IRONS SKATING IS HEALTHY FOR CHlLDREN Our stock is complete - / everyone at— at all times;-sizes for ’ $2.50 and $3.50 CHOCOLATE POTS ELECTRIC SWEEPERS HOUSEHOLD TOOQLS .CRUMB SCRAPERS ifllllllllflllflllllll“lI|IlllilfllmlI"llllllIIIl|lIlllllIllmll_IIllllIlllllllllllllllllllllIIMINIIlllllllllllllllllll“IIIIIIlllllllllllflllllll||IIIIIIIIIIHIHIIlllllIllIlllH[IlillllllllIfllllIllllllllllllIIlllIlIllIIIIlIIIlllllllllllllIlllll|llIlillllllmlllmllll||ll!"|lll!l!“jlllllllllllll||llllllllllllIii|||||ll||llllllIllllllIIlIlllllIlIIlI]l!IIIIIlII Phila- 7" 'VACUUM BOTTLES ELECTRIC WASHING MACHINES * WINCHESTER SHEARS PYREX GLASS UTENSILS ALUMINUM UTENSILS I fllIIIIHIB_IJIIIIIIIIIimlillfllllllllllllllllllIIIIIIHIIIHHIIIHIIIIIIIllIIllImlilIlIIIIIIIllllllllIflmllmll|IIIlllllflIIIIIIIflllmfllllllllllllllfllmlllllflllll|IIIIIIHIIII!IHIII MO {1 -