The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-08-19
The Work of the Last House of Rep
resentatiVeS.

The Work of the Last House of Rep
resentativeS.
The record of the House of Representatives
which has just adjourned-the hrst assembled s
years-has been one which contains more ex-
cellent legislation Of general character than
imprint of having been on the side OF the many.
and not in behalf of the few. We take some OF
the most notable work it has done for the peo-
At the head of the list, as showing that the
engine has been reversed, and legislation can
lions, we place the law FORGETTING 5O,4S2,2i0
acres of land held by the railroad corporations,
Of the country. it also passed bills forfeiting
thirty EIGHT millions additional acres held by
the railroad corporations. but these bills failed
1t passed the Reagan Interstate Commerce
bill, which prohibits the railroad corporations
charging more Tor q short haul than they do for
a long one-a bill in which the farmers of Vir-
ginia who are growing wheat against the COM
petition of the West, are deeply interested !; but
It failed in the Senate whore the railroad in
fluence seems to be invincible. This Is the
third time that the House has passed this bill
and the Senate has put its foot on 1t.
1t passed resolution to invest the surplus In
the Treasury in buying in the bonds and stop
ping interest. This was also passed in the Sen
ate but the President permitted 1t to fall for
want of his signature.
especially of the farmers of this Valley who are
Just turning their attention to creameries, tax
ing fraudulent butter. better known as Oleo-
margarine, 5 cents pound, and requiring 1t to
be labeled with its proper title. The Senate
| reduced tho tax to 2 cents per pound and the
| bill became q law,
1t passed bill securing the public lands of
| the Nation to the people of the Nation. and
| preventing the absorption of them by wealthy
aliens.
| 1t passed every law petitioned for by the
workingmen of the country, including one
| legaliZing national trades-unions, and another
| appointing committee to inspect and report
on convict labor.
present or contemplated mOnopolies.
1t refused to contract the currency by sus-
pending silver coinage and passes, oil airect
| It commenced the building of q new Navy by
ordering the building of two armored vessels
and a fast cruiser, and ordered the completion
| of the four double-terretted monitors now be-
| ing constructed. The ships TO be of American
material and nothing used on them to be
bought abroad that can be obtained at home.
1t passed a bill directing the Secretary OF the
| Treasury to deliver to the proper claimants or
owners the silverware, jewelry. &C., captured
by the United States army during the late war,
and to sell at public auction all such articles
| 1t passed bill providing that tobacco in all
| it's forms may be exported free of duty.
speech Of Hon Samuel j. Randall in the ICON
| gressional Record of last Friday. 1t gives an
elaborate history of the regular appropriation
bills for 1886-S7, and finds in conclusion that
deducting the increased amount given for pen.
sions over what was appropriated for 1885
River and Harbor bill (si4.47s soO)-making in
all SSp, $40 100-from the aggregate regular appro
S2O6 400 &c. 4S6 1854 less than was appro
priated for the regular expenses OF the Govern
| ment for the fiscal year 1856.
Mr.. Randall also shows that the expenditures
| of the Government during the first fiscal year
| under the present Democratic Administration
the last fiscal year of Arthur's Administration !;
| also that the expenditures for pensions in 1886
bsss al as Of Sag
| 1885, which difference, If deducted from the
general expenditures as stated above for 1885,
would make the reduction of expenditures for
1885 less by $24,660,229 than the expenditures
shown for 1885.
| The above is from the last Vnd5cdtor.
1t all of the statements made therein could
be sustained by the record, certainly the
showing would be a meagre one from a
House, the members of which had prom
ised more than any set of men that ever
entered office. But let us see how the
record bears out the statement of our con-
temporary.
Every fair minded man who knows any
thing about the matter, will confess that
greater part of the land forfeitures were
nothing more nor less than downright rob
berries. In order to develop an unproduc-
tive, unciviIized and barren region the
National Government agreed to donate
alternate sections, within given distance
of the line, to any company that would con
struct road through vast inaccessible
territory given over to the wild beas1
and the savage. Under this contract the
sections reserved by the government be-
came worth thousand. fold their former
value. Prior to the ullding of the road
the entire egion was unproductive, bring
ing in no revenue and affording no benef
whatever. The extension of the lines car
ried with it tide of immigration and civ
ilization, and to-day one of the most pros
porous and profitable sections of the UnioI
is the barren waste which the railroads
have transformed into veritable garden
spot, peopled with happy and industriou
8 population, and contributing millions an
nually to the support of the government
! When the consideration for which tn
, contract had been given had been received
y and the country was in the full enjoyment
: of even greater benefits than it expected
: to derive, then the Democratic party
upon. for the most part, mere technica
, grounds, declares the contract void, ant
| the lands earned by the railroad companie
forfeited. In some instances it was prope
that they should be forfeited, and the Re
publican party, where proper, approved tn
, action, but the larger part of the forfeit
ures made was but an open invasion O.
vested rights. Moreover, the majorit,
in at least one instance refused to de
clare forfeiture when it was plainly theil
duty to do so. There was grant in Mis-
sissippi to corporation that had been deat
for years, and had never built yard o.
road, and when the Democrats were called
upon to declare this grant forfeited they
refused to act.
In response to a general demand for &
wise inter state commerce bill the Repub
lican Senate passed such a measure. II
went to the House where wild and i'm
practicable substitute was offered. which
it was known would not pass. and which
would not have accomplished the object
intended had it become a law. Let any
sensible man read the Senate bill and tben
the House bill, and he will find little diff.
Guilty in determining which was the better
measure.
The resolution to retire the bonds was
altogether unnecessary, as under the exist.
ing law the bonds can be redeemed as fast
as it is expedient to do so. This resolu-
tion passed the Senate, however, and died
upon the desk of Democratic president.
But if the people really want to know how
anxious the Democratic party was to re-
duce the debt, let them look at the record.
During the sixteen months of Democratic
administration, bonds to the amount of
$5S. 800, 600 were redeemed. In no single
gear did the Republican party pay off less
than $40, 100000 and from that amount to
as much as $163, 100000. The average re,
demption for each sixteen months of Re-
publican rule was 1888, 1000 against
$5S, 800, 900 for like period of Democratic
| control.
The oleomargarine bill became law,
but how ? 1t passed the House by vote
of III to 101. Of the affirmative vote 10Y
were Republicans and 70 Democrats. Of
| the negative vote Is were RepuhIicanS and