Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 March 1891 — CONGRESS ADJOURNS. [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS ADJOURNS.

The 51st Congress is no more. Its life ended at noon, March 4. During its last hours many important appropriation bills were passed. The Senate was in session all of the night previous. The morning’* transactions were witnessed by a iarg e crowd of spectators. The Vice President was thanked for the dignified and able manner in which he had presided over the Senate. At 11:30 Mr- McPheraon, the clerk o* the House, presented to the Senate the deficiency bill enrolled and signed by the Speaker, and it was immediately signed by the Vice President and carried to tha President, who, In company with members of the Cabinet, was occupying his room adjoining the Senate. Messrs. Blair, Ev* arts, Hampton, Ingalls, Payne and Spooner of the Senate, whose terms expired at noon, wers in the chamber to the last, and no outward manifestation of conoern or regret at leaving the old familiar hall, although now and again one of their assncis aves approached to say farewell Ur. Edmunds reported that the commit* tee appelated to wait upon the President

In eon junction Wth a similar committee of 'he House had waited upon him and had informed him that tho two Houses had concluded their business and were ready to adjourn, and that the President bad replied that he had no further coiumnnication to make, and he wished to the President ,of the Senate an&o&ll its members a 'happy return to their homes 'and every felictt. The bands on the dial of the Sen. at* elock pointed to five minutes befqre noon, and it appeared as if for the firs' time in the memory of this generation, the amusing little scene of old Captain Basset’s march to the locality of the elook, with long white wand in hand in order to put back the minute hand to suit the emergency of the occasion, was to be omittedThose who imagined so, however, were I amusingly disappointed, for the venerable j gentleman, wand in hand and with his characteristic gait, strode solemnly up the center aisle amid the hardly suppressed laughter of a thousand spectators—and turned back by about three minute# the hands upon the dial. Once again and a third time, still the time-killing operation was performed, and finally when the thing was overdone, be stalked back for the fourth time, and advanced the hands a few minutes. Meanwhile the clerk of 4he House had brought over a joint resolution just passed to correct an error in the enrollment of the agricultural appropriation bill. The joint resolution was passed, the last piece of the Senate legislation of the fifty-first Congress, but Lt was of no force or effect for before lt could be sent back to the House that body (not having recourse to the Bassett method of postponing the noon hour) adjourned. When no other scrap of business remained to be transacted and when the clock had taken a three minutes’ step forward at a touch of tho old wizard’s wand the Vice-President arose and made hi s farewell speech; There was a great deal of applause on the floor and tbe galleries at the conclusion of Mr. Morton’s little speech at exaotly thirty mihutee past 12. Tbe next half hour, or so, they were on the floor and in the balls many hearty, and probably sincere, leavetakings of Senators with eaoh other ana with Senate officials. THE HOCSE. The House, like the Senate, kept strictly to business until all the important meas* ures' bad been d lSr™ Burrows, of Michigan, taking the chairs Mr. McKinley, of Ohio, offered the following: That the thanks of this House are pro sented to Hon. Thomas B. Reed for the able, impartial and dignified manner in which he has presided over its deliberations and performed the arduous and important duties of the chair. Mr. Mills demanded the yeas and nays The resolution was agreed to—yeas 152 nays 116—a strict party vote. The Repubs loans immediately burst into a volley of cheers, which were only redoubled when Mr. Mills inquired whether this was a part of the funeral services. Mr. Cannon, of Illinois, submitted the conferenoe report on the general defleien* oy bill and while he was explaining tb« report the Speaker resumed the chair. Hi* appearance was the signal for a wild outburst on the Republican side. Papers and records were thrown in the air handkerchiefs were waved and for a few moments the ehamber rang with cheers. But throughout the tumult the Speaker was calm, and with a few vigorous strokes of the gavel restored order. Then Mr. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, rising, paid a warm tribute of respect to the chairman of the committee on appropriations, Mr Cannon. On the floor, in committee and in personal oontact, he said, Mr. Cannon had always earned the gratitude of the gentlemen on the Democratic side. [Loud applause on both sides of the chamber.] The Speaker stated that in the enrolling of the agricultural bill the appropriation of $250,000 for the relief of destitute persons in the West had been Inadvertently retained. He therefore asked unanimous consent for tbe passage of a joint resoluion rectifying the mistake. Mr. Pickier* of South Dakota, objected, where Mr. Funston of Kausas, vigorously exclaimed: “Sbameonyou; shame on you! You vil*. lain!” But Mr. Pickier subsequently withdrew his objection and the joint resolution was passed. SFK4.KEK HEED’S SPEECH. Speaker Reed then arose and said: After two long and stormy sessions, in some respects unparalleled in a hundred years, the House of Representatives of the Fifty-first Cougress will soon pass with completed record into tue history of the country, and its works will soon follow it. : What we have done is in a large measure political. Whatever is political arouses the sternest, tbe most turbulent, the most unforgiving passions of the human race, i Political action can never be justly view ed from a near standpoint. Time and distance are needed for a ripe judgment, and the verdict of history is tbe ouly verdict worth recording. To state in language which would seem to me to be adequate the achievements of the House would not he suitable to this , time or to this place. Nor is it in the least needful that it should here and now rekindle old disputes or fan the dying embers of struggles passed and gone. Whether we have disposed of questions of finance with the wisdom of broad statesmanship, time will surely show. Whether in tbe things we have done and the things we have attempt ’d for the furtherance of human liberty we were actuated by high and honorable motives will be visible to ail the world at no distant day. If our deeds do not praise us our words can not. Confident as lam of the verdict of time on what we have done, I am still more ootifident that tbe highest commendation will be given us in the future, not for what measures we have passed, valuable as they are, but because we have taken so long a stride in the direction of responsible government. Having demonstrated to the people that those who have been elected to do tbeir will can doit, henceforth excases will not be taken for non-perform-ance, and government by tbe people will be stronger in the land. Toward those who have opposed what the majority of the House have desired we can have no unkindly or personal fbelings. Whoever offers battle to old convictions and faith must expset battle, and the vigor of tho resistanoe must always bear some proportion to the vigor of the onset. To members on my left with whom I am politically associated I beg to tender my most sincere and heartfelt acknowledgements. No man ever received more ungrudging and unflinching suppert or from a band of men more patrlotio. I aw proud to acknowledge in all that has been dose I have baeu but one in the multitude, nod that the honor* of ths Flfty-lrst Congress bslong to you alone. 1 now doclar* this House ts be adjourned without delay.