Omaha daily bee., 1886-08-06
SUMMARY OF THE SESSION.
What the Forty-Ninth Congress Has and
What 1t Has Not Done,
Is,2o2 MEASURES INTRODUCED
But OnivlEleven Hundred Passed
One Hundred andThirteen Bills
Vetoed, Which Breaks
the Record
A Resume of Legislation.

WASHINGTON, August 5--The first session
Of the forty-ninth congress, which ended
to-day, began on Monday, December 9, 1885,
and covered a period of seven months and
twenty-eight days, or s41 days, exclusive of
Sundays. Of this time the senate was in ses-
sion 164 days and the house 1s5 days. Dur
ing that time there were introduced in the
two houses 13, 202 measures, of which 1904
were house bills and 2l4 house Joint resolu-
tions and 9, ,S9l bills and So joint resolutions
of the senate. The measures proposed
for enactment into law exceeded in number
by 2, ,949 those introduced at the first session
OF the forty-eighth congress, which set for
seven months and four days, or 165 days of
actual working time. They covered all sorts
of Subjects from the payment of the laborer
at the capitol for extra services, to the COM
pleX questions of tariff legislation and legis-
lation with respect to the national finances.
OF the entire number, comparatively few
were of what may be termed of national i'm
pOrtance. The greater number were meas
ures of a private nature or of merely local
importance, such as relief and pension bills,
bills for the erection of public buildings, for
bridging rivers, for granting right of way to
railroads through military or Indian reserva-
tions, for the removing of political disabll-
ties, for changing judicial districts, for estab-
fishing new land offices, for changing names
Of location or increasing capital stock of ma
tional banks, for printing public documents,
ETC., etc.
A very small percentage of the whole num-
Der of bills introduced of either a general or
private nature became laws. A compara-
lively small number succeeded in getting
through the committees to which they were
referred and reaching the calendars of their
aott~
the house in which they originated but
failed of action in the other branch, aud a
very large number still remain uncOnsdered
by the committees to which they were re-
tered. The total number of measures that
passed both houses was ,101, being 241 sen-
ate bills and SEQ bills which originated in the
house. OF this total, SOC became laws with
the presidents approval; ISL became laws by
Limitation, the president failing either to ap-
prove or disapprOve them within ten days
after their presentation to him; 1l3 were We
toed, pnd one failed by reason of adjourn
ment without the presidents approval.
OF the new laws, TAG were house measures
and Al senate measures. The laws tnat be-
come such by limitation were with two ex
ceptiOns, private pension and relief bills.
The exceptions were the bill to authorize the
Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad to
construct 2 railway through the Indian terri
tory, and that to retire Lieutenant Randall.
OF the measures vetoed by the president
thirtysetcx, were senate bills and seventy.
seven bills OF tho house. sTwenty-eight Of
the senate bills vetoed, were private pension
buildings (at Dayton, Ohio; Sioux City, Ia,
and GAINESVILLE, Ohio zone was to grant rail-
roads right OF way through the Indian. reser-
yation IN northern Montana; one to make
Springfield, Mass, a port of delivery; one to
strangers dying within the District Of
Columbia unclaimed within specified time
on the Des Moines river land, and one to
provide for the construction of bridge over
Lake Champlain.. OF the house bills disap-
private pension bills and three were for the
erection of public buildings. The proposed
PUBLIC buildings were for Ashevlle,
NJ. n c., Duluth, an, Mimi. Mimi. and Spring.
vetoed during the session was four more than
have been vetoed from the foundation
Of the ., government to- to the begin
ali of The Vetoed Bills Of the senate were ear r
ported back from committee with recomenda-
ton that they pass, Notwithstanding the
presidents objection, and while similar ac-
ton was taken on some of the house bills,
Romiser-Was passed by the two houses over
the veto. The Des Moines river lands bill
passed the senate over the veto. but failed to
house. Motions to pass bills to grant PEN
sions to Mary Anderson aud A. j. Wilson
over the president s veto wtre defeated in the
house. The consideration of other veto mes
sages has been postponed until next session.
The measures of general importance that
have been enacted into laws during the ses-
sion, in addition to the regular appropriation
cession bill; to provide for the study of the
nature and the effect of alcoholic drinks and
narcotics; 70 remove the charge of desertion
against soldiers who re-enlisted without hay
Il
In which they had previously seryed; to legal
ize the incorporation of national trades
unions; to give receivers of national banks
the power to buy in any property OF the bank
tect his trust to regulate the promotion of
graduates of the United States military acad-
envy; to permit owners of United States
yssss aod o sas sa any sp yea CD
arising from the acknowledgements Of
any government, vessels; accepting the
Grant medals and trophies; to provide that
surveyed lands granted to railroads, co-ter-
minus with the completed portions of such
roads. and I'm organized counties shall not be
exempt from local taxation on account OF
| lien of the United States upon them for costs
| OF surveying, selecting or conveying them;
| it also makes provision for selling such lands
| on the refusal or neglect OF the companies to
Bill; the bill for the increase of the navy; to
| provide that homestead settlers within rail
| load limits, restricted to less than l6O acres,
| shall be entitled to have their additional en-
| tries patented without any further cost or
proof of settlement and cultivation; to re-
| duce the fees on domestic money orders, for
| sums not exceeding s., from eight cents to
five cents; to allow steam towing vessels to
carry, in addition to their own crews as
many persons as the superyis-
| ing inspector may authorizes; for
| the relief of Fitz-JOhn Porter;
| to provide for the sale of the Cherokee reser-
| vation; to enable national banking asso-
| Citations to increase their capital stock and
| to change their names and locations; author
| iZing the construction of a building for the
| accommodation of the congressional library;
! providing that after July 1, 1886, no fees
| shall be charged to American vessels for
| measurment of tonnage, issuing of licenses,
| granting certificates of registry, etc, and
| amending the laws relative TO shipping and
| dscharging OF crews, the liability OF owners,
the licensing OF vessels, etc. to forfeit lands
! granted to the Atlantic & Pacific railroad
! company: and restore the same TO settle
ment; TO increase 10 $l2 month the pensions
of widows and dependent relatives of de-
| ceased soldiers and sailors; declaring for
| feited certain land grants made TO the states
| of Mississippi Alabama, and Louisiana; to
| amend section 1886 OF tho revised
| statutes so as to require brewers COM
nlencing business to give bonds In the sum
| equal to three times the amount of tax which
| they will be liable 10 pay during any ono
| month, and to execute new bond whenever
| ranuirfld. diraet N the GacrQtaFV tine tfno