The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-03-07
4 BUSY SESSION.

a BUSY SESSION.
A Resume q the Work Of the Fiftteth
Congress-Out Of 16,0B5 bills and az
Resolutions Introduced, 1.701 Became
Laws-6ono Of tho Measures That Failed
WARRINGTON, March A-Undoubtedly the
most noteworthy act OF the Fiftieth Con.
gress, which closes ct noon. has been the
passage OF the act admitting four new States
to the Union. Tho Congress has been "a
many respects remarkable one, and in
| it, length has exceeded that Of any
previous Congress- Although the measure
| which caused the prolongation of the frat
session beyond all precedent resulted in moth.
ing save mighty torrent of debate, the Con.
gress has nevertheless achieved 3 considerable
| amount of work. More bills have been intro
duced and more enacted into laws than during
any other Congress-. In the matter OF vetoes
the heretofore unsurpassed record OF the
Forty ninth Congress- has been beaten, P-est.
| dent Cleveland d'sapprovinR more bills during
the last two years OF his Administration than
during tbs first two. Ho has vetoed directly
S78 mills, 1T more than all his predecessors
combined, from Washington down, while four
| teen measures have been subjected to what ia
called the pocket-veto.
Beginning on tho first Monday in December
1857, the Ffftieth Congress continued prac.
tically uninterruptedly in session until o.
tober 20, 1883, when it adjourned to meet for the
second session in December and to continue
until March 4, 1884, as required by law. Dur
Ing the TWO sessions there have been intro.
| duced in the House 1859 bills, or 1,4OO more
than in the preceding Congress, and 26S joint
resolutions, or more than the Forty-ninth
| Congress. Committee reports have been
made to the number of 4, 154. In the Senate
1888 bills and IA joint resolutions
have been introduced, against aS57
bills and 11s resolutions during tho
| vious records in this respect There were 9, 7O8
written reports made, or over 700 in excess
OF the preceding Congress. OF all these
| bills and joint resolutions 1,79l became
laws, OF which number 1880 origi-
| mated in the House and COL In the
|, Senate. The President also sent veto mes.
| sages in the case of 80 House and AZ Senate
| bills, or ID more vetoes than were made during
the previous Congress. The principal House
bill vetoed was that for the benefit OF the Des
Moines river settlers.
Some of the more important House bills
which have become laws are as follows: For
| q conference OF South and Central American
nations in Washington IN May next to divide
the great Sioux reservation in Dakota: the
Scott Chinese Exclusion act; creating q
| Department OF Agriculture, the head OF
the department to be Cabinet officer;
to establish Department Of Labor; to create
| boards OF arbitration or commissions for set
| Ting controversies or differences between
Interstate common carriers and their en-
ployes; for the erection, extension or repair of
public buildings or marine hospitals at Evans
vile, Ind: Indianapolis. Ind; Wichita, Kan;
Portsmouth, O.; Duluth, Mimi; Bay City,
Mich; jackson, Mich.
| Bills originating in the Senate became laws
to the number OF COT, OF which 400 were Of a
private character. Forty-seven Senate bills
were vetoed, the most important being those
tor the erection OF public buildings ut Youngs.
town, O., and Sioux City, Ia, and the Direct
| Tax bill.
Among the principal Senate bills which be-
come laws were the Omnibus Territorial Ad-
mission bill; to fix the passport fee at 81; to
incorporate the Nicaragua Canal Company; to
| provide aid to State homes for the support
Of disabled soldiers; to perfect the quaran-
tine service: to prohibit the coming OF
| Chinese laborers into the United States; for
the appraisers warehouse ut Chicago; to allow
any honorably discharged soldier or sailor
| who has abandoned relinQushed his home
stead entry to make another entry; to change
the time OF meeting OF the Electoral COL
lege: to enable the President to protect
the interests Of the United States at Panama
| IA similar measure with reference to Samoa
! was included in the Naval Appropriation billy ;
10 protect the Alaska fur-seal and salmon fish,
cries; directing the Secretary OF the Interior to
Investigate the practicability OF constructing
Water-storage reservoirs in ard regions; appro-
priating 100000 to suppress Infection in the
Interstate commerce OF the United States in
| aid OF sufferers from yellow fever, and the
erection OF new public buildings or the en-
largement or change Of the existing buildings
1t Milwaukee, Omaha, Sacrame nto. San Fran.
CISCO. and Winona, MINI.
! Congress also passed bills to pension Mrs.
| Sheridan Mrs Fran R1oip
and to retire General Rosecrans.
There has been included in this statement OF
bills which have become laws those in the
Presidents hands awaiting signature.
Three hundred and thirty-three bills which
passed the House failed in the Senate in con.
ference. BY far the most notable Of these is
the Mills Tariff bill. Another very important
House bill which failed is the Oklahoma bill,
many OF the provisions OF which are, however,
Incorporated in the Indian Appropriation
bill. Other important House measures which
| failed are as follows: The General Land bill
and the General Forfeiture bill; to prevent the
| product of convict labor from he ng used in
any Government department or upon public
works; prohibiting the allowance of any fee
! In any claim for increase of pension on &C.
| sount OF on increase OF the disability for which
the pension was allowed; to relax the rgors
pf the Internal-Revenue law; authoriz
| ing the five civilized tribes to lease
| LuclE 40uuS SuOJcCt W Luc approval Oh Lu0 SCC-
rotary OF the Interior; authorizing the issue OF
fractional silver certificates; to forfeit the
Hastings & Dakota Railway Company's gran.
Ia Minnesota; to prevent the employment Of
allan labor upon public buildings or other pub
lie works and in the various departments OF the
government; to forfeit the Northern Pacific
land grant; the Fisheries Retaliation bill.
Six hundred and eighty-four bills, after pass
Ing the Senate, failed to reach the President
The most important are: Declaring the sense
Of the United States with respect to foreign
control Of the Panama canal: the Blair Educa
tional bill; the Experimentation bill; the
swamp-land bills; to forfeit the Ontonagon &
Marquette land grant; to regulate the i'm
portation Of foreign merchandise and to secure
uniformity in the classification and valuation
%ake
lsct to regulation by the interstate an
eral John G: Fremont; to reduce the
and encourage the cultivation and manufact
IRE OF hemp and flax; for the relief OF persons
who paid $3.50 for lands subsequently reduced
| In price to &1.25; to prevent the introduction
Of contagious diseases from one State into an
other; to ratify the Southern Ute Indian agree
ment.
The following are other important measure.
| which also came to naught: The Pacific Rail
road Funding bill: for the admission of Utah
d9s New to d Me1sS and s4Ss wy11g Terri
promote commercial union with Canada
and to authorize the President to oper
negotiations with view TO the annexation o
the Dominion; to grant women suffrage; Il
repeal The Clvl-Service law the internal-rev
enue laws and the tobacco tax; to lay
graduated income tax; for the bount!
on sugar; for the free coinage OF sll
YER; to repeal the Oleomargarine act
the Compound Lard bill; the Hennepil
Canal bill; to repeal the arrears of pension
limitations; for the adjudication OF Frencl
spoliation claims, and various measures pro
posing radical departures in our pension, tarif
and financial systems.
Two important treaties, which were reject
ed, were the Canadian fisheries and the British
extradition conventions.
DAkOTA'S WHEAT SUPPLY.
It Is Reported That There Is Not EnouRl
to Seed and Bread the New States.
ARrRnEEN u r March d-Acc0rdinn I,