The first Coning place Feb. 17, 1862. federate Congress held four sessions between Feb. 18, 1862, and Feb. 18, 1864, to organize the Confederacy, frame a constitution, and devise means for carrying on the war. It consisted of twenty-four senators and about one hundred representatives. The second Confederate Congress had two sessions between May 2, 1864, and March 18, 1865. Confederate Constitution.-The constitutution adopted by the Confederate States A proof America at Montgomery, Ala. visional congress, composed of delegates from the seceding states, met in that city the 8th adopted Feb. 4, 1861, and on a provisional or temporary constitution. March 11 they agreed upon a permanent constitution, which was afterward ratified It was based by all the seceding states. upon that of the United States, with the following chief exceptions: It recognized the principle of state sovereignty and the protection of slavery in all new territories; it prohibited internal improvements at federal expense and contained a prohibition against laying any duties on imports "to promote or foster any branch of industry"; new states were to be admitted by a vote of the states; state legislatures could impeach Confederate officers acting within their jurisdiction; the president was to be elected for a term of six years and was ineligible for re-election; the apwas limpropriating power of congress ited, and the right of debate in congress was extended to heads of departments. Commissioners to Europe.-There were sent abroad to secure assistance and co-operation in Europe William L. Yancey and James M. Mason to the Court of St. James, John Slidell to Paris, Pierre A. Rost to Madrid, A. Dudley Mann to Brussels, and L. Q. C. Lamar to St. Petersburg, although each made visits to other capitals. The arrest of Mason and Slidell aboard a Brit. ish steamer and their subsequent release upon demand of Great Britain points to the probability of intervention by that power in behalf of the Confederate States. Confederate States (see also Confeder ate Constitution; Reconstruction; Agents of, abroad, suits instituted in eign powers discussed, 3259, 3327, Recognition and aid from foreign powers invoked by, 3221, 3246. Blockade of ports of. (See Blockades.) Circuit courts to be re-established in, recommendations regarding, 3556. Correspondence regarding, referred to, 3576. Claims against citizens of, and means of collecting discussed, 3251. Commercial intercourse with, prohibited, 3238, 3366, 3483. Restrictions on, removed from certain ports, 3290, 3310, 3372, 3375, 3417, 3431, 3482, 3507, 3515, 3524, 3529, 3531, 3537. Constitution of. Constitution.) (See Confederate Courts of justice for, recommended by President Lincoln, 3251. Direct tax, collection of, referred to, 3589. Envoys of, sent to France and Great Britain. (See Mason and Slidell.) Executive departments of, historical statement of Gen. Sherman concerning public policy of, referred to, 4850. Flags of Captured, to be presented to Con gress, 3381. Return of, to respective States, recommended, 5163. Proposition withdrawn, 5164. Government employees assisting in rendition of public honors to rebel living or dead, referred to, 3591. Government of, first located at Montgomery, Ala., 3225. Transfer of, to Richmond, Va., 3225. Governments to be re-established inAct to guarantee republican form of government to states whose governments have been thrown, 3424. Discussed, 3390. over Proclamations regarding, 3414, 3423. In which insurrection exists proclaimed, 3238, 3293, 3358, 3366. Proclamations declaring insurrection at an end, 3627, 3632. Joint resolution declaring certain States not entitled to representation in electoral college discussed, 3461. Joint resolution excluding electoral votes of states lately in rebellion, vetoed, 3849. Policy of President of United States Rebel debt, referred to, 3583, 3588. Restoration of. (See Restoration.) Union and Confederate flags, return Proposition withdrawn, 5164. Confederate Veterans. Confederate Veterans.) (See United United Confederate Veterans.) Confederate Veterans, United Sons of. -This organization was formed in Richmond in 1896 for charitable, historical and social purposes. It is composed of male descendants of men who served the Confederacy actively during the Civil War. "Act Confederation, Articles of.-The Second Congo Conference, at Berlin, referred from 5° 30' north of the equator to about The African International Association, He then appealed to the Powers of the world A general act of the International Congo July 21, 1890, the territory of the state was declared inalienable, but a convention of July 3, 1890, reserved to Belgium the right to annex the Congo after a period of ten years. A treaty for annexation was signed Nov. 28, 1907, approved by the Belgian legislature in August, 1908, and by the King Oct. 18, 1908. By February, 1909, Germany had recognized the annexation. The exports of the country consist of rubber, ivory, palm nuts, palm oil, white copal, cocoa, coffee, gold and copper ore. Cottons, provisions, clothing, wines and spirits, machinery, building material, arms, ammunition are sold to the country. The bulk of the trade is with Belgium. In 1914 the Congo completed