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House was delivered to Washington in a lobby or audi- CHAPTER ence chamber adjoining the Representatives' Hall by the hand of the speaker, attended by the members. The 1789. Senate, for the purpose of delivering their answer, waited upon the president at his own house-a custom afterward adopted by the representatives, who, for the first twelve years of the Federal Government, were accustomed to go in procession for that purpose, with the sergeantat-arms at their head, bearing the mace.

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As the Senate was to act in certain cases as the president's executive council, it became necessary to fix the forms and methods of communication. In the discussion of treaties and other matters relating to external relations, the course first agreed to was, that the president should be present in person; but, on trial, this method was found to be attended with various embarrassments, and was speedily abandoned. . Somewhat against the inclination of the Senate, Washington at once adopted the practice of making all nominations to office by written message; after its adoption in the case of treaties also, this became the only official medium of communication between the executive and the Senate.

In regulating his intercourse with the public at large, Washington was anxious to adopt such a system as, without overstepping the limits of republican simplicity, might best maintain the dignity of the office, and secure to the president that command of his time essential to the proper discharge of his duties. Though very much criticised at the moment, the customs which he introduced have ever since regulated the etiquette of the president's household. He laid it down as a rule to return no visits. To secure himself from being overrun by miscellaneous callers, certain fixed days were appointed for

presidential levees; and, to avoid the embarrassments to

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CHAPTER Which the presidents of Congress had subjected themselves by keeping a sort of open table-so that every 1789. caller at last began to consider himself entitled to be invited-no dinner invitations were given except to official characters and strangers of distinction. The arrange

ment of the ceremonial connected with the president, at the levees and elsewhere, appears to have been left to Humphreys of Connecticut, who had been formerly an aid-de-camp to Washington, and, more recently, secretary of legation at Paris, whence he had returned with a good many foreign airs and notions. Some,seemingly very trifling matters, such as placing Washington and his wife on an elevated seat at a public ball, which the dancers, before commencing, approached with a low obeisance, became, in the party struggles of after years, things of no little importance, being confidently relied upon as palpable and convincing proofs of the monarchical tendencies of the Federal party.

At an early day, the senators, in conformity to a provision in the Constitution to that effect, divided themselves into three classes, to terminate their service in two, four, and six years respectively. This matter was settled by lot, and the absent senators, as they arrived, were arranged in the same way, in one or another of the three classes. The first act presented to the president for his signature was one to regulate the administration of the oaths imposed by the Constitution. The oath of the members of the House had, however, been previously fixed by resolution, and administered by the Chief Justice of the State of New York. The first more important business which engrossed the attention of Congress was, in the Senate, the framing of a Judiciary Act, and in the House, the provision of a revenue by imposing duties on imports.

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Indeed, the House had not waited for the inauguration CHAPTER of the president to enter upon this all-important subject of revenue. Within two days after the votes for presi- 1789. dent had been counted, and while the method of proceed- April 8. ing was but yet immature, this subject had been brought forward by Madison, to whom the leadership seemed to be tacitly conceded, in the first committee of the whole on the state of the Union into which the House had resolved itself. For the purpose of an immediate supply to the treasury, which was almost totally empty, and upon which there were so many claims, Madison suggested the adoption of a temporary system of imposts, to be based on that proposed by the Continental Congress, and to which all the states except New York had given their assent. With this view, he introduced a resolution enumerating rum and other spirituous liquors, wines, tea, coffee, sugar, molasses, and pepper, as subjects for specific duties, the amount being left blank; proposing also a blank ad valorem duty upon all other articles imported, and a tonnage duty on all vessels, with a discrimination in favor of vessels owned wholly in the United States, and an additional discrimination between foreign vessels, favorable to those belonging to countries having commercial treaties with the United States.

The statements of the various speakers in the debate that followed throw no little light upon the position of American industry at that time, especially in what relates to trade and manufactures; and the tariff which grew out of it, though greatly added to and variously modified since, still lies at the bottom of our existing revenue system. In the course of the debate were fully developed the whole length and breadth of the various tariff controversies which have formed so leading a topic in our more recent politics, except, indeed, the single point

CHAPTER Which the presidents of Congress had subjected themI. selves by keeping a sort of open table-so that every 1789. caller at last began to consider himself entitled to be invited-no dinner invitations were given except to official characters and strangers of distinction. The arrangement of the ceremonial connected with the president, at the levees and elsewhere, appears to have been left to Humphrey's of Connecticut, who had been formerly an aid-de-camp to Washington, and, more recently, secretary of legation at Paris, whence he had returned with a good many foreign airs and notions. Some,seemingly very trifling matters, such as placing Washington and his wife on an elevated seat at a public ball, which the dancers, before commencing, approached with a low obeisance, became, in the party struggles of after years, things of no little importance, being confidently relied upon as palpable and convincing proofs of the monarchical tendencies of the Federal party.

At an early day, the senators, in conformity to a provision in the Constitution to that effect, divided themselves into three classes, to terminate their service in two, four, and six years respectively. This matter was settled by lot, and the absent senators, as they arrived, were arranged in the same way, in one or another of the three classes. The first act presented to the president for his signature was one to regulate the administration of the oaths imposed by the Constitution. The oath of the members of the House had, however, been previously fixed by resolution, and administered by the Chief Justice of the State of New York. The first more important business which engrossed the attention of Congress was, in the Senate, the framing of a Judiciary Act, and in the House, the provision of a revenue by imposing du'ties on imports.

L

Indeed, the House had not waited for the inauguration CHAPTER of the president to enter upon this all-important subject of revenue. Within two days after the votes for presi- 1789. dent had been counted, and while the method of proceed- April 8. ing was but yet immature, this subject had been brought forward by Madison, to whom the leadership seemed to be tacitly conceded, in the first committee of the whole on the state of the Union into which the House had re

solved itself. For the purpose of an immediate supply to the treasury, which was almost totally empty, and upon which there were so many claims, Madison suggested the adoption of a temporary system of imposts, to be based on that. proposed by the Continental Congress, and to which all the states except New York had given their assent. With this view, he introduced a resolution enumerating rum and other spirituous liquors, wines, tea, coffee, sugar, molasses, and pepper, as subjects for specific duties, the amount being left blank; proposing also a blank ad valorem duty upon all other articles imported, and a tonnage duty on all vessels, with a discrimination in favor of vessels owned wholly in the United States, and an additional discrimination between foreign vessels, favorable to those belonging to countries having commercial treaties with the United States.

The statements of the various speakers in the debate that followed throw no little light upon the position of American industry at that time, especially in what relates to trade and manufactures; and the tariff which grew out of it, though greatly added to and variously modified since, still lies at the bottom of our existing revenue system. In the course of the debate were fully developed the whole length and breadth of the various tariff controversies which have formed so leading a topic in our more recent politics, except, indeed, the single point

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