The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-03-08
THE FIFTIETH CONGRESS-
A Reorganization of the Work
Done by that Body During
Two Years.

n tccapatutatiOn Vi INC "OrA
Done by that Body During
Two Years.
WASHINGTON, March 4.--The Fiftieth
congress ended at noon. At that hour
it expired by limitation. The house dis
solved, but the senate, continuing in
existence, met in extra session to form a
new organization and to confirm or re-
ject such nominations as the president
may submit for action. The Fiftieth con-
gress will be noted in history for four
things: First, the admission into the
Union of four new states, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Montana and Washington;
second, for the tariff discussion which
consumed so much time in both houses;
third, for the creation of new execu-
tive department, and fourth, for the
amount of fillibustering that took place
in the house.
Undoubtedly the most important piece
of business congress disposed of was the
admission of four new states to the
union. This action would have been
almost an impossibility before the cleo
ton, which settled the question of the
1t was an action If great
importance to the Union, adding to the
of the general government and
1T of great deal of response
bility. 1t is of importance to the Repub-
lican party also, assuring it a good work
ing majority in the next congress. The
creation of the executive department Of
agriculture gives to President Harrise
another cabinet Office with which to ae-
ward some leader of the Republican
party.
The tariff discussion consumed great
deal of the time of house and senate, and
no legislation resulted to reduce
the. revenue and simplify its collection,
the debate served to outline with dis
tinctness that the policy of either party
in the election contest and probably
opened the way to legislation in the next
congress.
The business placed before congress
for consideration in the last two years
has greatly exceeded in the aggregate
that Of any previous congress. This is
largely due to the increase of measures
for private relief, fact which emphasizes
the necessity so often admitted of pro-
viding some tribunal for the arbitration
of claims against the government, which
are now brought to congress for adju-
dication. The were introduced in the
senate in Fiftieth congress 1899 bills
and 143 joint resolutions, and 2,710 re-
ports were made from committees. In
the house there were 1869 bills, 267
joint resolutions and 4,154 reports. In
the Forty-ninth congress the were intro
duced 1855 senate bills, IL ,260 house
bills, lis senate joint resolutions, 266
house joint resolutions, and the were
received from senate committees $3.50
and from house comitteess 4,lS1. OF the
bills and joint resolutions in the present
congress, not one in twenty passed the
house and not one in thirty passed both
houses, and went to the pr.~.dens e.. his
signature. OF the pills that became
- faoC session of the present
blowing are the most i'm
.... 10 cond,
sIGes Tor ,,.--..o buildings:
establishing department. of labor: pro-
hibiting obscene or libelous matter pass
ing through the mails; providing for an
annual maritime conference to secure
greater safety for life and property at
sea: giving 500 bounty to soldiers who
were enrolled or enlisted ten years prior
to July "a, 1861, and who were subse-
quently honorably discharged from the
service; authorizing the president to ar
range conference with the South and
Central American republics with a view
to closer commercial relations; renting
duties paid on imported breeding ami
mails and admitting free of duty those
imported in the future; reducing the
charge for passports from So to 81; in
pensions for utter deafness to
$50 month: increasing the stringency
of laws relating to timber cutting on the
public domains or Indian reservations:
extending the eight hour law to letter
carriers: giving to state soldiers homes
$100a year for each inmate received
who wonId be entitled to admission to
the national homes; restricting Chinese
detailing officers of the
army and navy for educational purposes
in state colleges; widening the scope of
law relating to postal crimes; and pro-
viding boards of arbitration for rail-
roads.
Among the measures which have passed
congress at the present session Just
closed, and which have received the sig
nature of the president are the following:
for the cession of the lands of
the Chippewa Indians in Minnesota, to
the government, and their allotment in
to the Indians; providing
arms. etc, for militia in Oregon and
providing that letters bearing
a special delivery stamp shall be de-
livered whether they bear the regular
postage or not; increasing the maximum
amount of of international money orders
from 500 to 500: authorizing the fur
nishing of obsolete canon to soldiers
homes: creating an executive department
of agriculture; increasing the pension of
those who have lost both hands to 800
a month: appropriating $500. 900 to pay
the legal representative of James b.
Eads for work done on the Jetties: for
the admission of four territories; to ac-
cept and ratify an agreement with the
Soshone, Bannock and Sheep-eater In
dams Of idaho; appropriating $3.50, 200 to
enable the president to protect the inter-
ests OF the United States in Panama.
~, ngtnening the Interstate commerce
law.
The number of presidential vetoes re-
ceived by congress has been very large.
The greater portion of these measures
have been private pension bills, although
the president has refused his consent to
some legislation of general and very
important character. In the first ses-
sion of theFiftieth congress the president
returned without his approved 1873 bills.
OF these 103 were pension bills, twelve
were claims, and six were for public
buildings. The other measures were for
he sale of lands of the New York In
dians: to allow the city of Boston to use
Castle island; certifying agricultural col
lege lands to Kansas: for the sale of the
Fort Wallace military reservation: grant
ing lands for park in Tacoma, w. T.;
and granting right of way to the Fort
Smith, Paris and Dardenelle railway
through Indian territory.
In the second session twenty-seven
vetoed messages were received from the
president. OF these twenty-one were
pension vetoes, four of the vetoed meas
ures were relief bills, and the other bills
disapproved by the president were the
direct tax bill and the bill to quiet title
of settlers on the Des Moines river land.
The record of business done by congress
in the passage of bills and resolutions is
much smaller than the amount of bust
ness left undone. Both houses of con-
gress leave their calendars well filled.
That of the house is especially large. It
fills book of 142 pages. The senate
though much smaller, contains
some very important measures. The
senate, notwithstanding the amount of
time occupied by the tariff discussions,
was more fortunate than the house, and
to dispose of most of the bust
ness sent over from that body.
The country gladly extends welcome