The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-03-12
Work of the 51st Congress.

Work of the 51st Congress.
WASHINGTON, March 4.-Three great
measures considered by the Congress just
ended will take prominent place in the
history of legislation. These are the
tariff act of 1890, the Federal elections
bill and the silver bill.
By the tariff act, important changes in
the customs laws were brought about,
and the first practical opportunity of
testing the theories of the advocates of
commercial reciprocity were made Ger
tain. The reciprocity matter was brought
to the attention of Congress by Secretary
Blaine. It did not find enthusiastic
advocacy In the House, but Senator
Aldrich (who had previously espoused its
doctrine) succeeded, with the assistance
of several of his colleagues, in persuading
the Senate to attach clause to the tariff
bill providing for commercial trade
agreement by which the United States
could secure the free admission to this
country from the LATINA nations
of sugar and other products. A modified
form of the reciprocity amendment was
inserted in the bill while it was in con-
ference, and practical opportunity of
testing its benefits has been afforded by
the recent agreement with Brazil.
On July IA, 1890, after protracted
struggle between the advocates of free
silver and the conservatives on the silver
question, a bill was enacted providing for
the issue of coin certificates based on
gold or silver bullion, with proviso
that the Secretary of the Treasury should
purchase four million FIVE hundred thou.
sand ounces of silver bullion each month.
The vacillating career of the Federal
election bill, giving the control of cleo
tions of members of the house of repre-
sentatives to the government, was watch.
ed with intense interest throughout the
country, and particularly in the South.
After a limited, but bitter debate, the
house passed the measure in the first
session. It was called up in the Senate,
but the seemingly endless debate, caused
by the opposition of the Democrats,
brought about the caucus agreement by
which the elections bill was laid aside,
and the tariff bill taken up, with the un.
derstanding that the elections bill ohould
be pushed to final vote during the sec-
ond session. But the discussion of the
measure was never completed. It was
taken up, according to the agreement, in
the second session, and laid aside for the
financial bill, previously referred to, by
yea and nay vote, most of the Republi-
can free silver men and several other
Republicans voting with the Democrats
Again it was taken up, but the Republi-
can managers, realizing that they could
not pass it under the existing code of
procedure, brought in rule to close
debate. A very determined battle ensu-
ed, and the opponents of the elections
bill (including q number ofRepublicans)
succeeded in sidetracking the rule for the
apportionment bill. This killed the
measure.
An agreement by which the Republi-
cans we're to give up the elections bill if
the Democrats would not oppose other
legislation was arranged, and the Senate
devoted the remainder of the session to
pushing through measures of ofimportance.
The retirement of Mr. Blair from the
Senate probably marks the end of legis.
lRtive proceedings on his famous educa.
tional bill. Previous to the Fifty. first
congress the bill had twice passed the
Senate, but in the first session of the
Congress just ended It was defeated in
that body.
The attempts to enact silver legisla.
tion and Federal elections bill resulted
in much waste of time, aud an extra
session would not have been avoided if
these matters had not been disposed of
as they were. During the last days of
the Congress struggle against time en-.
sued to pass all the appropriation bills
in order to-prevent the possibility of the
Fifty-second Congress being Immediately
convened to make proper provision for
carrying on the necessary work of the
government. Every appropriation bill
passed, however, and an extra session was
thus avoided.
The enactment of measure to extend
the jurisdiction of Federal courts will
undoubtedly relieve the over crowded
docket of the United States Supreme
court. The act provides for additional
circuit judges who will constitute, in
conjunction with Justices of the Federal
Supreme court, an Intermediary Appel.
late court, in certain cases between the
lower courts and the highestjudicial tribu.
nal in the country.
Another measure Of importance that
became q law in the second session was
the direct tax bill, which provides for
refunding The amounts levied in certain
States under the direct war tax of 1861.
This bill became famous in the Fiftieth
Congress, through the long and weary
deadlock in the house of representatives
caused by the efforts to pass it. It was
disposed of quietly and without any great
show Of resistance in the Congress just
ended.
Political prophets were somewhat sur
prised by the nature of the bill appor-
tioning the representation In the several
States according to their population un-
der the Federal census of 1890. Not
withdrawing predictions to the contrary,
the bill reported from the house census
committee simply increased the repre-.
sentation of the States in Congress from
1892 to 356 (making no decrease in the
number of members from any State) aud,
although provisions to increase the repre-.
sentation of particular States were press
ed, the bill became q law without amend.
ment.-Special to Columbia State.
fn-If-