The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-14
Adjournment of Congress.


cred period of seven months and
twenty-eight days, or al day except
Sundays. Of this time the Senate
was in session 1874 days, and the
House 1856 days, During that time
there were introduced in the two
houses 13, 202 measures, of which TO-
OLA were House bills and 214 House
joint resolutions. and 1891 bills and SO
Joint resolutions of the Senate. The
measures proposed for enactment in
to laws exceeded in number by 2,949
those introduced at the first session
of the Forty-eighth Congress, which
sat for seven months and four days,
or 165 days of actual working time.
They covered all sorts of subjects,
from the payment Of a laborer at the
Capitol for extra services to the COM
pick questions of tariff legislation and
legislation with respect to the nation
al finances,
OF the entire number comparative
ly few were of what may be termed
of national importance. The greater
number were measures of a private
nature, or of merely local Importance
such as relief and pension bills, bills
for the erection of public buildings !;
for the bridging of rivers for grant
ing right of way of railroads through
military or Indian reservations for
the removal of political disabilities !;
for changing judicial districts; for es-
tabishiEg new land offices; for chang
ing the names or location or increas-
ing the stock of National banks; for
printing public documents, etc., etc.
A very small percentage of the
whole number CT the bills introduce
ed. either of general or private
nature. became laws. A compare
lively small number succeeded in
getting through the committees to
which they were referred and reach
ing the calendars of their respective
houses. Some secured passage in the
house in which they originated, but
failed of action in the other branch,
and very large number still remain
unconsidered by the committees to
which they were referred.
The total number of measures that
passed both houses was 1,10l, being
24l Senate bills and $50 bills which
originated in the House. OF this to-
tai 500 became laws by limitation. the
President failing to approve or dis
approve them within 10 days after
presentation to him; 113 were vetoed,
and one failed by reason of adjourn
ment without action by the Presi-
dent. Of the new laws TAG were House
measures and 241 Senate measures.
The laws that became such by imi-
tatiOn were with two exceptions pri-
vate pension and relief bills. OF the
measures vetoed by tine President Sc
were Senate bills and II bills of the
House. Twenty-eight of the Senate
bills vetoed are private pension bills,
three were for the erection of public
buildings at Dayton, Ohio, Sioux
City. Iowa, and GAINESVILLE, Ohio].
Ofthe House bills disapproved by
the President seventy-four were pri-
vate pension bills, and three were for
the erection of public buildings. The
number of measures vetoed during
the session were four more than have
been vetoed from the foundation 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 commit.
mittee with the recommendation that
they do pass Notwithstanding the
Presidents objection, and while SIM
liar action was taken on some of the
House bills, only one, that granting
a pension to Joseph Romiser, was
passed by the two houses over the
veto. The Des Moines river bill
passed the Senate over the veto, but
failed to receive the requisite two
thirds vote in the House. Motions
to pass the bills to grant pension to
Mary Anderson and Andrew J. Will
son over the Presidents veto were
defeated in the House. The consid-
Grafton of the other veto messages
has been postponed until the next
session.
The measures of general Importance
that have been enacted into laws dur
ing the session in addition to the reg
ular appropriation bills are as fol-
lows: The Presidential succession
bill to provide for the study of the
nature and effect of alcoholic drinks
and narcotics; to remove the charge
CT desertion against soldiers who re-
enlisted without having received
discharge from regiments in which
they had previously served ; to legal
ize the incorporation of National
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