Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-08-14
THE WORK OF CONGRESS.
Summary Of Labors of the Session Just
Closed.
A Large Number of Bills Introduced Dur.
ing the Long Term!

liC VI NoHSltSS, WIFI tiut tt-udt,
began on Monday, December Z, 1855, and GOV.
cred a period Of seven months and twenty.
eight days, or 24l days exclusive Of Sunday.
OF this time the senate was in session lo4
days and the house 1S5 days. During that
time there were introduced in the two houses
-, 202 measures, Of which l0,0l4 were house
bills and PA house joint resolutions and z, s9l
bills and SO Joint resolutions. In the senate
the measures proposed for enactment into
Jaws exceeded IN nrmber 2.949 those intro
| duced at the first session of The Forty-cighth
congress which sat for seven months and
four days, or l65 days Of actual working time.
They covered all sorts uf subjects from tht
| payment Of the laboror at the capitol for cx.
ira services 10 complex tariff legislation and
legislation with respect to national finances.
Ut the entire number comparatively few were
of what may be termed Of national import
ancc. The greatest number were measures OF
n private nature or of merely local Importance,
such as relief and
PENSION BILLS,
bills for the erection of public buildings, for
bridging rivers, for granting tight of way to
railroads through military or Indian reserya-
tons, FOR the removal Of political disabilities.
for changing judicial districts. for establishing
new land Offices, for changing the names Of
location or increasing the capital stock of
national banks, for printing public documents,
etc. A very small percentage Of the whole
number Of bills introduced OF either II general
! OF private nature became laws. A compar.
itively small number succeeded in getting
through the committees to which they
were referred and reaching the calendar OF
their respective houses. Some secured pass
age in the house in which they originated, but
failed OF action in the other branch, and a
very large number still remain unconsidered
bv the committees to which they were referred.
The
TOTAL NUMBER
Of measures that passed both houses was ] ,l0l,
being 24l senate bills and $50 which originated
in The house. OF this total SOC became laws
| with the presidents approval. Isl became laws
by limitation, the president failing either to
| approve or disapprove them within ten days
after their presentation to him: 1l3 were
vetoed and one failed by reason OF adj
| iournment without action Of the president.
OF the new laws 146 were house measures and
24l senate measures. The laws that became
such by limitation were, with two exceptions,
private pension and relief bills. The excep-
tions were the bill to authorize the Kansas
City, Fort Scott and Gulf railway to construct
q railway through Indian territory, and that
To retire Lieut., Randall. OF the measures
vetoed NV the president 33 were senate bills
and - bills of the house. Twenty-eight Of
the bills vetoed were private pension bills,
three were for the erection of public buildings
~. H.. ~ H. "a. a-l I.AAa@s1A ~ .
one vas to grant to railroads right-of-way
through the Indian reservation in northern
Montana. one to make Springfield, Mass, a
port of delivery: one to provide that bodies Of
paupers. criminals and strangers dying within
the District Of Columbia unclaimed, within a
specified time after death shall be turned over
To- the medical colleges, and one to quiet the
title Of the owners on
DIES MONIES RIVER LANDS,
and one to provide for the construction Of a
bridge over Lake Champlain. OF the house
bills disapproycd hy the president "a were
private pension bills anc three were for the
erection Of public buildings. The proposed
public buildings were for Ashviile, \. G.;
Duluth, Mimi, and Springfield, Mo.
The number Of measures vetoed during the
session was four more than have been vetoed
from the foundation of the government 10 the
beginning Of the session just closed. While
nearly all of the vetoed bills Of the senate
were reported back from committee with a
recommendation that they pass notwithstand
ing the presidents objection, and while sir
lar action was taken on some OF the house
bills, only one, that granting "a ,oision TO
| Jacob Romiser, was passed by tl two houses
over the veto. The n.s Moines river bill
| passed the senate over the veto, but failed TO
| receive the requisite two-thirds vote i'm the
house. Motions 10 pass bills to grant a pen
sion To Mary Anderson and Andrew j. Wilson
| ,pnr Tho ,,raGtlantf Natn uara Iafant11 In, tho
house. Consideration Of 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 tn the regular apprClria-
! ton bills. are AS follows: Presidential sue
cession bill: to provide for the study OF ma
tIrc and the effect of alcoholic drinks and mar
! cotics: TO extend the immediate delivery eys-
TEN; to increase the pensions OF soldiers who
have lost an arm or leg: 10 remove the charge
of desertion against soldiers who re-enlisted
without having received discharges from the
| regiments in which they had previously served;
50 legaliZe the Incorporation of national trades
unions; 10 give the receiver of national banks
power To buy in property OF a bank sold under
foreclosure when necessary TO protect his
trust: TO regulate the promotion Of graduates
OF the United States military academy: 10
permit owners Of United States merchant YES
seis, and any 'rcpcrty on board thereof, to
sue the Unit. ''"tc, r.. damage by collision
arising frCm The nismanagement OF any
| govcrnmeI vess.i; accepting the Grant
medals an 'rppl -; TO provide that the sur
vey OF land, !. "a to railroads CO. terminous
with the competed portions of such roads and
in organized companies shall not be exempt
from local tex on account OF the lien OK the
United States upon them for costs OF survey
ing, selecting or conveying them. CT al, o
makes provisions for selling such lands on r.
fusai or neglect Of the companies TO pay tie
costs OF survey; the ol~eomargarine bill; he
bill for the increase Of the navy; 70 provide
that
HOMESTEAD SETTLERS
within railroad limits restricted to less han
| 100 acres shall be entitled to have their addi-
tional eutries patented without further cost
or proof Of settlement and cultivation: to
reduce fees on domestic money orders for
sums not exceeding s., from : cents to 5
cents: TO allow steam towing vessels to carry,
In addition 10 their crews, as many persons as
the supervising inspector may authorize; for
the relief OF Fi,z John Porter; Ia provide for
the sale Of the Cherokee reservation; TO ena-
BILE natio nal banking ASSOCIATIONS to increase
their capital stock and change the names or
locations; authorizing the construction OF a
building for the accommodated OF the con-
gressional library; providing that after July
!, 1856, no fees shall be charged to American
vessels for measurement, tonnage, issuing OF
licenses, granting certificates Of registry, etc,
and amending the laws relative to the ship
! tf,,r a nd Itunt. rnis.s Al ~ ar.us 1tohfiffu ~