Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-11-01
CONGRESS TAKLS A REST.
The Longest Session in the History Of
the Government.
Am Epitome of Work Done.

Il
An Epitome OF Work Done.
After Sesslon lasting 32l days the first
meeting of the 50th congress adjourned on
the Goth inst. The longest previous session
ran 302 days ending September 30. Apart
| from the protracted but interesting discus
sion Of the tariff question in both houses,
and the unparalleled deadlock in the con
sideration of the bill to refund the direct
tax, tho session has been remarkable in
many ways, but in none more than the euOr-
nous number Of measures introduced in
both branches OF congress. In the senate
! 1861 bills and 1l6 joint resolutions were
presented; and in the house the record ran
up 10 tho unequaled figures OF IL ,59o bills
and 23O joint resolutions, making grand
total Of 1885 measures introduced in one
session. In the senate 1894 measures were
reported back from committees and placed
on the calendar, a much larger proportion
than that in the house where ,3O5 measures
of the total number of II ,s2S still slumberin
the committee rooms Among the measures
of public interest that have become laws are
the following
Relating to permissible marks on mail
mater; for the division OF The Sioux reser-
walton; for a conference with the South and
! Central American nations; limiting the
! hours ofletter carriers making Lieut.-Ge
/ Sheridan general OF the army; 10 establish
a department of labor; for an international
| maritime conference; requiring the Pa
! chic railroad companies 10 maintain
! telegraph lines; to prohibit the com
! ing Of Chinese laborers TO the United
| States; for the establishment Of rules in
respect to the Sault Ste Marie and other
| canals; 10 create boards of arbitration 70
! settle controversies between common car
| riers and their employees; TO prevent the
return OF Chinese laborers to this country;
! TO aid state homes for disabled soldiers,
and changing the date for the meeting of
/ the electoral college.
In the next stage, that is in conference
| between the two houses, are two bills OF
the first importance, namely: Repeating
/ the pre- emption and timber culture laws
! and providing a general homestead law,
and declaring forfeiture of unearned rail
road land grants. Pending before the SEN
ate is the house tariff bill and the senate
| substitute
The senate passed bills to divide Dakota
and admit the southern half as a state and
TO aid in common school education (the
Blair bilD, but they never reached the
house for action. In the senate the same
! thing can be said Of the following bills
which passed the house: The fisheries re-
| taliation bill, whose passage was recon-
mended by the president; authorizing the
issue Of fractional silver certificates allow
! ing the regulation by states of railways
chartered by the United States.
The following are the most important bills
Enacted upon on the senate calendar: For
the admission of Manitoba and Washington
territories; to prohibit the alcoholic liquor
! traf1ic; TO declare trusts unlawful.
The following measures Of importance
were reported from house committees and
are still on the house calendar: To refund
the direct tax Ga vote on which will be
taken early in December next under an
agreement by which the memorable dead
lock over this bill was broken } for the pay
ment Of arrears of pensions; requiring the
investment of the national bank redemp-
] tion fund in circulating notes: the Pacific
fui finding debated
reached the point Of action 3to include tele-
| graph companies under the Interstate COM
merce act; to promote commercial union
with Canada; TO incorporate the Nicaragua
canal company; for the organization of the
| territory of Oklahoma debated, but never
finally voted upon.l
The following are important senate bills
which slumber in committees Requesting
the president TO open negotiations with
Great Britain looking to the annexation Of
Canada to the United States; for the free
coinage Of silver; 10 repeal the oleomargar-
inc act; TO provide naval reserve; the
Hennepin canal bill; TO reduce letter post
age to one cent; TO grant woman suffrage,
and measures proposing radical changes in
the governments financial policy.
The following are original house bills
| which likewise never got out Of commit
tees: To repeal the internal revenue laws
and the tobacco tax; to prohibit the mail
ing OF newspapers confirming lottery adver-
JlSeulenlS, 10 lay grauual income Tax, LOT
a bounty on sugar; to repeal the civil SER
! vice law; for full reciprocity between the
| United States and Canada; directing Judi
cial proceedings to be brought against the
Pacific railroads: TO provide more efficient
mail service between the United States
and South America; to break up trusts;
and various other measures proposing
! changes in our pension, tariff and financial
laws.
The most important private bills of this
session were those pensiOning Mrs. Logan
and Mrs. Frank A. Blair, both of which
became law, and the bills to pension Mrs.
Waite and Mrs. Sheridan which passed the
senate but were never acted upon by the
! house.