The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1884-07-17
A Review of the Work of Congress

| The first session of the forty
eight Congress adjourned Monday
July 9TH. 1t extended over peri
od of months and five days, al
though the actual working time vii
not exceed 165 days. CO.,
In that time there were intro
duced in the Senate 1867 bills ant
81 joint resolutions, and in th,
House 1907 bills and 2S4 resolu
tions. OF these sc Senate bills anC
10 Senate resolutions passed bott
houses and became laws by Execu
tive approval and 81 House bills and
80 House resolutions became laws
in the same manner. Three House
bills also became laws without &C.
tion of the President, and one was
returned to the House with his veto.
Of the measures introduced in the
Senate, 36S bills and II joint reso
lutions were indefinitely postponed
and six bills were laid upon the ia
ble In the House ID bills and
joint resolutions were postponed in
definitely. A majority of the meas
ures introduced in both houses
related to matters not of general
Importance, such as bills for private
relief and pensions for the erection
Of public buildings, bridging rivers
and other improvements of only
local Importance.
The following measures passed
both Houses and were signed by
the President, in addition to the
regular annual appropriation bills
and the river and harbor bills: Bills
to reduce the rate of postage on
newspapers and periodical publica-
tions second class when sent by
Others than publishers or news
agents to one cent for each four
ounces; to provide a civil govern
ment for Alaska; to extend the du-
ration OF the Court of Commission
ers of the Alabama. claims until
December, 1885; to prevent and
punish counteifeiting in the United
States of bonds or other securities
of foreign countries; to grant II
days leave of absence with pay in
each year to letter carriers; to au-
thoriZe the Secretary of War to Offer
reward of $4,000 for the rescue OF
the Greely Arctic exploring party
to establish Il bureau of labor Stats
tics; to make all public roads and
highways pOstroads; to authorize
the legislatures Of the States Of Hi
nois, Arkansas, Louisiana and
Tennessee to sell or lease certain
land appropriated for school pur-
poses; TO remove certain burdens
from the American merchant ma
rine Commonly known as the
Dingleyshipping bill); to establish
a bureau OF animal industry, pre-
vent the expectation of diseased cat
tie and provide for. the suppression
and extirpation of pleuro-pneumn-
MIA and other contagious diseases
among domestic animals: to make
it felony tor any person to person
ate any officer or employe of the
United States or any department
thereof; to repeal the test oath act
of 1862; to authorize the fitting out of
an expedition for the relief of Lieut..
Greely and party in the Arctic seas;
to limit the time IN which prosecu-
tions may be began against persons
for violations of; internal revenue
laws to three years; to relieve from
the charge of desertion9 certain SOL
diers of the late war who after hav-
ing served faithfully until the close
of the war left their commands
without leave; to provide for To-
cation in the States west of the
Mississippi River branch home for
volunteer soldiers of the late war
and for soldiers of the Mexican war
and war of 1912 whose disabilities
were not incurred in service against
the United States; to provide for the
disposal of abandoned and useless
military reservations; to reorganize
the corps of judge advocates of
the army; to establish,a D. bureau of
navigation 10 the Treasury Depart
ment.
The following measures have
been Incorporated, in the regular
bills aud become
laws: To appoint commission to
visit the several countries of Central
and North America to collect infor
nation as TO the best mode of Sc
curing more intimate international
and commercial relations between
these countries and the United
States; to provide that hereafter all
estimates Of appropriations and es-
Inmates of deficiencies in. appropria-
tions intended for the consideration
of Congress-, shalt be transmitted TO
Congress through the Secretary of
the Treasury, and in no other man
ner; to provide that the number of
deputy collectors or internal reve-I
nue, gaugers, storekeepers and
clerks. employed. I'M heintefnaf lrov
enue service shall not be increased; !;
to create a board of pension appeals
to be appointed by the Secretary of
the Interior; to provide for the ap-
pointment of "a scientific, commis-
sion, which may, in the name