its sixth The Belgian year as a Belgian colony. Parliament provided for its administration and appointed Baron Wahis governor. Many complaints have been made of cruel treatGreat Britain ment of natives by traders. withheld her recognition of the annexation until there was evidence of satisfactory conditions in the Congo. Nov. 21, 1911, British consuls in the country reported that conditions in general had improved but that abuses continued in those districts where rubber is demanded in lieu of taxation. (See also Belgium.) Congo Free State: Act for reform of revenue tariff of, referred to, 5621. Arms and ammunition, act prohibiting sale of, to natives of, recommended, 5868. Discussed, 4914. International Association of the Congo recognized by United States, 4823, 4914, Referred to, 4988. Conference at Brussels for suppres- Recommendations regarding, 5868. Valley of Congo opened to commerce, discussed, 4762. Congo, Treaties with.-The International Association of the Congo declared in 1884 that by treaties with the legitimate sovereigns of the basin of the Congo and adjacent territory on the Atlantic it had establisned supervision over the commerce of the several countries and adopted a common standard for said free states consisting of a blue flag with a golden star in the center. Recognition of this flag was accorded by the United States by declaration of Secretary Frelinghuysen April 22, 1884. Congress.-A formal meeting or association of persons having a representative character for the enactment of laws, or the consideration of some special subject, or the promotion or some common interest. In the United States all legislative powers are granted by the Constitution to Congress. This body consists of the Senate (q. v.) and the House of Representatives (q. v.). The powers of Congress are enumerated in the Constitution, Article I, section 8, and all the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people. The power of Congress is absolute within the scope of its authority except as it may be restrained by the veto of the President. The Senate is composed of two members from each state regardless of size or population. The members of the House are apportioned on the basis of Federal population. The Constitution provides (Article V) that "no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate." The Senate is presided over by the Vice-President of the United States, who is also President of the Senate, and the House of Representatives by a Speaker chosen by its members. The Vice-President has no power except in cases where the Senate is equally divided. Congress is required to "assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December unless they shall by law appoint a different day." Measures that have passed both Houses are sent to the 'resident, who may either approve or veto them, or do neither, in which latter case the measure becomes a law after ten days from the time it is presented to him, unless in the meantime Congress shall have adjourned. If he ap prove the bill and sign it, it becomes a law, but if he disapprove it he must return it with his objections to the House in which it shall have originated for reconsideration by them. In such a case, after reconsideration, it requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members in each of the two bodies to pass the measure. Legislation which exceeds the constitutional power of Congress may be declared unconstitutional and void by the Supreme Court of the United States when that body is properly appealed to by either party in any controversy arising in an attempt to enforce such legislation. Each House is by the Constitution "the judge of elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members" (page 17). (See also Senate and House of Representatives; United States, Government of, and Apportionment.) Appropriations, power to designate officer to expend, discussed, 3128. Appropriations should not be made by, unless necessary, 1248. Bills, time allowed for consideration of, discussed, 2993, 3060. Capital, longitude of, west of Greenwich, report, 688. Capitol prepared for. (See Capitol.) Carpenter's painting of Lincoln and Cabinet at reading of Emancipation Proclamation presented to, 4435. Constitution, copies of, printed for members of, 634, 678. Constitutional amendments recommended to. (See Constitution.) Contingent expenses of, discussed, 3179. Declaration of Independence, first copperplate of, bequeathed to, by Lafayette, letter of son presenting, 1342. Diligence and good temper of, admired, 7913. Desk on which Declaration of Independence was written presented to United States by heirs of Joseph Coolidge, Jr., 4540. Letter of Robert C. Winthrop regarding, 4541. Discretionary authority which can be regulated by, should not be exercised by Executive, 1387. District of Columbia should be represented in, 1091, 1120, 3652. Extraordinary sessions of, convened by proclamation of PresidentAdams, John, 222. Cleveland, 5828. Harrison, W. H., 1876. Discussed, 6311. etc., Regarded by Spain as "equiva- Loyal Senators and Representatives Mail, rates of transportation of, Act appointing day for annual, ve- Constitutional amendment regard- Notification to, of discontinuance