USA > Pennsylvania > Pennsylvania in American history > Part 5
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enter it; the staircase leading to which runs directly from the public street. The Senate chamber is in the story above this, and it is furnished and fitted up in a much superior style to that of the lower House."
The eagle with its thunderbolts, and the centre- piece of grapevine with thirteen stars, still seen in the ceiling, marred by the useless and unornamental glass knobs, scattered over it only a few years ago, is a remnant of that "superior style " in which the Senate chamber was then fitted up. The gallery in the lower room had accommodations for three hun- dred persons. In this room stood a large pyramidal stove. A broad aisle ran through the centre.
We are told by a contemporary : "The House of Representatives in session occupied the whole of the ground floor, upon a platform elevated three steps in ascent, plainly carpeted, and covering nearly the whole of the area, with a limited loggia or pro- menade for the members and privileged persons, and four narrow desks between the Sixth street windows for the stenographers, Lloyd, Gales, Callender and Duane. The Speaker's chair, without canopy, was of plain leather and brass nails, facing the east, at or
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near the centre of the western wall. The first Speaker of the House in this city was Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, who, by his portly person and hand- some rotundity, literally filled the chair. His rubi- cund complexion and oval face, hair full powdered, tamboured satin vest of ample dimensions, dark blue coat with gilt buttons, and a sonorous voice, exercised by him without effort in putting the question, all corresponding in appearance and sound with his magnificent name, and accompanied as it was by that of George Washington, President, as signatures to the laws of the Union; all these had an imposing effect upon the inexperienced auditory in the gallery, to whom all was new and very strange. He was succeeded here by Jonathan Dayton, of New Jersey, a very tall, rawboned figure of a gentleman, with terrific aspect, and, when excited, a voice of thunder. His slender, bony figure filled only the centre of the chair, resting on the arms of it with his hands and not the elbows. From the silence which prevailed, of course, on coming to order after prayers by Bishop White, an occasional whisper, increasing to a buzz, after the manner of boys in school, in the seats in the lobby and around the fires, swelling at last to
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loud conversation wholly inimical to debate. Very frequently at this stage of confusion among the bab- bling politicians, Mr. Speaker Dayton would start suddenly upon his feet, look fiercely around the hall, and utter the words, order, order, without the bar, in such appalling tones of voice that as though a can- non had been fired under the windows in the street, the deepest silence in one moment prevailed, but for a very short time."
The voice of Muhlenberg seems to have im- pressed his contemporaries. In "He would be a Poet," a satire upon John Swanwick, published in Philadelphia in 1796, occur these lines :
" I'll tell them all how great Augustus spoke ; With what an awful voice he called to order Whene'er the gallery did on tumult border."
In the " House of Wisdom in a Bustle," a satire published in 1798, we find the following:
"The clock had just struck ; the doors were extended ; The priest to his pulpit had gravely ascended.
Devoutly he prayed, for devoutly he should Solicit for wicked as well as for good.
He prayed for the Gentile, for Turk, and for Jew,
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And hoped they'd shun folly and wisdom pursue, For all absent members - as some have a notion To dispense with this formal and pious devotion. This duty performed, without hesitation, He left to their wisdom the charge of the nation. When the parson retired, some members sat musing, Whilst others were letters and papers perusing. Some apples were munching; some laughing and joking: Some snuffing, some chewing, but none were a-smoking; Some warming their faces."
This picture, indicating a lack of decorum in the House, is, perhaps, not overdrawn, since we are informed by another writer that a few of the mem- bers "persisted in wearing, while in their seats and during the debate, their ample cocked hats, placed fore and aft upon their heads, with here and there a leg thrown across the little desk before them."
A happy chance has preserved this further piece of contemporaneous color: "At the eastern- most part of Congress Hall is a bench, on which stands a pitcher of water to cool the throats of the thirsty members."*
Henry Wansey, an Englishman, who was here in 1794, says: «Behind it is a garden which is open
* Note to " House of Wisdom in a Bustle."
