Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-11-03
WORK OF
Bills That Have Been Considered
and Become Laws,

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.-At 1 O'Clock
Saturday the first session Of the Fiftieth
congress ended. the longest continuous
session in the history of nearly a century
or congresses, having lasted 321 days
The longest previous session ran 302
days, ending September 80. Apart from
the protracted but interesting discussion
OF the tariff question in both houses, and
the unparalleled deadlock IN the consid-
Grafton of the bill to refund the direct
tax, the session has been remarkable in
several ways, but in none more than n
the enormous number OF measures in
troduced in both houses OF congress.
In the senate 3,641 bills and 1l6 Joint
resolutions were presented and in the
house the record ran up to
the u~ncqualled figures of II. sos
bills aud $50 joint resolutions, making "A
grand total OF 10. $50 measures introduced
IN one session. In the senate . 394 meas.
ures reported back from the committees
aud placed on the calendar, a much larger
proportion than in the house, where
; 800 measures of the total numberof H.
59S introduced still slumber in the com
mlttec rooms. Among measures Of pub
nc interest that have become laws are the
following:
Relating to permissible marks OH mail mat
ter.
For the division OF the Sioux reservation.
For n conference with South and Central
American nations.
Limiting the hours Of letter carriers.
Making Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan general Of the
army.
To establish a department Of labor.
For an international mar time conference.
Requiring the Pacific railroad companies to
maintain telegraph lines.
To prohibit the coming Of Chinese laborers
to the United States.
For the establishment OF rules In regard to
=. Marie aud other canals.
To create boards OF arbitration TO settle
controversies between common carriers and
their employers.
To prevent the return OF Chinese laborers
to this country.
Aiding state h mes for disabled soldiers.
Changing the date OF meetings OF the elect
oral college.
In the neXt stage, that is, in the con
ference between the house, are two bills
of first importance-namely, repeating
the pre- emption and timber culture laws
and providing a general homestead law,
oaib ~ Va ~ 4
railroad land grants.
Pending before the senate 10 the house
tariff bill and the senate substitute.
The senate passed bills to divide Dakota
and admit the southern part as q state
and TO aid common school education
(Blair bilD, but they never reached the
house for action.
The following are the most important
ht1lo ,Nuotn ,,pAn thA naDnt, ,Iln
For the admission OF Montana and Wash
ingtOn territories.
To prohibit alcoholic liquor traffic.
TO declare trusts unlawful.
The following measures Of Importance
were reported from the house commit
tees and are still On the house calendar:
To refund the direct tax Ga vote on which
viii be take early IN December next unoeI
the agreem (which the memorable dead.
lo X over his Twas bruken).
Eor the payment Of arrears OF pensions.
Requiring The inve-tmr mt of the national
bank redemption fund In circulating notes.
To iaclulc telegraph companies under the
interstate act.
To promote commercial union with Can
ada.
The following are some Of the senate
bills which slumber in committees
Requesting the president 10 open negotia,
tions with Great Britain looking to the annex.
alton OF Canada to the L tied States.
For free coinage OF silver.
To repeal the oleomargarine act.
Hennepin canal dill.
TO reduce letter postage to | cent.
To grant woman suffrage, and measures
proposing radical change in the governments
financial policy.
The following are a few Of the original
house bills which likewise never got out
of the committees:
To repeal the internal revenue laws and
tobacco tax.
To prohibit the mailing OF newspapers con
tanning lottery advertisements.
To lay a graduated income tax.
To repeal the civil service law.
For full reciprocity between the United
States aud Canada.
Directing judicial proceedings to be brought
against the Pacific railroad.
To break up trusts, aud various measures
proposing changes In our pension, tariff and
inanciatiaws.
The most important private bills of
this session We're those pe~nsioning Mrs.
Logan and Mrs. Frank p. Blair, both OF
which became laws. an. the bills to pen
sion Mrs. Waite and Mrs. Sheridan, which
passed the senate, but never were acted
on by the house.