Government  Year,  The.  In  January,  1790,
two  qnestious  arose  in  Congress,  as  to  when
the  federal  or  government  year  should  begin,
and  what  was  the  term  for  which  members  had
been  chosen — two  years  from  the  date  of  their
election,  or  only  to  the  end  of  the  current  Con-
gress. The  national  government  had  not  actu-
ally gone  into  operation  on  March  4,  the  day
originally  appointed,  but  several  weeks  later,
aud  some  of  the  members  had  not  been  elected
uutil  a  still  later  period.  It  was  finally  agreed,
on  the  report  of  a  joint  committee,  that  the
Congress  should  expire  with  the  3d  of  March,
1791,  aud  that  persons  chosen  to  fill  vacancies
should  be  considered  as  chosen  only  for  the  re-
mainder of  the  Congress.  Ever  since,  the  4th
of  March  has  been  the  beginning  of  a  new  Con-
gress.
Governors  of  Iioyal  States,  Coxvention
of.  On  the  same  day  when  President  Lincoln
issued  his  proclamation  (Sept.  22,  1862)  warn-
ing the  slaveholders  that  if  they  did  not  lay
down  their  arms  within  three  mouths  tbeir
slaves  would  be  set  free  (see  Emancipation  Proc-
lamation), the  governors  of  eleven  of  the  free-
labor  states  assembled  at  Altoona,  Penn.,  to
consider  national  affairs.  Their  sessions  were
held  in  secret.  Among  other  proceedings  look-
ing to  unity  of  action,  they  adopted  an  address


■:  GEAND  .GU1.F,  BATTLE  AT


587


GRANT


to  the  President,  warmly  commending  his  proc-
lamation as  a  righteons  aud  most  salutary  act,
which  would  give  immense  strength  to  the  de-
fenders of  the  imperilled  Republic,  and  as  a
sure  promise  of  snccoss  to  the  cause.  This  ad-
dress was  written  by  Governor  John  A.  Andrew,


JOHN  A.  iSDREW.
of  Massachusetts,  one  of  the  most  earnest  and
energetic  of  the  "  war  governors"  at  that  time.