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for company to walk in. It was planned and laid out by Samuel Vaughan, Esq., a merchant of London, who went a few years ago, and resided sometime in Philadelphia. It is particularly con- venient to the House of Representatives, which, being on the ground floor, has two doors that open directly into it, to which they can retire to compose their thoughts or refresh themselves after any fatigue of business, or confer together and converse without interrupting the debate."
John Swanwick, himself a noted member of Congress from Philadelphia, as well as a poet of reputation at the time, in some verses "On a Walk in the State House Yard, June 30, 1787,"* which he seems to have made with his Delia, "to see her smile and hear her gentle talk," describes it as a place where the young people of that day did their courting. He pays a warm tribute to the man who
"planned this soft retreat
And decked with trees and grassy sod the plain,"
in lines which predict
* " Swanwick's Poems," p. 94.
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"Oh! how much more shall he be crowned by fame Who formed for lovers this auspicious grove;"
and while he does not forget that
"Even now the sages whom the land convenes To fix her empire and prescribe her laws,
While pensive wandering through these rural scenes, May frame their counsels for a world's applause,"
he nevertheless thinks it more suited for enraptured swains who twine sportive garlands and reveal their wishes and fears.
Brissot de Warville came to Philadelphia in 1788. He was much impressed by our Quaker people, and was on terms of close and intimate friendship with many of them, including Miers Fisher, the noted lawyer. His head, filled with decided opinions concerning philanthropy and the rights of mankind, was cut off by the guillotine in the early days of the French Revolution. He de- scribes what we call the square in this way : "Be- hind the State House is a public garden. It is the only one which exists in Philadelphia. It is not large, but it is agreeable. One can breathe there. There are large squares of green divided by walks."
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Judge Mitchell, in his interesting address upon the District Court, delivered twenty years ago, says : "There was no entrance on Sixth street, no partition between the present Quarter Sessions room and the room of the Highway Department, and no stairs at that point leading to the second story. The entrance was on Chestnut street into a vestibule, thence into a sort of second vestibule or foyer for spectators, and then a large room, occupied during the time the Congress sat here after its completion by the House of Representatives. The staircase to the second story was in the vestibule next to Chestnut street, and led up to a similar vestibule, from which ran a broad entry southward to the Senate Chamber, which was the present District Court room No. I. The space now occupied by the District Court room No. 2, and the witness rooms, lately the Law Li- brary, was divided into four committee rooms, two on each side of the broad entry I have mentioned. On the north side of the Senate Chamber was a gallery, attainable only by a steep spiral staircase leading up from what has since been the east or conversation room of the Law Library. This gal- lery was not a part of the original plan of the
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building, and was put there after the room was ac- cepted by the Senate. It was very close to the ceiling, narrow, dark and uncomfortable. After the room came to be used by the courts the gallery was commonly kept closed, as I learn from Judge Coxe, because it became a place of resort for the hangers- on, who frequently went to sleep and snored, to the great disturbance of the proceedings. It was finally removed in 1835."
The late John McAllister used to tell that once, in his boyhood days, he and another urchin found their way into this gallery and sat down to watch the proceedings of the Senate. He and his friend were the only spectators. Presently Thomas Jefferson arose and announced: "The Senate is about to go into executive session. The gentlemen in the gallery will please withdraw." Whereupon the two boys took their hats and departed, often afterwards saying, that at least they could claim to be gentlemen upon the authority of Jefferson. Those certainly were days of simplicity, when the only listeners that the debates of the Senate of the United States could attract were two errant urchins over whose heads time hung heavily.
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The same contemporary authority we have be- fore cited describes the Senate in this way: "In a very plain chair, without canopy, and a small ma- hogany table before him, festooned at the sides and front with green silk, Mr. Adams, the vice-presi- dent, presided as president of the Senate, facing the north. Among the thirty senators of that day there was observed constantly during the debate the most delightful silence, the most beautiful order, gravity and dignity of manner. They all appeared every morning full powdered and dressed as age or fancy might suggest in the richest material. The very atmosphere of the place seemed to inspire wis- dom, mildness and condescension. Should any one of them so far forget for a moment as to be the cause of a protracted whisper while another was addressing the vice-president, three gentle taps with his silver pencil case upon the table by Mr. Adams immediately restored everything to repose and the most respectful attention."
