The Capitol Dome

36 THE CAPITOL DOME earning the mess the sobriquet "Abolition House." 5 On his first day at the Capitol, Lincoln ran into his past and future rival Stephen A. Douglas, just recently elected senator, and on Saturday, 4 December, he attended his first meeting of the Whig caucus to discuss nominations and plans. How Lincoln certified his election or presented his credentials to serve as a duly elected Member of Congress is not clear. One of the only clues rests among the "Other Records of the Office of the Clerk" and consists of a small printed copy of a proclamation by the governor of Illinois, dated 7 September 1846, listing those candidates who had won election, with Lincoln's name among them (fig. 3). 6 Who presented this snippet and when are unknown, and it is uncertain if this is all that was required for new Members to claim their seats. Lincoln's first appearance in the legislative records occurs in the Congressional Globe for Monday, 6 Decem- ber 1847, when the irtieth Congress was gaveled into ses- sion at noon. Lincoln answered the roll and voted for the Whig candidate for the Speakership, and then was officially sworn-in as a Member. 7 On the second day of the session the Members drew their seat assignments by lottery, with Lincoln selecting number 191, placing him in the last of six semicircular rows on the le side of the aisle among the Whig contingent. 8 e House chamber in which Lincoln sat (now National Statuary Hall) was tastefully appointed but had such poor acoustics that Members on the floor had difficulty in making themselves heard. Order and decorum were lax during all but the most anticipated debates, with a constant kerfuffle of Members talking and laughing, clap- ping their hands or rapping their desks to summon page boys, or reading newspapers. Lincoln likely settled into the legislative daily routine without difficulty. Mornings were spent answering cor- respondence, calling on offices and bureaus on behalf of constituents, or attending committee meetings. At noon the legislative sessions began; they lasted until early evening unless pressing matters or extended debate delayed adjourn- ment. 9 Lincoln quickly discovered that the most congenial spot for him was the Capitol's small post office, where he could lounge and swap gossip and yarns with other Mem- bers and newspaper reporters. e latter especially appreci- ated his pithy and amusing anecdotes aer the drudgery of sitting through endlessly pompous speeches in the chamber. 10 Despite a slim Whig majority in the House, as a fresh- man representative, Lincoln could scarcely expect placement on any of the most important committees, traditionally assigned to Members based on seniority. Lincoln secured a spot on the mundane Post Office-Post Roads Committee (fig. 4) and subsequently was given other minor assignments on the Standing Committee on Expenditure in the War Department and the Select Committee "to Inquire What has been Done in regard to a Marble Monument Ordered by Congress to Commemorate the Surrender of Earl Corn- wallis at Yorktown, Virginia" (fig. 5). 11 One of the perks of his new office was having his choice of reading materials paid for by House funds. Lincoln's subscriptions cost $30 per year, which was on par with what other Members ordered and certainly not as expensive as some other legisla- tors' accounts. Lincoln's choice of reading materials was an indicator of both his political and intellectual sensibilities (fig. 6). Not surprisingly, first on the list was the Daily National Intel- ligencer, Washington's dominant newspaper and one of the nation's leading Whig oracles; its printers had for many years also published the Congressional Globe and were well- versed in the workings of Capitol Hill. 12 Another prominent voice backing the Whig cause was the Boston Atlas, published in both daily and semi-weekly editions, with Lincoln pre- ferring the weekly edition. Doubtless to keep an ear attuned to the voice of Midwest whiggery, Lincoln also subscribed Fig. 3. is printed slip of paper is the only election certifica- tion of Illinois's House delegation to the irtieth Congress that was presented to House officials.

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