THE DRAMA. from abroad, who include the leaders of their art in England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, etc., and who have made the drama international and furnished high standards for an American player and playwright. In comparison with foreign actors actors and dramatists, our American contributors are, with some notable exceptions, few and disappointing. Next in time to Royall Tyler must be mentioned William Dunlap (17601839), whose plays (fifty in number) were as pretentious as they were prolific. Edwin Forrest introduced two plays by Americans-John A. Stone's "Metamora " and R. W. Bird's Gladiator." In the years before 1861 Dion Boucicault and other Eng 66 305 lish actors occupied the boards, although the genius of William Warren, Charlotte Cushman and of Edwin Booth had already unfolded. "Uncle Tom's Cabin " was then pointing to a new development of the native drama, and negro minstrelsy was at its height. The early period of American drama was, on the whole, but slightly American. Its character, too, was not adapted to arouse our National pride. It was, however, an era of stock-companies, founded on Old World lines, which, with their comprehensive repertoire, formed a training school for actors. Morever, the day of commercialized drama was yet unknown. SERIES FIFTEEN LECTURES SIXTY-EIGHT TO SEVENTY Development of Governmental Departments and Governmental Regulation of Commerce and Industry, 1789-1865 68. The Legislative, Executive and Judicial Departments 69. The Formation of State Constitutions 70. Governmental Activities in Regulating Commerce and Industry THE UNITED STATES CHAPTER I. 1789-1865. THE NATIONAL LEGISLATURE. The genesis of Congress — Its evolution as a coördinate branch of the Government - The Senate vs. the British House of Lords - Powers of the Senate and the House The Speaker's influence - Henry Clay and other distinguished speakers Membership of the House and the Senate - Fallacy as to abundance of great statesmen in early Congresses - The nature of Congressional business - Slavery the core of most internal problems during the forty years preceding the Civil War — A brilliant record in our legislative history. HEN the framers of the Constitution completed their task they had a system of government that, in general, has remained. unchanged for over a century and a quarter. Of no branch has this been more true than of the Legislative. In form, in scope, and in methods of procedure, the Federal Senate and House of Representatives were in 1789 practically what they are to-day. Changes there have been, but these were of minor importance, not affecting any important particulars of the original legislative structure. The changes that have been made and the development that has gone on have been the outgrowth of changing political and other conditions of the country; in that light, they are not only interesting but valuable as reflexes of public opinion at various stages of the history of the country. terned after the colonial assemblies and, more remotely, after the British Parliament. But, save in retaining the bicameral form, the original copies were largely departed from. And as time went on the differences became more and more marked, Congress making for itself a place of substantial, and in some respects original, power as a coördinate branch of the Government. In the Congress of the Confederation all States, large or small, had equal representation. The larger States, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, objected to this and it was as a compromise that the Constitution provided for two houses the Senate, to be composed of representatives of the States as individual commonwealths (two to each State), and the other the House, to be constituted of representatives of the peo one In the main, Congress was pat- ple according to population. But it is |