If we were to suppose, however, that in that early period of the history of the republic the poli- ticians and statesmen treated each other with gentle and kindly courtesy, awarded to their opponents
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due measure of credit, and fought out their contro- versies without heat and wrath, we should be very much mistaken. No unprejudiced person can care- fully compare the records they have left to us with those of the present without perceiving that in the course of the century which has elapsed there has been a decided advance both in morals and in man- ners, and it strengthens our faith in the stability of the government to believe, as we properly may, that future generations will look back with as great pride and satisfaction upon the labors of the earnest and worthy men of to-day as do we upon those of the members of the earliest Congress, admirable as was much of their work and great as was their merit. William Maclay, United States Senator from Penn- sylvania in the first Congress, kept a journal of the proceedings of the Senate while he sat with the other Senators in this room. Upon one occasion General Dickinson came and whispered to him: "This day the treasury will make another purchase, for Hamil- ton (Alexander) has drawn fifteen thousand dollars from the bank in order to buy." Maclay compla- cently adds: "What a damnable villain !" At an- other time he gave expression to this devout wish :
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" Would to God this same General Washington were in Heaven."
Giles, the new member from Virginia, is pre- served after this fashion: "The frothy manners of Virginia were ever uppermost. Canvas-back ducks, ham and chickens, old Madeira, the glories of the Ancient Dominion, all fine, were his constant themes. Boasted of personal prowess; more man- ual exercise than any man in New England; fast but fine living in his country, wine or cherry bounce from twelve o'clock to night every day. He seemed to practise on this principle, too, as often as the bottle passed him."
In 1798 two of the members of the House, both of them from New England, Matthew Lyon, of Vermont, and Roger Griswold, of Connecticut, had a series of rencontres, which caused much com- motion and comment, and became the subject of squibs and caricatures, and of at least two satires in verse, "The Legislative Pugilists" and " The House of Wisdom in a Bustle." On the 22d of January, while the House was voting for members upon the committee to prosecute the impeachment of Senator Blount, some allusion was made by Griswold to a
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story that Lyon, during the Revolutionary War, had been compelled to wear a wooden sword because of cowardice in the field. Lyon made answer by spit- ting in his face. A motion was made to expel Griswold, a committee was appointed to investigate, the committee reported a resolution in favor of the expulsion of Lyon, and the House negatived the res- olution. On the 15th of February, while Lyon was writing at his desk, Griswold came up and hit him over the head and shoulders with a club. Lyon man- aged to get hold of the tongs in use about the stove, and, defending himself, they beat each other until separated. Some time afterward they met in an ante-room, and Lyon struck Griswold with a stick. Sitgreaves ran, and having found a hickory club, gave it to Griswold, but they were again separated. While the matter led to much discussion, no defi- nite action was taken by the House.
In The Key, a magazine published for the brief period of a year at Fredericksburg, Mary- land, in 1798, appeared the following "Battle of the Wooden Sword." So far as known, only one copy of the magazine has been preserved.
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THE BATTLE OF THE WOODEN SWORD! OR, THE MODERN PUGILISTS.
A NEW SONG IN TWO PARTS.
" An hundred men with each a pen, Or more, upon my word, sir, It is most true, would be too few, Their valour to record, sir."
FIRST PART.
Tune-Yankee Doodle.
In any age, or any page Of fam'd old mother Clio, We cannot say, so vile a fray Rais'd such a hue and cry, O.
Chorus. Sing Yankee doodle, bow, wow, wow, Yankee doodle dandy, Let us record the wooden sword, And with the glass be handy.
