Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-08-06
TIE SESSIONS WORK.
What Was Done and Left UndOne by the
National Legislature.

National Legislature.
WASHINGTON, August 5.-The first seS-
sion of the Forty-niuth Congress, which
ended to-day, began on Monday,
December 9TH, 1885, and covered 4 period
of seven months and twenty-eight days, or
24l days except Sundays. OF this time
the Senate was in session 16i days. and
the House lS5 days. During that time
there were introduced in the two Houses
IL, 223 measures, OF which 10, 40 were
House bills and PA House joint rcSolu-
tions and ,, S9l bills and S3 joint rcsolu-
tiOns of the Senate. The measures pro-
posed for ENACTMENT into laws cX
ccedcd in number by 2,9l9 those
introduced at the first session
of the Forty Congress, which set for
seven months and four days, or lGJ days OF
actual working time. They cOverall sorts
of subjects, from the payment of 4 laborcr
ut the Capitol for extra services, TO the
complex questions Of tariff legislation and
legislation with respect to the national
finances.
Of the entire number number compara-
lively few were of what may he termed OF
national Importance.
The greater number were measures OF 4
private nature or OF merely local import
ancc, such rs relief and pension
bills, bills for the erection Of
public bindings, 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 increasing the stock of ma
tiOnal banks for printing public docu-
mcnts, etc, etc \ very small per Centage
of the whole number of bills introduced, OF
either q general or a private nature, be-
came laws. 4 comparatively small num-
bcr succeeded in getting through the
committees to which they
were referred and in reaching
the calendars of their respective Houses.
Some secured passage i'll the House in
which they originated but failed of action
in the other branch, and a very large num-
Der still remain unconsidered by the COM
mittees to which they were referred
The total number OF measures that passed
both Houses was l,l0l, being 2ll Senate
bills and $50 bills which originated in the
House. OfthiS total SO6 became laws with
the Presidents approval, Isl became laws
by limitation, the President failing to ap-
prove or disapprovc them within ten
days after their presentation to him
113 were vetoed and one failed by reason
of adjournment without action by the
President. OF the new laws 746 were House
and 24l Senate measures. The laws that
became such by limitation were with two
exceptions private pension and relief bills.
Of the measures vetoed by the President
Sc were Senate bills and ~ bills of the
House. Twenty-eight of the Senate bills
vetoed were private pension bills; three
were for the erection ofpublic buildings tat
DAYTON, Ohio, Sioux City, Iowa, and
GAINESVILLE, Ohio. OF the House
bills disapproved by the President
II were private 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 Govern
ment 10 the beginning OF the session Just
closed While nearly all of the vetoed
bills of the Senate were reported back from
committee with the recommendation that
they pass Notwithstanding the Presidents :
objection, and while similar action was
taken on some of the House bills, only one
that granting 4 pension TO Jacob RomiSerl
was passed by the two Houses over
the veto. The DeSmOineS River
bill passed the Senate over the
veto, but failed 10 receive the requisite
two-thirllS vote in the House. Motions To
pass the bills TO grant n pension TO Mary
Anderson and Andrew J. Wilson over the
Presidents veto were defeated in the
House The consideration of the other
veto messages has been postponed until the
next session. The measures of general
Importance that have been enacted into
laws during the session in addition to the
regular appropriation bills are as follows:
The Presidential Succession bill: To Pro-
vide for the Study of the Nature and Effect
of Alcoholic Drinks and Narcotics; To
Remove the Charge of DeSertiOn Against
Soldiers who Re-enlisted without having
Received a Discharge from the Regiments
in which they had Previously Served; To
Legalize the Incorporation of National
Trades Unions; To Give the Receiver of 4
National Bank the Power TO Buy in any
Property of the Bank Sold Under Fore
closure when Necessary to Protect his
Trust; To Regulate the Promotion of Grad
uates of the United States Military
Academy; To Permit the Owners
of L. S. Merchant Vessels and of any
property on Board Therefore to Sue the
United States for Damage by Collision
Arising from Mismanagement Of any Gov