Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-06
END OF A LONG SESSION.
CONGRESS ADJOURNS AFTER
NEARLY EIGHT MONTHS.

The River and HarbOr Bips Signing
Settles the Determination of the Mem
bers to Go Observation-Disclosures ii Tries
to Prevent the Customary Vote of
Thanks to the Presiding Officer.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5.-The first ses-
sion of the Forty-ninth Congress, which
ended to-day. began Monday, Dec. 7, 1885,
and covered period OF seven months
and twenty-eight days, or 241 days exclu-
sive of Sundays. OF this time the Senate
was in session 164 days and the House 1885,
During that time there were introduced in
the two houses 13,202 measured, of
which 10,0l4 were House bills ana 214
House joint resolutions and 1891 bills
and S3 joint resolutions of the Senate.
The measures proposed for enactment
into 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 complex questions of tariff legislation
and legislation with respect to national
finances.
BUI FEW OF IMPORTANCE
OF the entire number comparatively
few were of what may be termed national
Importance. The greater number were
measures Of a private nature or of merely
local Importance, such as relief and PEN
sion bills, bills for the erection of public
buildings, for bridging rivers, for grant
ing right of way to railroads through
military or Indian reservations, for the
removal Of political disabilities, for
changing judicial districts, for establish
ing new land offices, for changing the
names or location or increasing the capi
tai stock Of national banks, and for print
ing public documents. A very small per-
centage of the whole number of bills in
troduced, of either a general or private
nature, became laws.
LEFT IN THE COMMITTEES.
A comparatively small number sue
ceeded in getting through the committees
to which they were referred and reaching
the calendars Of their respective houses.
Some secured passage in the House in
which they originated, but failed of &C
ti0n in the other branch, and a very large
number still remain unconsidered by the
committees to which they were referred.
The total number of measures that
passed both House was 1,101, being 241
Senate bills and $50 bills which originated
laws with the Presidents approval, 181
became laws by limitation, the President
falling either to approve or disapprove
them within ten days after their presen-
tation to him, 113 were vetoed, and one
failed by reason of the adjournment with
out acTiOn by the President.
THE NEW LAWS.
OF the new laws 746 were House meas
ures 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, Fort Scott
and Gulf railway to construct a railway
through Indian Territory, and that to re-
tire Lieut.. Randall. or the measures
vetoed by the President SO were Senate
bills and II bills of the House. Twenty
eight OF the Senate bills vetoed were pri-
Vate pension bills, three were for the
erection Of public buildings (at Dayton,
o., Sioux City, Ia, and GAINESVILLE, o. J,
one was to grant to railroads a right Of
way through the Indian reservation in
Northern Montana, one to make
Springfield, Mass, port OF de-
livery, one to provide that the bodies
of paupers, criminals and strangers dying
within the District of Columbia unclaim-
ed within specified time after death
shall be turned over to medical colleges,
and one to quiet the title to settlers on
the DesMoines river lands, and one to
provide for the construction Of q bridge
over Lake Champlan.
DIsAPPRovED BILLS.
or the House bills disapproved by the
President seventy-four were private PEN
sion bills and three were for the erection
of public buildings. The proposed public
buildings were for Asheville, N. c., Du-
luth, MIMI, and Springfield, Mo. The
number OF measures vetoed during the
session was four more than has been
vetoed from the foundation of the govern
ment TO the beginning of the ses-
sion just closed. While nearly all
OF the vetoed bills OF the Senate were
reported back from the committees with
recommendation that they pass notwith-
standing the Presidents objection, 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
DesMOines river bill passed the Senate
over the veto, but failed to receive the
requisite two thirds vote in the House.
Motions to pass bills to grant pension
to Mary Anderson and Andrew j. Wilson
over the Presidents veto were defeated
in the House. Consideration Of other
veto messages has been postponed until
the next session.
A SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT CONDI-
TIoN.
The appended summary shows the pres
ent condition Of the more important mat
ters submitted for the action Of Congress
upon which further action is necessary
before they can become laws:
The Cullom Interstate commerce bill,
passed by the Senate and amended in the
House by substituting the Reagan or
House bill, is now in conference.
The Mexican pension bill passed the
House and was amended in the Senate
and sent to conference committee, where
il is still pending.
Bills to repeal the timber culture, pre-
emption and desert land laws, and TO for
felt the Northern Pacific land grant, also
remain pending in conference committees.
THE TARIFF BILL.
The Morrison tariff bill, which proposed
in addition to a reduction OF duties q
modification OF the existing system OF the
administration OF the customs laws, was
reported favorably from the Ways and
Means Committee, but It's consideration
was objected to in the House, and 1t re-
mains on the House calendar.
The Randall" Jaritf bill was reported
adversely from the Ways and Means Com
mttee, but was placed on the calendar,
where il remains.
The House bill TO prevent aliens from
acquiring or owning land In any of the
Territories has passed both houses, but
,.,oo ene hank IN tho publfC Iauda Cou-