, 1888-10-25
CONGRESS- CLOSES.
1t Was The Longest Session
Ever Held.
BUT LITTLE BUSINESS DONE.
Democratic Senators Defend The Admin
istration--As scheme for Irrigating Bar
ron Lands In The Mountains.

WAsHrNGToN, Oct 19.---To.morrow at
/ o'clock the first session OF the fiftieth
congress will end. 1t is the longest con-
tinuous session in the history of nearly a
century of congress, having lasted 32l
days, the longest previous session
being 302 days, ending Septem-
Der 30. Apart from the protracted dis.
cussion of the tariff question, in both
houses, and the deadlock in the consider
alton of the bill to refund the direct tax,
the session has been remarkable in several
ways, but in none more than in the enor-
nous number of measures introduced in
both branches of congress.
In the senate 3461 bills and 1l6 joint
resolutions were presented, and in the
house the record ran up to the unequaled
figures of II ,59S bills and 230 joint resolu-
tions, making grand total of 1885 meas.
ures introduced in one session. In the
senate 1880 measures were reported back
from the committee and placed on the cal.
endar, a much larger proportion than in
number of II 1873 introduced, still slumber
in the committee rooms. Among the
measures of public interest that
have become laws are the follow
ing: Relating to the permissible marks
on mail matter; for the division of
the Sioux reservation; for the conference
with the South and Central American
nations; limiting the hours of letter car
riers; making Lieutent' General Sheridan
general OF the army; TO establish de-
partment Of labor; for the international
maritime conference: requiring the Pacific
railroad companies to maintain telegraph
lines; to prohibit the coming of Chinese
laborers to the United States; for the es-
Enlistment OF rules In respect to st.
Marie and other canals; to create boards
OF arbitration; TO settle controversies be-
tween common carriers and their em-
poyers; to prevent the return of Chinese
homes for disabled soldiers; to change the
date of meeting of the electoral college.
In the next stage that is in conference be-
tween the two houses are the two bills of
first Importance. namely, repeating pre-
emption and timber culture laws and
providing general homestead law and
declaring the forfeiture Of unused rail-
road land grants.
Pending before the senate is the house
tariff bill and the senate substitute. The
senate passed bills to divide Dakota and
admit the southern half as state and to
aid the common school education (Blairs
bill), 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 retaliation bill,
whose passage was recommended by the
president; authorizing the issuing of
fractional silver certificates; allowing reg
ulation by states Of railways chartered by
the United States. The following are the
most important bllr enacted upon on the
senate calendar: For the admission of
Montana and Washington territories; to
prohibit alcohol liquor traffic; to declare
trusts unlawful.
The following are measures of import
ance which were rep0ted from the house
committees and are still on the house cal.
andar: To refund the direct tax Ia vote
on which will be taken early in December
under an agreement by which the memoir
for the payment of Arrears of pensions; re-
quiring the investment of the National
bank redemption fund in circulating
notes; Union Pacific Railroad pending
bill debated but never reached point of
action) to place telegraph companies un-
der the Interstate commerce act; to pro-
mote commercial union with Canada; to
incorporate the Nicaurgau Canal Com
pany; for the organization of the Territory
of 0'Klahama; debated but not finally
The following are the senate bills which
slumber in committees: Requesting the
president to open negotiations with Great
Britain looking to the annexation of Can
ada to the United States; for the free
coinage of silver; to repeal the oleomar.
garine act; to provide naval reserve; Hen
nepin canal bill; to reduce letter postage
to cent; to grant woman suffrage, and
measures proposing radical changes in
the governments financial policy. The
following are the original house bills
which likewise never got out of the com.
mittees: To repeal the internal revenue