The Russellville Democrat., 1889-03-14
WORK OF CONGRESS.
The Most Remarkable Lcglsla- tive Body in the Nations His-
 tory.

The Most Remarkable LcgIsla-
 tive Body in the Nations His-
 tory.
 Some of the Measures that Be
 came Laws.
 Undoubtedly the most noteworthy legislative act of the Fiftieth Con gress, has been the passage ;: the act by which there will be an addit- ion Of four new stars on tue field of blue of the American national colors. The Congress has been in many re- spects a remarkable one, and In its length has exceeded that of any pre-. vious congress. It has been charsc- terized by some sharp and acrimon. ious debates, and on several ocoas. ions personalities have been ex changed of character more bitter and exasperatlng than polite.
 The first session was made unus ually interesting by the fact that a national election was near at hand and that the lines of both parties were closely drawn, with the leaders watching eagerly for every opportun- ity that might give them an advan- tage, however slight, in the ap- preaching contest. Although the measure which caused tue prolonga- ton of the first session well into the autumn and to a tune beyond All precedent failed of enactment and resulted in nothing save mighty torrent of debate, the Congress has nevertheless achieved considerable amount of work. More bills have been introduced and more enacted into laws than during any other Con, gress.
 In the matter of vetoes, the here tofore unsurpassed record of the For ty ninth Congress has been beaten, President Cleveland disappearing more bills during the last two years of his administration than during the first two. He has vetoed direct ly PTS bills-l57 more than all his predecessors combined, from Wash ington down, while number of measures have been subjected to what is called the pocket veto; that is, they failed to become laws be- cause the President did not sign them and because the sessions of Congress expired before the constitutional llmltion of 10 days was up within which the President IS required to express his disapproval. Fourteen bills failed to become laws in this manner at the close of tho first sess ion of the present Congress.
 Beginning on the first Monday in Der. 1887. the Fiftieth Con gress continued practically uninter- uptedly in session until the 20th Of October, 1888, when it adjourned to meet for the second session Ill De cem Der and to eontinne until March 1, 1889, as required by law. During the two sessions there have been in- troduced in the House I2,659 bills, or 400 more than Tn the preceding Congress and 28S joint resolutions, or five more than in the Forty ninth Congress. Committee reports have been made to the number of 4,l54. In the Senate, 3,99S bills and IA joint resolutions have been introduc ed against 3,357 bills and llS resou tions during the Forty ninth Con- gress, which broke all previous rec ords in this respect. There were 2 709 written reports made, or over TOO in excess of the preceding Congress Of all these bllls and joint resolu tions, l79l became laws, Of which num- mber ,l90 origin ated in the House and 60l in the Senate.
 The Presid ,nt also sent veto mes sages in the case of 99 House and AT Senate bills or IA more vetoes than were made during the previous Con- gress.
 Or the House bills which became laws, S32 were prlyate bills and sos measures of pubic character.
 Some of the more important House bills winch have become laws are as follows:
 For a conference of South and Central American nations in Wash ington In May next.
 To divide .he great Sioux reserva ton in Dakota.
 The Scott Chinese exclusion act.
 Providing for the taking of the eleventh census.
 To limit the hours of letter carri- CTS.
 To provide building for the chief signal officer In Washington.
 For the protection of United States officials in the Indian Territory.
 To authorize condemnation oflands for sites of public buildings.
 To require United States Circuit and District Judges to instruct ju ries in writing in certain oases.
 Creating n Department of Agricul- ture, the head of the department to be Cabinet officer.
 To authorize the location of a branch home for volunteeer disabled soldiers in Grant County, Indiana.
 To protect lands belonging to In dians from unlawful grazing.
 To establish a department 0! Ia Dor.
 To create boards of arbitration or