416 



CONGO SNAKE 



CONGRESS 



The introduction of civilisation into new and wild 

 countries demands time and patience, and the pro- 

 gress of the State has not been so rapid as its 

 friends hoped. The European officers have been few 

 in number, and some of them not well chosen. And 

 gross cruelties seem to have been practised by native 

 Functionaries and troops, especially in forcing the 

 collection of caoutchouc for the government. 



See map of Africa in Vol I., and the articles AFRICA, 

 STANLEY ; also Stanley, Through the Dark Continent 

 (1878), &ndThe Congo and the Founding of its Free State 

 ( 1885 ) ; H. H. Johnston, The River Congo from its Mouth 

 to Bolobo (1884); Bentley, Life on the Congo (1887); 

 works in French by Wauters (1885 and 1893), Coquilhat 

 (1888), Alexis (1888), Dupont (1889), Jeannent (1889), 

 Chapaux ( 1893 ) ; Ward, Five Years with the Congo 

 Cannibals (1890) ; E. G. Glave, Six Years in Congoland 

 (1893); German works by Pechuel - Loesche (1887), 

 Buttner (1890), and Raab ( 1892) ; S. L. Hinde, The Fall 

 of the Congo Arabs (1897). 



Congo Snake. See AMPHIUMA. 



Congregation ( Lat. con, 'together;' grex,'& 

 flock ' ), an assembly, generally a religions assembly ; 

 in its most ordinary use, an assembly of Christians 

 met in one place for worship ( see CHURCH ). In the 

 Roman Catholic Church, it often designates a sort 

 of board of cardinals, prelates, and divines, to 

 which is intrusted the management of some im- 

 portant branch of the affairs of the church. Thus 

 the Congregation of the Index examines books and 

 decides on their fitness for general perusal (see 

 INDEX ). The Congregation de Propaganda Fide is 

 instituted for the propagation of the Roman Catho- 

 lic faith and the government of the church in 

 non-Catholic countries (see PROPAGANDA). The 

 Congregation of Relics inquires into the genuine- 

 ness of supposed relics. The Congregation of the 

 Holy Office takes cognisance of heresies, &c. (see 

 INQUISITION ). The Congregation of Rites regulates 

 the festivals and offices of new saints. There are 

 numerous other congregations. The word is also 

 used in the Church of Rome to describe com- 

 munities of ecclesiastics who live together under 

 rule, but without being bound by vow, or at least 

 by solemn vow. Such are the Congregation of the 

 Oratory, the Congregation of the most Holy Re- 

 deemer, usually called Redemptorists, &c. 



Congregationalists. See INDEPENDENTS. 



Congress, an assembly either of sovereign 

 princes, or of the delegated representatives of sove- 

 reign states, for the purpose of considering matters 

 of international interest. Even in America, though 

 the term has now a different meaning, it had a 

 similar origin, the first congress being that of the 

 delegates From the various British colonies, who 

 met on the 7th October 1765, for the purpose 

 of considering their grievances. Previous to sign- 

 ing a treaty of peace, a meeting of plenipoten- 

 tiaries usually takes place, to which the name of a 

 congress is sometimes applied, though it seems more 

 properly to be reserved for those more important 

 meetings at which extensive schemes of future 

 policy are determined on, and the balance of power 

 amongst the various European states readjusted. 

 To this class belonged the famous Congress of 

 Vienna in 1815; that of Carlsbad in 1819, for 

 regulating the affairs of Germany ; that of Paris 

 at the end of the Russian war of 1854-56 ; and 

 that at Berlin after the Russo-Turkish war of 

 1877-78. There is scarcely any difference between 

 a congress and a diplomatic Conference (q.v.). 



Congress of the United States. The legis- 

 lative department of the government of the United 

 States is called the Congress, and Copyright 1889i 18BT> and 

 consists of a Senate, elected by isoo in the u. s. by j. K. 

 the legislatures of the several ** opr. 

 states, and a House of Representatives, elected by the 



direct votes of the people. It is supreme within its 

 constitutional limits, deriving its powers directly 

 from the people. By constitutional provision con- 

 gress has certain direct, express powers, and such 

 implied powers as are necessary to carry these into 

 effect. It convenes on the first Monday in Decem- 

 ber in each year, and receives from the president of 

 the United States his annual message, giving in- 

 formation of the state of the Union, and containing 

 such suggestions and recommendations as he may 

 judge expedient and necessary. 



Express Powers. Congress has power to impose 

 and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay 

 the debts and provide for the common defence anil 

 general welfare of the United States. This grant 

 of sovereign power is independent of state control, 

 and is limited only by the provision in the constitu- 

 tion that the duties, imposts, and excises shall be 

 uniform throughout the United States. 



Congress has power to borrow money on the 

 credit of the United States, to regulate commerce 

 with foreign nations, and among the several states 

 and with the Indian tribes. It has the exclusive 

 power to establish a uniform rule of naturalisa- 

 tion, and uniform laws on the subject of bank- 

 ruptcies throughout the United States ; to coin 

 money, regulate the value thereof and of foreign 

 coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures ; 

 to provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the 

 securities and current coin of the United States ; 

 and to establish post-offices and post-roads. Con- 

 gress has power to promote the progress of science 

 and useful arts, by securing for limited times to 

 authors and inventors the exclusive right to their 

 respective writings and discoveries ; to constitute 

 tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ; to define 

 and punish piracies and felonies committed on the 

 high seas, and offences against the laAV of nations. 



Congress alone has power to declare war, grant 

 letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules con- 

 cerning captures on land and water. It can raise 

 and support armies, may provide and maintain a 

 navy, and make rules for the government of the 

 land and naval forces. Congress has power to pro- 

 vide for calling forth the militia or the several 

 states for the purpose of executing the United 

 States laws, to suppress insurrections, and repel 



part of them as may be employed 

 the United States ; reserving to the states respec- 

 tively the appointment of the officers, and the 

 authority of training the militia, according to the 

 discipline prescribed by congress. 



Congress exercises exclusive legislative control in 

 all cases whatsoever over the District of Columbia 

 (the seat of government of the United States), and 

 over all places purchased for the erection of forts, 

 magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful 

 buildings. Congress has power to dispose of and 

 make all needful rules and regulations respecting 

 the territory or other property belonging to the 

 United States, and to make all laws which shall be 

 necessary and proper for carrying into execution 

 all powers vested by the constitution in the govern- 

 ment of the United States, or in any department 

 or offices thereof. 



Constitutional Limitations. Congress cannot 

 pass a bill of attainder or any ex post facto law. 

 Neither can it lay any tax or duty upon articles 

 exported from any state, or give preference to the 

 ports of one state over those of another, by any 

 regulation of commerce or revenue ; nor can it 

 compel vessels bound to or from one state to enter, 

 clear, or pay duties in another. It cannot enact a 

 law taking from the citizen his private property 

 for public use without compensation therefor. 



Congi-ess cannot make any law respecting an 



