April 24
Chamber of the U. S. House of Representatives
I was sitting in the gallery of the U.S. House chamber, crowded in among the hundreds of guests quickly rounded up after President Pendleton announced his intention to address Congress. Members of the Senate and House were present but, unlike the more staged State of the Union address, this one did not include members of the Joint Chiefs, the Supreme Court, and Cabinet members.
The public announcement said that the President would be addressing pressing matters of policy, including his position on important legislative initiatives. It sounded like a standard speech, one that could be given to television cameras in the Oval Office, and not requiring the physical presence of all five hundred and thirty-five members of Congress. Not to
