Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-08-12
The Record of the Forty-Ninth Con-
gress.

AhO AhCcOEu OA the f'OrIy-NIntn OOu
gress.
| WASHINGTON, Aug. 5.-The first ses
sion Of the Forty-ninth Congress, which
ended to-day, began on Monday
December Z, 1885, and covered perioC
Of seven monthsand twenty-eight days
or 241 days, exclusive of Sundays. o.
this time the Senate was in session 49,
and the House 1856 days. During tha
time there were introduced in the two
houses 13, ,202 measures of which 1901
were House bills, 214 House joint reso-
lutions, and 1881 bills and efghty-thret
Joint resolutions of the Senate. The
measures introduced exceeded by q
949 those introduced at the first session
of the Forty-eight Congress, which sci
for seven months and four days, or 165
days ,oi actual working time. They
covered all sorts of subjects, from the
payment of a laborer at the Capitol for
extra services to the complex questions
of tariff legislation and legislation with
respect to the national finances.
OF the entire number comparatively
few were of what may be termed of ma
tional Importance. A very small per-
centage of the whole number of bills
introduced Of either a general or pri-
vate nature became laws. A compara-
lively small number succeeded in get
ting through the committees to which
they were referred and reaching the
calendars of their respective house.
Some secured passage in the house in
which they originated, but failed of ac-
ton 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 1,101, being
24l Senate bills and $50 bills which
originated in the House. OF this total
800 became laws with the Presidents
approval, 181 became laws by limitation,
the President failing either to approve
or disapprove 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 measures and PAL Senate meas
ures.
OF measures vetoed by the President
thirty-six were Senate bills and seven
ty-seven bills of the House. Twenty
eight of the Senate bills vetoed were
private pension bills, three were for
erection of public buildings, (at Day
ton, o.; Sioux City, Ia, and GAINESVILLE,
o., one was to grant to railroads the
right of way through the Indian re-
in Northern Dakota, one to
make Springfield, Mass, a port of
delivery, one to provide that the bodies
Of paupers, criminals and strangers
dying within the District of Columbia,
unclaimed after specified time, shall
be turned over to the medical colleges,
1ne to quiet the title to settlers on the
Des Moines river lands, and one to pro-
vide for the construction of a bridge
over Lake Champlain.
OF House bills disapproved by the
President seventy-four were private
pension bills, and three were for the
,rection of public buildings. The pro-
,osed public buildings were for Ashe- |
yille, N. O., Duluth, Minn., and Spring
ield, Mo. The number Of measures
vetoed during the session was four
more than have been vetoed from the
oundation of the government to the
of the session just closed, |
While nearly all of the vetoed bills off
he Senate were reported back from
he committees with the recommenda-
ion that they pass Notwithstanding |
he Presidents objection; and, while |
imilar action was taken on some of the
House bills, only one (that granting a |
,ension to Joseph Romeiser) was passed |
~ the two houses over the veto. The
)es Moines river bill passed the Senate
'ver the veto, but failed to receive the |
equisite two thirds vote in the House.
Notions to pass the bills to grant PEN
ion to Mary Anderson and Andrew J. |
Wilson over the Presidents veto were
lefeated in the House. The considera-
ionof other veto messages ha3 been |
until next session.