We all must blush, and cry out hush ! At what has pass'd so recent, Within the wall of Congress Hall, O la! 'twas too indecent. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
But still to sing a funny thing, At night when we are quaffing, Which to record the wooden sword, I'm sure will keep us laughing. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Therefore draw near, and you shall hear
A tale fit for derision, That I do ken 'bout Congress men, And claim'd mature decision. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
But to proceed with quickest speed And not prolong my ditty, If I can tell my story well You'll laugh, or it's a pity. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Some Congress folks must pass their jokes Upon one Matthew Lyon, Insulting Pat, the democrat, Whilst some look'd snigg'ring sly on. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
The speaker then, and Congress men, Were standing out of place, sir, When Lyon spit, a little bit, In Roger Griswold's face, sir. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
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It was, they say, a silly fray, Caus'd by some silly word, sir, That chanc'd to slip from Gris- wold's lip, About a wooden sword, sir. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
At which he roar'd and damn'd the sword, And did not storm a little, His feelings hurt, which made him squirt In Roger's face his spittle. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Like with a blast, they stood aghast, The men of this great forum, Who loud did prate, and execrate This breach of their decorum. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Some rose to blame, O fy, for shame, Cry'd out each one and all, sir. From north to south, in ev'ry mouth, 'Twas heard round Congress Hall, sir. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Now round the world, I'm sure 'tis hurl'd, How Griswold spoke provoking, In frantic fit, how Lyon spit, And sad has prov'd their joking. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Some members rose, for fear that blows Would speedy follow after, Some seem'd confus'd, some rail'd, abus'd, And some burst out in laugh- ter. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Yet some confess'd, that in arrest, And that without denial, Lyon be plac'd, and be disgrac'd, At least to stand a trial. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
In torrents pour, in ev'ry door, The folks of every station, Wide staring all, to see a brawl 'Midst rulers of a Nation. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Indeed the case had brought dis- grace On any in this City : As soon 'twas heard, the house re- ferr'd Itself in a Committee. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
While some were mute, some in dispute, And all in sad convulsion, Some said in fact, so vile an act Deserv'd direct expulsion. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
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One member said, I'm not afraid To speak in fire and thunder ! While men & boys, who heard the noise, Stood gaping, mute with wonder. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Now Lyon thought that he had brought His pigs to a bad market. The wooden sword he heard en- cor'd And ev'ry dog would bark it. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
So he began a long harangue, How much he had been wear'ed, Which made at least, him act the beast, Because he'd been cashier'd. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
He then cried out, at length no doubt, If I should be compliant, The time will come, they'll kick my b-m, Yet still, I'm to be silent. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
What's that was said, cries one quite red, With blushes much confounded, Another breach, by filthy speech; His rudeness is unbounded. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Then much did they his vice pour- tray, By many days' debating, And strange to tell, did not expel The man we are narrating. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
This cost U. S., if right I guess, Twelve thousand dollars rhino, Which, bye the bye, will make us sigh, Instead of laughing, I know. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Yet, lest I'm long, let's end this song, And none his laughter smother, I've sung one truth, and now for- sooth, I'll briefly sing another. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
SECOND PART.
Against his will, when Roger still Saw Matthew was not outed, And from his seat did not retreat, He swore he should be routed. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
So next he went, with bad intent, And enter'd Congress Hall in'; He took his cane to crack the brain, And lay old Matthew sprawling. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
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So in a trice, he struck him thrice, Most soundly on the head, sir, And beat him fore, all o'er and o'er, Till Lyon sadly bled, sir. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
He seized the tongs, to ease his wrongs, And Griswold then assail'd,
By heinous drubs, from heinous clubs, Disorder now prevailed. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Some members mad, some very glad, Some still as any mouse, sir. Some rais'd a roar, shew them the door, Or they'll pollute the house, sir. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
If there's no rule, we'll keep men cool,
Whilst in this house we're sitting, With broken heads, we'll keep our beds, And scandal crown the meeting. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Now both assuage their cruel rage, Possess'd of melancholy,
And to accede, they both agreed No more to shew their folly. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Thus ends the song, tho' very long,
About the Wooden Sword, sir, When next in spite, they spit and fight, The deed we will record, sir. Sing Yankee doodle, &c.
