The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-12

vious occasion was in the ThirtE-siNth
! Congress, when W'r. Remington: q
Whie, of New Jersey, was speaker.
III REMARKABLE CONGRESS.
st noon to-day tie Fifty-tirst Con-
rress In the opinion Of many veteran
legislators the most remarkable Con-
gress since tie war; came to an end by
constitutional limitation.
From the first to the last the Sessions
have been interesting and eventfui,
and for 10 long period were they ever
characterized by the dullness which
occasionally for days at q time marks
the proceedings Of nearly every Con-
gress, and especially OF those Congresses
in which The first session is unusually
prolonged. The actual working time
of the Fifty-frst Congress exceeded
that of any Of its predecessors, and the
nominal session and time Of all except
the Fiftieth Congress, and IN the num-
Der of measures brought to its atten-
ton, and the number, variety and i'm
portance of those acted on, it likewise
surpassed all previous Congresses.
THREE NOTABLE MEASURES.
Three measures, any Of which in in
tyinsic Importance and popular interest
would be sufficient for a national issue,
stand forth pre-eminent among all
others.
First, the Mckinley tariff bill, which
became law; second, the silver bill, on
which, in tna first session, q compro-
Mise was effected, based on the month
" purchase Of i, ,5GG,0 900 ounces of silver.
which, in turn, was followed bya more
radical measure that failed OF passage;
and third, the Federal election BILL,
which, after a protracted, bitter, hotly
fought and intensely exciting preliml-
nary struggle, failed in the Senate to
reach decisive vote on its merits.
RADICAL INNOVATIONS
in the rules Of the House added inter
est to its proceedings, and tho deter
mined but fruitless efforts to adopt the
most vital Of these innovations formed
q part of the history Of the last part of
the session Of the Senate.
IIiven III its mortuary record tie Con-
gress was remarkable, the cali Of death
having summoned no fewer than
twelve OF It's representatives and three
CT its senators.
Many Of the bills enacted into laws
appropriated an unusually large amount
of noDey, and the expenditures autho-
rized will exceed those of any peace"
Congress since the foundation Of the
government, the total appropriations
made by the Eiftieth Congress were,
during TIC frs! session, $395, ,33337 ,5l6,
and during the second session $422G26,
343, or an aggregate of SSi7 ,965, $50;
while appropriations for the first session
of the Fifty-first Congress were $780,
G27 ,697, and those Of the second session
will probably bring the total appropria-
ton Tor this Congress to Sl,0GO,O ,OGU, GOO.
SOMETHING ABOUT BILLS.
\ comparison of the work of Congress
Just closed with that Of its immediate
predecessor makes the following eXhi-
bit: Bills introduced in the House in
the Filty-hrst Congress, 14,033, against,
in the Fiftieth Congress, 1864; in
crease, 1879. Joint resolutions, 271; in
crease, 10. Senate bills, 5l29, against
1000, or an increase Of 1l29. Joint reso-
lutious, 169; increase, "a.
Bills passed By the House, l74S, OF
| which 1913 became laws; and by the
Senate, 1905, of which 6773 became laws,
making the total number of laws,
during the Flfty-first Congress, 2lSG,
! against 1924, in the Fiftieth Congress;
increase, 1862. The Senate also postponed
indefinitely GIG, Senate and IS House
bills, this being equivalent to defeat.
vEToEs.
During the Fiftieth Congress one
hundred and sixty-one bills. were vetoed
and during the Fifty-first Congress
fourteen, the most important of which
were the act establishing record and
pension office of the war department
and acts providing for public buildings
at Bar Harbor, Me-, Dallas, Tex, Hud'
son, y. Y, and Tuscaloosa, Ala.
CONTESTED ELECTION CASES.
Out of eighteen contested election
cases, the House seated eight Of the Re
publican contestants, and declared the
seat Of Sir. Breckenridge, Of Arkansas
vacant. Two cases, Goodrich VS.. Bul
lock, from Florida, and McGinnis VS.
Anderson, from West Virginia, il
which the committee recommended
the seating Of the Republican contest
ants, We're not disposed Of; and tx
elections committee itself never acteC
on the Eaton VS.. Phelan, Tennessee
case. The Senate disposed Of of its sole
contested election case by seating twt
Republican senators from Montana.
RESULT OF CONGRESS WORK.
AS o result Of the work CT Congress, ;
great number Of the measures whicl
have for years occupied more or less o
the attention Of the Legislative brancl
Of the government, will be transferred
to the executive and judicial depart
ments, Of the government, there, per
haps to become equally familiar &C
4uaintances. Among "old stagers'
which are now laws are the copyrigh
bill, the private land court bill Ito settl
disputes arising over Mexican grants il
| Western Sf;,'ps and Territories, tn