Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-08-19
Closing Hours at the Capitol.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug, 9, 1886

WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug, 9, 1886
The first season of the Forty-ninth
Congress closed it's labors at o'clock
p. m. on Thursday, and to-day there
are comparative few members left in
the city. The closing scenes in each
House were much like those that
ordinarily occur on such occasions.
Of course there was hurry and confu-
sion, but really there was little interest
manifested. The Senate was without
a quorum and of course did nothing
but talk. The Presidents refusal to
come to the capitol to do his work
during the closing hours was sharply
criticised on all hands, and the changes
will be rung on his action for many
months to come. 1t was regarded as
akin to an insult to the Senate to
require the Committee on Enrolled
bills, as fast as the bills were ready,
to go all the way to the White House
-one mile-to get the Presidents
signature. No other President ever
refused to be in attendance on the
closing hours of Congress, and his
refusal smacks a little too much of
royalty to suit the taste of the people.
The condition Of Senator Riddleberger
also added to the unpleasantness of the
closing hours of the session, in the
Senate. When Senator Harris offered
a resolution complimenting the speaker
and it was declared adopted by Senator
Hawley (who was in the chair, }
Riddleberger objected because he
claimed there was not quorum, and
the resolutions was laid aside. The
Virginian was too much under the
''infuence'' to have any regard for the
proprieties of the occasisn.
suppose little resume the work
of this session will prove Of interest
to your readers.
The season covered period of two
hundred and forty-one days. exclusive
of Sundays. Of this time the Senate
was in session one hundred and sixty
four and the House one hundred and
eighty-fve days. During that time
there were introduced in the House
1904 bills and 214 joint resolutions,
in the Senate, 1891 bills, and 50
joint resolutions, ~ total, 1922 mea-
sures, an excess of 2,949 over the
number introduced in the first session
of the Forty Eighth Congress.
The total number of measurers that
passed both houses was l, 101; Of these
al were Senate bills, S64 House bill;
sos of them became laws with the
Presidents approval; 1Sl became laws
by limitation, 113 were vetoed, and
one failed by reason of adjournment
without action by the President. Of
these new laws, 746 originated in the
House, and 241 in the Senate.
The greater number of measures
introduced in both houses were of
purely private nature or only of local
Importance, snch as relief and pension
bills, for public buildings, for bridging
rivers, granting right-of-Way to rail
roads through Indian reservations, for
the removal of political disabilities,
changing judicial districts, for printing
etc.
The more important bills that be-
came laws are the Presidential success
sion bill, the temperance bill, as it is
called, which provides for a national
study and analysis of alcoholic drinks,
accepting the Grant medals and
trophies, the Oleomargarine bill, the
bill for the increase Of the navy, to
reduce the fees on domestic money
orders, for the relief of Fitz. John
Porter, to increase to twelve dollars
per month the pensions of widows and
dependent relatives, of deceased SOL |
diers and sailors to provide that home
stead settlers within the railroad limits
restricted to less than 160 acres, shall |
be entitled to have their additional
entries patented without further cost
or proof of settlement, and number
Of others that could be enumerated.
The most important defeated meas |
ures are, the bill to increase the efici- |
ency of the army; the Bland bill for
free silver coinage. and Eance's bill to
repeal the Civil Service law. The
Morrison ''surplus" silver bill failed
by reason of adjournment of Congress
before the President had time to con-
slider it.
The Cullom Interstate Commerce
bill, the Mexican pension bill, the |