St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-14
THE WORK OF CONGRESS.
What Has Aeon Accomplished by
the Nations Law Makers In

the NatIOn'S Law MakSfS III
Nine Months.
Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Sept13.-Nine months
had elapsed on Wednesday, the 9Th
inst, since the first session of the Fiji
tieth congress convened. The session
on that day had already exceeded by
three or four weeks the usual
length of sessions, and there have been
less than half dozen sessions since the
formation of the government which
have been of greater duration than the
present one. 1t is probable, however,
that there will be more net results in
the first session of the Fiftieth congress
than there have been from other sessions.
The work has been delayed, and the
session prolonged by the consideration
OF the tariff bill, and an effort on the
part of both parties to gain advantages
in the coming campaign. The follow
ing information has been com
piled from the records of congress
during the nine months which ended
on Wednesday, the 9Th inst, there were
introduced in the house II, 1863 bills and
Joint resolutions, against 10, 1914 in the
first session of the last congress. In
the senate there were introduced $500
bills and 10Y joint reSOlu tons, against
1851 joint bills and tifty-SiX joint
resolutions in the first Ses-
sion of the last congress.
There were reported from committees
in the house 3,407 bills and joint resolu-
tions. against 3,447 in the first session of
the last congress. While in the senate
there were submitted 2,172 written re-
ports, against 1851 i'll the first session of
the last congress. There were reported
from committees to the senate approx
imately), $50 bills, and joint resolutions
WithOut,Written statements. All of the
bills reported from committees to the
house were
ACCOMPANIED BY WRITTEN REPORTS.
as the rules of the house require a
written statement with every measure
reported from committee, while in the
senate bills may be returned from COM
mittees and placed upon the calendar
without written reports, but with the
simple word Favorable" or ''unfayor-
able" it will be seen by a COMPARE
son of figures that while the number
of bills introduced in this session of
congress is about 10 per cent larger than
in the first session of the last congress,
the number of reports, indicating the
amount of committee work, has de-
creased prOportionately. 1t will be
seen also that the senate
has dOue far more committee work
than usual. The business in the
senate is also in much better condition
than that in the house. The house
calendar on Wednesday contained 10
pages of bills i'll the various stages of
competition. 1t shows the titles of about
1880 or 1000 measures. The senate
calendar on the same day contained but
"a pages and only about 32j bills, nearly
all of which were ,Of general
the measures on the house cal
endar are of private nature,
mostly pensions. In fact the private
calendar of the house contained sixty
pages or approximately 966 private
bills. A very large portion of the bills
introduced and reported from commit
tees in the house were
FOR PRIVATE PENSIONS.
There were referred alone to the COM
mittee Oh invalid pensions 1866 private
pension bills introduced in the house,
and 523 private bills which came over
from the senate, while the number of
general pension bills referred to that
committee was 1875, total of 1853.
The committee made 1,025 favor
able and 237 adverse reports on
these bills, total of 1852. In the last
congress the total number of bills re-
ferred to that committee was 4,157, and
the total number of favorable reports
was 1,010, and adverse $50. The senate
committee on pensions received 1874
senate bills and $50 house bills,
total of 1874, against 1,57O
last year. 1t reported favorably
36S senate bills, 545 house bills, and re-
ported adversely $50 bills, making
total of l,243 reports upon the IA bills
the committee received. During the
first session of the last congress it re-
ported 900 bills. 1t will thus be
seen that the senate committee
on pensions acted on about II
per cent of the total number of
bills referred to it, while the house COM
mittee on invalid pensions took action
favorably or adversely upon 81 per
cent of the measures it received.
There are fifteen members OF the house
committee on invalid pensions ana nine
members of the senate eommitte on