Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-14
CONGRESSIONAL STATISTICS.


Months Session.
WASHINGTON CITY, Sept 14-Nipe months
had elapsed on Wednesday the 9Th inst since
the first session of the Fiftieth congress con-
vened. 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 forma-
ton of the government which have been of
greater duration than the present one 1t is
not probable, however, that there will
be more net results in the first ses-
sion of the Fiftieth congress than
there have been from other sessions. The
work has been delayed and the session pro-
longed by consideration of the tariff bill and
an effort on the part of both parties to gain
political advantage in the pending campaign.
The following information has been compiled
from the records of congress by representa-
tives Of the United Press:
During the nine months which ended on
Wednesday of last week there were intro
duced in the house II, 1862 bills and joint reso-
buttons, against 20, I "a in the first session of
the last congress. In the senate there were
introduced 8 $50 bills and 107 joint resolu-
tons, against ., IS; bills and Sc resolutions in
the first session of the last congress. There
were reported from committees in the house
5, 407 bills and joint resolutions, against s.
Az in the first session of the last congress,
while in the senate there were submitted
2,172 written reports, against 1,5s1 in the
first session of the last congress. There were
reported from committees to the senate zap
proximately) $50 bills and joint resolutions
without written statements All Of the bills
cd u,,r1if IN
accompanied by written reports, as the
rules of the house require a written state
ment with every M asure reported from
committee. while in the senate bills may be
returned from committees and placed upon
the calendar without written reports, but
| with the simple word Favorable" or "unfa-
| vorable"
1t will be seen by comparison of figures
| that while the number of bills introduced in
this session of congress Is about 10 ner cent.
larger than in the first session of the last
congress, the number Of reports indicating
the amount of committee work has decreased
proportionatel7. 1t will be seen also that
the senate has done far more COMMITTEES
work than usual. The business in the senate
is also in much better condition than that IT
the house The house calendar on the 5tf
inst contained Ito pages Of bills in the var
ious stages of completion. 1t shows the titles
Of about 500 or 2, 900 measures. The senate
calendar on the same day contained but
twenty-four pages, and only about rs bills
nearly all of which were of a general char
acter
The greater ma ority of the measures on
the house cal endar are of private nature
mostly pensions. In fact, the private calen
dar of the house contained 60 pages, or zap
proximatelyl 966 private bills A very large
portion of the bills introduced and reported
from committees in tine house were for pri
vate pensions. There were referred alone Il
the committee on invalid pensions 3, 1865 pri
vate pension bills introduced in the hous
and 523 private bills which came over from
the senate, while the number of general pen
sion bills referred to that committee was 1876
total of 4, 5S3 The committee made 1,02
favorable and 2s7 adverse reports on thes
bills--a total of 1852 In the last congress
the total number of bills referred to tina
committee was 4, l27, and the total numbe
OF favorable reports was 1,0l0, and ad
verse, $50
The senate committee on pensions received
/, ls4 senate bills and $40 house bills-a tota
of IA, against $40 last year 1t reporte,
favorably 1868 senate bills, 545 house bills, an
reported adversely $50 bills, making tota
of ], 24S reports upon the LIZA bills tn
committee received. During the first ses
sion of the last congress it reported 900 bills
1t will thus be seen that the senate commit
tee on pensions acted on about II per cent
of the total number of bills referred to it
while the house committee on invalid per
sions took action favorably or adversel
! upon q per cent. of the measures it received
There are fifteen members of the house con
mittee on invalid pensions, and nine men
bers of the senate committee on pensions.
will be noticed, however, that the house CON
mittee made nineteen more reports than th
senate committee
President Cleveland, up to the 5th inst