St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-10-27
THE WORK or CONGRESS.
The Longest Session in the History of the
Country - Work Complsted and Still

The Longest Session in the History of the
Country Work Completed and still
Tendirg;
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2G-To-day at ans
O'Clock the first session Of tie Fiftieth
Congress, ended-tbe longest continuous
session in the history of nearly q century
OF Congresses, having lasted 82t days.
The longest previous session ran 800 days,
ending September 80
Apart from the protracted but interest,"
ing discussion Of the, tariff question, in
both heHses and *he unparalleled dead
lock in the consideration OF the oil to rs-
fund the direct tax, the session has been
remarkable i'll several ways, but in none
more than in the enormous number Of
measures introduced in both branches
In the Senate 3,6f1 bills and 62l
Joint resolutions We're presented, and in
the House the record ran up to the un-
equaled figures of II, ,59S bills and 23Ge Joint
resolutions, making the grand totFl of
la:5S mest5uros introduced in one session.
In the Senate 1884 measures were re-
ported back from committees and placed
on the calendar-a much larger proper
tion than in the House, where S,305 meas
ures of the total number of 1898 intro
duced still slumher in the committee rooms.
Among this measures of public interest
that, have. secotAe Laws 8re The toll
lowi;t, Relating to this per1nissI-
BILE marks on mail matter; for the
division of the Sioux reservations: for
a conference with the South and Central
American nations, limiting the hours of
letter carriers: making Lieuteiant- item
eral shsridan t+enera! It TIE t.liny, 10 es-
fab'lst 8. department of labor: for an in
rernational maritime conference; requir-
ing the Pacific railroad companies to
maintain telegraph lines; to prohibit the
coming Of Chinese laborers to the United
States; ia praate boards ef arbitration 70
settle CONTROVERSIES be.tweeI Common tar-
riers and their employees; to prevent the
return Of Chinese laborers to this country:
Is aid 6taie homes f3t disah1ed soldiars,
and changing the date of meeting OF the
Electoral College.
In the next stage--that IS, in conference
between the two houses-are two bills of
the first important ntse~~repealing the Pre-.
emptioh and Timber Culture law and pro-
viding a general homestead law and de-
clarfne forfeiture of unearned railroad
land grants.
Pending before the Benate is the House
Tariff bill and The Senath substitute; The
Senats ba$sAd bills to divide Dakota atid
to admit the southern half as d State aud
to aid the common schools 1.-THE Blair billy,
bat they never reached the House for
action. IN khe senate the same thiug can
be said of the following bills which passed
the House: The Fisheries Retaliation bill,
ba of oh aI
by the President; authorizing the issue of
fractional silver certificates; allowing the
regulation by States Of railways chartered
by this t5nitrd STATES. !..,.
The following are the most important
bills unacted upon in the Senate calendar:
For the admission of Montana and Wash
ington Territories: to prohibit the alco-
holic liquor traffic: to declare trusts un-
lawful. The following measures of i'm
portance were reported from House COM
mittees and are still on the House calen-
dar: To refund the direct tax Ia vote On
which will be taken early in December
next Under an agreeihent by which the
deadlock over this bill was
for the payment of arrears of |
pensions; requiring the investment of the |
National bank redemption fund in circu- |
ating notes; the Pacific Railroad Funding |
3ill debated but never reached the point /
IF action): to include telegraph companies |
n the Interstate Commerce act; to pro- |
note commercial union with Canada; to |
incorporate the Nicaragua Canal Com
'any; and for tho organization of the Ter
itory of Oklahoma debated but never
inally voted on.)
The following are important Senate bills
which slumb9r in committees: Request
ng the President to open negotiations
With Great Britain looking to the annexa-
ion of Canada to the United States: for
he free coinage of silver; to repeal the
'leomargarine act; to provide naval re-
erve; the Hennepin canal bill; to reduce
etter postage to cent; to grant woman
uffrage, and measures proposing radical
hanges in the Governments financial
oliey.
The following are original House bills
7hich likewise never got out Of commit
ees: To repeal the internal revenue laws
nd the tobacco tax; to prohibit the mail
lg of newspapers containing lottery ad-
to lay a graduated income
TX; for bounty on sugar: to repeal the
vil-seryice laws; for full reciprocity be-
veeD the United States and Canada; to
sstrain judicial proceedings to be
rought against the Pacific railroads, to
rovide more efficient mail service be-
veen the United States and South Amer
a; to break up trusts, and vario US meas
res proposing changes in the pension.
riff and financial laws.
The most important privaSe bills of this
ssion were those pensioning Mrs. Logan
I'd Mrs. Frank P. Blair, both Of which be-
me laws, and the bills to pension Mrs.
alto and Mrs. Sheridan, which passed
g Senate but were never acted upon by
q House.