The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-11-21
THE WORK OF CONGRESS.
The Longest Session in the His.
tory Of Our Government.
A Summary Of the Work Accom-
plished in Both Houses.

With the adjournment of the first session
Of the Fiftieth Congress has ended the long
est continuous session in the history Of nearly
century Of Congresses, having lasted 81
days. The longest previous session ran 3O2
days, ending September go Apart from the
protracted but interesting discussion Of the
tariff question in both houses, and the un-
paralleled deadlock in the consideration Of
the bill to refund the direct tax the session
has been remarkable in several ways, but in
none more than in the enormous number OF
measures introduced in both branches OF
Congress.
in the Senate 3641 bills and 116 joint resolu-
tions were presented, and in the House the
record ran up to the unequaled figures Of
1i,59S bills and 230 joint resolutions, making
a grand total Of IS, 5S5 measures introduced
In one session. In the Senate 1894 measures
were reported back from committees and
placed on the calendar, a much larger pro-
portion than in the House, where S305 meas
ures of the total number Of Il, ,S28 introduced
still slumber in the committee rooms
Among the measures Of public interest
that have become laws are the following:
Relating to permissible marks on mail mat
ter; for the protection Of submarine cables;
for the division of the Sioux Reservation; re-
lating to the anchorage of vessels In the
Port Of New York; for conference with the
South and Central American nations; limit
ing the hours of letter carriers; making
Lieutenant General Sheridan general Of the
army; to establish a Department Of
Labor; to prevent deposits in New York
harbor; for an international maritime con-
ference; to perfect the quarantine service;
recurring the Pacific Railroad Companies to
maintain telegraph lines; to authorize juries
in United States Circuit and District Courts
to be used Interchangeable; to prohibit the
coming of Chinese laborers to the United
States; for an appI aiser's warehouse IN
New York; to increase the detail of
army and naval officers to educational
Institutions; for the establishment of
rules in respect to the st. Marie and other
canals; 10 create boards of arbitration to
settle controversies between common car
riers and their employees; to prevent the re-
turn of Chinese laborers to this country; to
investigate the practcability of constructing
storage reservoirs in the arid regions; to In.
State homes for disabled soldiers, and chang.
ing the date Of meeting Of the Electoral
College.
MEASURES THAT FAILED TO PASS.
In the next stage-that is, in conference
between the two houses-are two bills Of the
first mportance-namely, repeating the Pre-
emption and Timber Culture laws and
providing a general homestead law and
declaring forfeiture of unearned railroad
land grants. Pending before the Senate Is
the House Tariff bill and the Senate sub
stitute
The Senate passed bills to divide Dakota
and admit the Southern half as State and
to aid common school education the Blair
bill, but these bills never reached the House
foI 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; author
izing the issue of fractional silver certih-
Gates; allowing the regulation by States OF
railways chartered by the United States; for
the printing of government securities by
hand; to prevent the use Of the product OF
convict labor by government departments or
on public buildings or public works.
The following are the most important
bills unacted upon the Senate calendar: To
establish United States Land Court; to In
vest the surplus in United States bonds; for
the admission Of Montana and Washington
Territories: to prohibit the alcoholic liquor
traffic; to declare trusts unlawful; to estab-
lish postal telegraph system adversely re-
ported from committee.l
The following measures Of Importance were
reported from House committees and are
still on the House calendar:-To refund the
direct tax Ia vote on which will be taken
early in December next under an agreement
by which the memorable deadlock over this
bill was broken: for the payment of arrears
Of pension; for the adjudication of the French
spoIiation claims adversely reported; to
prevent the introduction of contagious
! diseases; requiring the investment of the
national bank redemption fund in circulating
notes; the Pacific Railroad Funding bill de-
bated, but never reached the point Of action;
to include telegraph companies under the
Interstate Commerce act; to promote COM
mercial union with Canada; to incorporate
the Nicaragua Canal Company: to regulate
the manufacture of compound lard: for the
organization of the Territory Of Oklohama
debated, but never finally voted onl.
The most important private bills OF this
session were those pensioning Mrs. Logan and
Mrs Frank A. Blair, both Of which became
laws, and the bills to pension Mrs. Waite and
Mrs. Sheridan, which passed the Senate but
never were acted upon by the House.
The most important treaty which was
acted upon was the Canadian fisheries treaty,
which, contrary to custom, was considered
by the Senate in open session and was re-
jected by strict party vote.
The President has sent in 129 vetoes-forty
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