of Permanent seat of Government oc- Protests of Presidents against action Public and private acts of, list of, Requested by President Cleveland not to take recess until enactment of "Shall make no law respecting re- Testimonials of Gen. Grant offered to, Thanks of, tendered. (See Thanks of Two Houses of, independent of each War with- Algiers should be declared by, 539. Declared by, 497. Special session called on account Address of, in reply to President Address of, to President Adams on Expresses regret upon being noti- Referred to, 2529. Letter of John Randolph, Jr., de- Protests of Presidents against ac- Assent of, to, not required, 188. Senate (see also Senators)— Calls on President, 288. Can hold only correspondence with Correspondence respecting relations Expresses regret upon being noti- Arthur, 4621, 4873. Buchanan, 3026, 3081, 3156, 3203. Referred to, 2726. Information regarding Annexation of Texas refused, 2232. Negotiations with Great Britain, Nominations to. (See Executive President Washington meets and Proposition to annex Hawaiian Islands, refused, 2691, 2695. Protests of Presidents against action of. (See Protests.) Requested by President Adams to postpone adjournment of, 257. Treaties, power to make, vested in President with consent of, 187. Congress, Confederate. (See Confederate Congress.) Congress, Continental. (See Continental Congress.) Congress, Members of. (See Appendix.) Congress, Number of.-Each congress is aumbered and holds two annual sessions, respectively termed the long and the short session, each assembling on the first Monday in December and may be called in special session by the President or by joint resolution of both houses. The life of a congress lasts from 12 o'clock noon on March 4 of the odd-numbered year following the election of representatives until 12 o'clock noon on March 4 of the next odd-numbered To year. determine the years covered by a given congress multiply the number of the congress by two and add the product to 1789. The result will be the year in which the congress closed Example: Sixty-second Congress. Twice 62 is 124; adding 124 to 1789 gives 1913, the year during which (on March 4) the Sixty-second Congress must expire. To find the number of a congress sitting in any given year subtract 1789 from that year; if the result be an even number, half that number will give the congress of which the year in question saw the close; if the result be an odd number, add one, and half the sum will give the congress of which the year in question was the first year. Congress of Nations. Congressional Elections: (See Panama, Federal supervision of, recommended, 5490, 5562, 5766. Gerrymander discussed, 5643. Congressional Globe.-That part of the proceedings of Congress which was published between 1833 and 1873. The Globe was first issued as a newspaper. Later it succeeded the Register of Debates. It was succeeded by the Congressional Record. The Congressional Globe was started as Volume a private enterprise Dec. 7, 1833. I, No. 1, began with the proceedings of the Twenty-third Congress. It was published weekly and each volume was devoted to one session of Congress. The second session of the Fortieth Congress, 1869, was comprised in one volume of five parts, aggregating more than 5,000 pages. (See also Annals of Congress; Congressional Record; Register of Debates.) Congressional Library. (See Library of Congress.) Congressional Record.-A complete record of the debates and proceedings of Congress from December, 1873, to the present time. It is the successor to the Congressional Globe, and is printed and circulated by the Government." The Congressional Record is issued daily during the sessions of Congress. Each member of Congress is gratuitously supplied with a specified number for his constituents. It may also be obtained by subscription, the price being $8 for the long and $4 for the short session. The Congressional Record began with the special session of the Forty-third Congress, convened with the inauguration of President Grant for the second term, March 4, 1873. One volume is devoted to the proceedings of each session, but the volumes are generally bound in several parts. Vol. XLV, covering the proceedings of the second session of the Sixtieth Congress, Dec. 6, 1809-June 25, 1910, consists of eight parts, aggregating more than 10,000 pages. (See also Annals of Congress; Congressional Globe, Register of Debates.) Congressman.-A member of the United States Congress or Legislature,—either in the Senate or the House of Representatives; more commonly used to designate a member of the House of Representatives. Congressman-at-Large.—A member of United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of an entire state, and not, as is customary, by those of a Congressional district. The election of a Congressman-at-large is a device adopted by a state to secure proper representation in Congress under a Federal apportionment act pending the passage of a state law redistricting the state in accordance with the Federal allowance of Representatives. The apportionment act of Jan. 16, 1901, provides that after March 3, 1903, the House of Representatives shall be composed of 86 members apportioned as fol |