The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-08-24
The Record OF Congress-.

The Record OF Congress-.
The Washington correspondent OF the New
York Tribune, under date of Aug 8, gives the
following interesting resume Of the work
transacted during the session of Congress
which adjourned ON 8th INST:
| AFTER session lasting 247 days the XLVIIth
Congress has come to what Mr.. Hiscock in a
speech the other day, inadvertently bu: not
inaptiy styled "aday OF judgment" This has
been the longest single session of Congress
| since 1876, when the Democrats in the House
spent 254 days chiefly In partisan inyestiga-
tions. The first regular session of the XLVth
Congress, which lasted 100 days was preceded
by special session OF forty seven days which
closed only two days before the beginning of
the regular session SO that virtually Congress
sat as long at that time, lacking one day, as it
has this session. A comparison of the amount
Ofwork dOnein the first session ofthe XLVIIth
Congress with that in the long session of each
of the three preceding Congresses results
greatly to the advantage of the former.
The iabOrs OF the first session Of the XLIVth
Congress, which lasted 254 days, are repre-
sented on the statute book by 176 public acts,
1876 private acts and "a joint resolutions-total
356. The special session and the first regular
session of the XLVth Congress lasted 246 days
and they are represented on the statute book
by $50 public acts, 1893 private acts and As Joint
reselutions-tOtal 424. During the whole of
the XLVIth Congress, which sat in all 3S8
days, 457 laws were placed on the statute
book. AT the present session, 251 public acts,
1888 private acts and "a joint resolutions have
become laws; making total of $685. or Ill
more than were enacted during the whole of
last Congress. OF the private acts, 161 grant
pensions to individuals named therein, and 70
are for the relief OF individuals. In the last
Congress four bills were vetoed, while at this
session three have met the same fate.
The session which has just closed has been
unusually prolific in measures Of National i'm
portance and interest, as well as of such as are
a reapportionment of Representatives has be-
come law; the Chinese question has been
taken out of politics; a tribunal for the adju-
dication OF the remainder of the Alabama claims
has been created q stringent law against po-
lygamy has been placed on the statute books;
the inability OF Congress to deal with the tariff
having been demonstrated by the failures of
the last six years, Tariff Commission has
been created an0 is now dealing with that SUBJ
ject provision has been made for the contin-
uance and security OF the National banking
system "a three per cent refunding act has been
passed ; a law designed for the comfort and
protection of immigrants during the voyage
to America has been enacted q bill to regulate
immigration and to prevent the landing of
foreign paupers and cOnvicts has become
laW;a law to promote the efficiency of the
Life-Saving Service has been enacted a reform
in the system of public land surveys has been
initiated and the future cost OF such surveys
reduced one-third; provision for reorgani-
cation OF the Navy and for the building ofships
OF war has been made; the compulsory retire
ment system for the Army has been adopted
important and necessary amendments to the
law regulating extraditiOn of criminals nave
been passed more efficient and liberal pro-
visions for the civilization and Industrial edu-
cation of Indian youth have been made; the
Government has asserted it's right OF eminent
domain in the Indian Territory the letter
carrier and railway mail service have been
placed ON q better basis; law relating to the
tonnage measurement of American vessels,
and placing them on the same footing with the
vessels OF other countries in foreign ports,
and several other measures looking TO the re-
vival Of American commerce have been adop-
ted and a joint select committee has been ap-
pointed to inquire into and report upon the
condition and wants of American shipbuilding
and ship-owning interest. An error in the
Revised Statutes which threatened the destruc-
ton of the important and growing knit goods
industry has been corrected. -
The list might be made much longer, but it
already contains the titles of greater number
of important acts of general legislation than is
to be found in the list OF laws passed by any
other Congress during the last six years. 4
great many important measures, which have
not become laws, have been wholly or par
TALLY matured in committee and many of them
have passed one or the other House. The
committees OF the House submitted to that
body during session, ,811 written reports.
The amount of work by all the leading COM
mittees was enormous some of them held SEES
sions almost daily during large part OF the
session. To take single example, the House
Committee on Elections-not the most labo-
rious committee of that body, either-held
thirty nine meetings in full session and eighty-
two meetings of subcommittee, and its mem
beers were required to examine $4,000 pages of
printed evidence and to read 800 pages of legal
briefs and cases submitted to them.
1t must be conceded that. whatever NAV be
the sins and shOrtcoming of this Congress,
idleness is not among them; and, while it has
not done all that was expected of it, much has
been accomplished, while among the laws it
has placed on the statute book is an unusually
large proportion of measures of National inn
portance. Said the Hon. Edward Mcpherson
this afternoon, in conversation with Tribune
This has been as clean a session as I have
ever seen. l do not think the lobby has sue
ceeded in any act of affirmative legislation
whatever ; and, If it has exerted any influence
upon legislation, it has been of a negative sort.
Not single act has passed that consider a
job; tor even the river and harbor appropr1a-
lions will be honestly expended for the pnrpo-
ses specified in the law. On the whole 7
think the first session of the XLVIIth Con-
gress has been fruitful and satisfactory
one"