Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-08-12
An Interesting Summary of the Work
Done During the First Session of
the 18th Congress.
The Session Covers a Period of
Months and % Days-13,202 Bills
introduced by Both Houses.
Only .1O1 of Them Pass Both Houses,
992 Become Laws, 113 are Vetoed.
and Adjournment Kills One.
THE 18TH CONGRESS.
A Summary Review of the Work Done Dur
ing the Session.

! of the 49th congress, which ended to-day,
began on Monday, December 7th, 1885
and covered period of seven months
and twenty eight days, or 241 days, ex-
elusive of Sundays. Of this time the
senate was in session 164 days and the
house 195 days. During that time there
we're introduced in the two houses 1920
measures, of which 1904 were house
bills and PA house joint resolutions, and
1881 bills and SO joint resolutions of the
senate.
The measures proposed for enactment
into laws exceeded in number by 2,94S
those introduced at the first session of the
18th congress, which set for seven months
and four days-165 days of actual work
ing time. They covered all sorts of sub
| iects, from the payment of laborer at
the capitol for extra services to the com
pick question of tariff legislation and
| legislation with respect to national
! finances. Of the entire number compar-
atively few were of what may be termed
OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.
| The greater number were measures of a
private nature or of merely local import
ance, such as relief and pension bills, bills
for the erection of public buildings, for
bridging rivers, for granting the right
of way to railroads through military or
Indian reservations, for the removal of
political disabilities, for changing judicial
districts, for establishing new land offices,
for changing the names or location or in
creasing the capital stock of national
banks, for printing public documents,
| etc., etc.
A very small percentage of the whole
| number of bills introduced of either
general Or private nature become laws.
A comparatively small number succeeded
in getting through the committees to
which they were referred and reaching
the calendars of their respective houses.
Some secured passage in the houses in
which they originated but failed of &C
ton in the other branch and very large
number still remain unconsidered by
the committees to which they we're re-
ferred. The total number of measures
that
PASSED BOTH HOUSES
was 1 ,101, being 241 senate bills and $50
bills which originated in the house. Of
this total sos became laws with the presi-
dents approval, 181 became laws by limi-
tation, the president failing either to ap-
prove or disapprove them within ten days
after their presentation to him, 113 were
vetoed, and one failed by reason of ad-
journment without action of the presi-
dent. Of the new laws TAG were house
measures, and 241 senate measures. The
laws that became such by limitation were
with two exceptions private pension and
relief bills. The exceptions were the bill
to authorize the Kansas City, Fit. Scott d
Gulf railway to construct a railway
through Indian Territory, and that to re-
tire Lieut.. Randall.
OF THE MEASURES VETOED
by the president were So senate bills and
II bills of the house. TWent y-elget of
the senate bills vetoed were private pen
sion bills, three were for the erection of
public buildings Cat Dayton, o., Sioux
City, Ia, andZanseville, o.. One was to
grant to a railroad the right-of-way
through the Indian reservation in north
ern Montana; one to make Springfield,
Mass, port of delivery; one to provide
that the bodies of paupers, criminals
and strangers dying in the District of
Columbia, unclaimed within a specified
time after death, shall be turned over to
the Medical college; and one to quiet the
title of settlers on the DesMoines river
lands; and one to provide for the con-
struction of a bridge over Lake Cham
plain.
OF THE HOUSE BILLS DIsAPPROyED
by the president, seventy-four were
private pension bills, and three were for
the erection of public buildings. The
proposed public buildings were for
Asheville, North Carolina, Duluth Mime
sofa, and Springfield, Missouri. The
number of measures vetoed during the
session, was four more than have been
vetoed in any one session from the found
alton of the government to the beginning
of the session just closed. While nearly
all of the vetoed bills of the senate were
reported back from the committees with
the recommendation that they pass, not
withstanding the presidents objections,
and while similar action was taken on some
of the house bills, only one, that
granting a pension to Jacob Romiser
was passed by the two houses over the
veto. The Des MOines river bill passed
the senate over the veto but failed to re-
ceive the requisite two-third vote in the
house. The motions to pass the bills to
grant pensions to Mary Anderson and
Andrew j. Wilson over the presidents
veto were defeated in the house. The
consideration OF the Otner veto messages
has been postponed until the next ses-
sion.
THE MEASURES OF GENERAL IMPORTANCE
that have been enacted into laws during
the session in addition to the regular ap-
preparation bills are as follows:
The presidential succession bill; to
provide for the study of nature and the
effect of alcoholic drinks and narcotics; to
remove the charge of desertion against
soldiers who re-enlisted without having
received discharge from the regiments
in which they had previously served; to
lcgalize the incorporation of National
Trades unions; to give the receiver of
national bank the power to buy IN any
property of the bank sold under foreclos-
ure, when necessary to protect his trust;
to regulate the promotion of graduates
of the United States military academy;
to permit the owners of United States
merchant vessels and of any proportion
of the board thereof to sue the United
States for damage by collision arising
from the mismanagemento of any govern
ment vessel; accepting the Grant medals