Perhaps the most interesting event in the history of the building was the inauguration of Washington as President of the United States on the 4th of March, 1793. The oath of office was administered to him by Judge Cushing in the room in which we are now sitting. Stansbury, in his " Recollections and Anecdotes of the Presidents of the United States," has given this description of the scene: "I was but a school boy at the time, and
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had followed one of the many groups of people who, from all quarters, were making their way to the hall in Chestnut Street at the corner of Sixth, where the two houses of Congress then held their sittings, and where they were that day to be ad- dressed by the President on the opening of his second term of office. Boys can often manage to work their way through a crowd better than men can. At all events, it so happened that I succeeded in reaching the steps of the hall, from which eleva- tion, looking in every direction, I could see nothing but human heads-a vast fluctuating sea, swaying to and fro, and filling every accessible place which commanded even a distant view of the building. They had congregated, not with the hope of get- ting into the hall, for that was physically impossible, but that they might see Washington. Many an anxious look was cast in the direction from which he was expected to come, till at length, true to the appointed hour (he was the most punctual of men), an agitation was observable on the outskirts of the crowd, which gradually opened and gave space for the approach of an elegant white coach, drawn by six superb white horses, having on its four sides
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beautiful designs of the four seasons, painted by Cipriani. It slowly made its way till it drew up immediately in front of the hall. The rush was now tremendous. But as the coach door opened there issued from it two gentlemen with long white wands, who, with some difficulty, parted the people so as to open a passage from the carriage to the steps on which the fortunate school boy had achieved a footing, and whence the whole pro- ceeding could be distinctly seen. As the person of the President emerged from the carriage a uni- versal shout rent the air, and continued as he delib- erately ascended the steps. On reaching the plat- form he paused, looking back on the carriage, thus affording to the anxiety of the people the indul- gence they desired of feasting their eyes upon his person. Never did a more majestic personage pre- sent himself to the public gaze. As the President entered all arose and remained standing until he had ascended the steps at the upper end of the chamber and taken his seat in the speaker's chair. It was an impressive moment. Notwithstanding that the spacious apartment, floor, lobby, galleries and all approaches were crowded to their utmost
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capacity, not a sound was heard. The silence of expectation was unbroken and profound. Every breath was suspended. He was dressed in a full suit of the richest black velvet; his lower limbs in short clothes and diamond knee buckles and black silk stockings. His shoes, which were brightly japanned, were surmounted with large square silver buckles. His hair, carefully displayed in the man- ner of the day, was richly powdered and gathered behind into a black silk bag, on which was a bow of black ribbon. In his hand he carried a plain cocked hat, decorated with the American cockade. He wore by his side a light, slender dress sword, in a green shagreen scabbard, with a richly ornamented hilt. His gait was deliberate, his manner solemn but self-possessed, and he presented altogether the most august human figure I had then or have since beheld.
"At the head of the Senate stood Thomas Jefferson in a blue coat-single breasted, with large, bright basket buttons-his vest and small clothes of crimson. I remember being struck by his animated countenance of a brick-red hue, his bright eye and foxy hair, as well as by his tall, gaunt, ungainly form and square shoulders. A per-
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fect contrast was presented by the pale, reflective face and delicate figure of James Madison, and, above all, by the short, burly, bustling form of General Knox, with ruddy cheek, prominent eye, and still more prominent proportions of another kind. In the semi-circle which was formed behind the chair, and on either hand of the President, my boyish gaze was attracted by the splendid attire of the Chevalier D'Yrujo, the Spanish embassador, then the only foreign minister near our infant government. His glittering star, his silk chapeau bras, edged with ostrich feathers, his foreign air and courtly bearing, contrasted strangely with those nobility of nature's forming who stood around him. It was a very fair representation of the old world and the new. Having retained his seat for a few moments, while the members resumed their seats, the President rose and, taking from his breast a roll of manuscript, proceeded to read his address. His voice was full and sonorous, deep and rich in its tones, free from that trumpet ring which it could assume amid the tumult of battle (and which is said to have been distinctly heard above its roar), but sufficiently loud and clear to fill the chamber
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and be heard with perfect ease in its most remote recesses. He read, as he did everything else, with a singular serenity and composure, with manly ease and dignity, but without the smallest attempt at display. Having concluded, he laid the manuscript upon the table before him, and resumed his seat, when, after a slight pause, he rose and withdrew, the members rising and remaining on their feet until he left the chamber."
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