The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-12-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(from our regular Correspondents
WASHINGTON, December 18th, Il

WASHINGTON, December 18th, 1883.
After partial organization, Congress
adjourned on Thursday of the first week
until the following Monday. This was
regular "bill day" IN the House, and an
avalanche of embryonic laws was piled
rpon the clerks desk. The oldcr of
business was the call OF States for bills
and joint resolutions for reference.
Massachusetts was the last state called
up TO the hour of adjournment, and
over eight hundred measures had been
introduced. The largest number from
any one State was 1873 by the members
from Indiana. The Illinois Represen-
tative was second, with record of 124,
and Kansas is third on the list with
l09. On Tuesday the introduction of
bills exceeded two hundred. Many of
the bills arc of private character and
will not be heard of again until they
are re-introduced on "billday" Of the
next Congress. Fully Que half of the
more important public measures were
old, and one of the. pension bills had
been introduced in every Congress since
1852. While number of the bills
varied in form they were identical in
purpose, and several Representatives
from different States presented precisely
the same bill. There were five bills to
provide uniform system of bankrupt
cy, three to prevent the spread of con-
tagious diseases among cattle, several
for the abolition OF the Internal Rey.
enue Bureau, Il number for the reduc-
ton of postage, and the withdrawal from
of the trade dollars. There
were also lumber OF tariff bills, some
increasing, and some lowering the dut.
les on articles specified. Among i'm
portant measures was bill by Mr..
Dunn OF Arkansas appropriating six
million dollars for the improvement of
the Mississippi river. One by Mr..
Summer of California which provides
that forty days from the passage Of the
act, il shall lie unlawful for the Union
Pacific and Central Pacific railroad
companies to charge more than three
cents for first class, two cents for second
class, and one cent for third class pas
scngers. There Was one by Mr.. Town
send of Illinois to abolish postage on
second class mailable matter, and to re-
duce the postage on transient news.
papers. A number of bills introduced
in the House were substantially the
same as those introduced in the
Senate few days before, of which l
will mention one by Senator Blair and
one by Representative White to lessen
crime and alcoholism by restricting the
use of distilled curtis to scientific and
medicinal purposes. In the bills in
troduced no less than dozen amend
ments to the constitution have been
proposed, covering the protection of
citizens in their political rights, the
broadening of suffrage to foreign born
citizens and to women, the regulation
OF the liquor traffic. and the extension
of the vetn power to the items of appro-
pridtion bills. The bill by Senator
Hill, of Colorado, to establish q system
of postal telegraphs may be expected
to receive the early attention of the
Senate, now that Senator Hill has been
made chairman OF the committee on
Post Offices and Post Roads, the posi-
ton held last year by ex-senator Ferry,
of Michigan. Another importan: va
cancy was the Craftsmanship of the
Senate committee on Foreign Affairs,
made by ex-senator WINDOWS retire
ment, to which Senator Miller, of Cali.
fornia has been appointed. The chair
of the committee on Mines
and Mining, vacated by Senator Hills
went to Senator Bowen, of
Colorado. one of the silver kings of the
west.
The Senate committees have been an.
and many changes we're made
10 the memberships, as is the case at