Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-03-08
The WOrk of CONGRESS.

The Fiftieth Congress- which expired by |
limitation Monday noon was in many re-
spects "A remarkable one. Its first session |
exceeded in length any previous one and |
rev sessions ever accomplished much less |
than its last. Beginning on the first Mon
day in December, 1887, Che Fiftieth Con |
gress continued in practically uninterrupted |
session until October 30, 1883, when it adj !
Journed to meet for the second session in
December, and to continue until March 4, |
1889. During the two sessions there were
introduced in the House - $50 bills, or
,4OO more than in the preceding Congress
and PCS joint resolutions. or five more than
i'll the Forty ninth Congress In the Senate
3,90S bills and IA joint resolutions were in
PRODUCED, against 3,3ji bills and Is rcsolu-
lions during the Forty-nnth Congress
which broke all previous records in this re
spect. OF all these bills and joint rcsou-
tons, |, 19l became laws, of which 1,l9O
originated in the House and Col in the Sen
ate. The president sent veto messages in
the case of ninety-nine House and forty
seven Senate bills or fourteen more vetoes
than were made during the previous Con
gress.
Some of the more important bills which
became laws are as follows: The Scott chi
nese exclusion act; providing for the taking
of the eleventh census; to limit the hours of
| labor of letter carriers; creating depart
mcnt of agriculture: to establish depart
| mcnt Of labor: to create boards of arbitra-
ton for settling strikes; the omnibu, terri
torial admission bill, by which North and
h,1.- l. y
| Territories acquired statehood; TO incorpor-
ate the Nicaragua Canal company: to pro
vide for a marine conference; to provide aid
| to State homes fer the support of disabled
soldiers; to prohibit the coming of Chinese
| lahorels into the United State: to change the
time of meeting of the electoral college: TO
| enable the president to protect the interests
| of the United State, at anama to protect
| the Alaska seal and salmon fisheries: direct
ing the secretary of the interior TO invest-
gate the practicabilitv OF constructing water
storage reservoirs in the arid region. and ap-
propriating 5000, 00O 10 suppress, infection
in Interstate commerce. Congress also
passed bills TO pension Mrs. sheridan, Mrs.
Logan. Mrs. Frank y. Blair and tu retire
Gen. Rosecrans
The most notable measure, which failed
OF final passage were the Mills tariff bill the
Oklahoma bill; the bill authorizing the issue
of fractional silver certiiicatesto prevent the
| employment of alien labor upon public build
ings or other public works and in The V9ri-
Gus departments of the government; To for
felt the Northern Pacific land grant; the
fisheries retaliation bill recommended by
Il. 4. 81
scr,e of the United States with respect to
foreign control OF the Panama canal: the
Blair educational bill: the dependent pen
sion bill; for the appointment of an alcohol
ic liquor commission: to establish national
art commission: to make telegraph compan-
les subject to regulation by the inter State
commerce commission: hill for the admis-
sion of Utah. Idaho New Mexico and Wy
oming Territories: to declare trusts IN
lawful; resolution to promote commercial
, union with Canada and to authorize the
president to open negotiations with view
to the annexation OF the Dominion; to grant
women suffrage; to repeal the civil service
law, the internal revenue laws and the to-
bacco tax: to lay graduated income tax;
for the free coinage of silver: TO repeal the
oleomargarine act; 20 repeal the arrears of
pension limitation Two important treaties
which were rejected were the Canadian fish
cries and the British eXtradition convon-
tons
On the whole it may be said for the Fiji
tieth Congress that il passed very few bad
bills OF course it might have done much
which it left undone. Notably it might
3 have taken measures To reduce the surplus
and lessen taxation, That the Cowlcs bill,
which would have done both did not become
1 law, was due to the arbitrary conduct OF
: leading democrats who defeated it by tilibus
l tering, when they could not defeat it ON a fair
| vote. The closing record thus made 10y the
t House was IA decidedly bad one and tn,
t country will have TO look TO the next Con
= gress for the reduction of taxation which
MIR. Cleveland declared to be a patriot,
duty.