The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-29
WORK OF THE SESSION.
kegume of Legislation Accomplished
the Fifty first Congress.

Regume of Legislation Accomplished by
the Fifty first Congress.
WASHINGTON CRY, Sept. 2s.-In two or
three days longer the last session of the
Fifty-first congress will come to an end. 1t
has been almost the longest ever held Al
though the first session of this congress
lasted until October 20, the present session,
by reason of longer daily sessions, has far
exceeded it in working time, and the
amount of legislative work actually ac-
complished has been extraordinary,
viewed in the light OF previous congresses.
The record SO lar is: Bills and joint res
olutions introduced in the House, Il. .402 !;
Senate, 4,750; total, 16, l52. against Is, $50 in
the first session of the last congress, which
III this matter excelled all previous records.
Reports made-House, 3,215, Senate, 1875
(no account being taken in the Senate of
other than written reportsl. Bills passed
by the House, 1,292, of which the Senate
has passed 849. All except few of these
849 have become laws, or are awaiting the
presidents approval. Bills passed by the
Senate, lilo, of which 466 have been sent
to the president, making total number of
about 1885 acts, or laws, against ,790 for
the whole of the last congress. OF these
acts Cos House and 275 Senate bills were
pensions to individuals.
In the completed work of the session.
aside from the tariff bill, the following are
some of the many important measures en-
acted into law: The silver bill, the customs
administration bill, dependent and disa-
bility pension bill. antitrust bill, anti-lot-
terry bill, worlds fair bill, admission of
Idaho bill, Wyoming meat-inspection bill,
land grant forfeiture bill. original package
bill, additions to navy bill; also bills re-
pealing act SO. which withdrew practically
all Western public lands from settlement.
and providing that hereafter only
acutual sites shall be Withdrawn,
and that no one person shall
enter more than 800 acres; relief of Mississ-
ippi valley food sufferers. Portage Lake
and Hennepin canal and Galveston harbor
project; for a large addition to the clerical
force of the pension office; to adjudicate
cases under new acts; providing for the
classification of worsted cloths as woolens
that no person in time of peace shall be
tried for desertion after a lapse of two
years; extending relief to railroad land
settlers; several bills concerning Indian
reservations and treaties; for the census
of farm mortgages, etc.; also census of
Chinese: increase of pensions for total
helplessness; for assistant secretaries each
OF the war and navy departments.
There were eighteen contested election
cases before the house, and seven of the
Republican contestants have been seated.
The Senate seated the Republican senators
from Montana.
Seven bills have been vetoed by the presi-
dent. three of them public building bills,
two bills authorizing the increase of findebt-
edness of certain cities or counties, one
changing tine boundaries OF the Uncom-
pahgre Indian reservation, and the other
extending the time for the payment for
lands purchased from the Omaha tribe of
Indians.
Among the bills which passed the House
but have not vet passed the Senate are the
federal election bill. the national bankruptcy
bill, the bill for the relief OF the supreme
court, the compound lard bill. the bill to
prevent the product of convict labor being
furnished for public buildings or works,
eight-hour back pay bill, the bill for the re-
peal of the timber culture law and the
eight-hour day bill.
Among the Senate bills which have not
passed the House are the shipping subsidy
bills, the bill granting California per cent.
of the proceeds from the sale of public
lands, the bill to enlarge Yellowstone
park, the bill to grant right-of-way through
public lands for irrigation purposes, the
bill for the compulsory education OF Indian
children, the bill for the inspection of live
cattle and beef products for export.
The Blair educational bill and the inter-
national copyright bill were defeated in the
Senate and House respectively.