The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-03-11
CONGRESS REVIEWED.
A SYNOPSIS OF THE WORK ACCOM-
PuSHEO BY THE FlFTY-FiRST.

-
PLISREO BY THE FlFTY-FiRST.
A Most Remarkable Session-The Impor-
tant Measures Adopted-The Appropri-
ations Exceed Those OF ANY peace"
Congress the Foundation of the Govern
laent.
WASHINGTON. March At noon to-
day the Fifty-frsS Congress Gin the
opinion Of many veteran Legislators
the most remarkable Congress since
the war; came to IN end by constitu-
tional limitation From the first to
the last the. session was interesting
and eventful and at no long periods
were they ever characterized by the
dullness, which. occasionally for days
at time. marked The proceedings of
nearly every Congress and especially
of those Congresses in which the first
session is usually prolonged. The
actual working time OF the Fifty first
Congress exceeded that of any of its
predecessors and the nominal working
| time of all except the Flftieth Con-
gress, and in the number Of measures
brought to its attention and the num-
Der, variety and Importance or those
acted ou, it likewise surpassed all preVl-
Gus Congresses. Three measures, any of
| which in intrinsic Importance and pop
ular interest would be sufficient for
national issue. stand forth pre-eminent
among all others: The Mckinley tariff
bill, which became law. Second. the
silver bill. on which in the first session
compromise was effected, based on
the monthly purchases of 100000
ounces of silver, which in turn was fol
lowed by a more radical measure that
failed of passage; and third, the FEEDER
al elections bin, which, after a protract-
| ed. bitter, hotly fought and intensely
exciting preliminary struggle, failed IN
| the Senate to reach decisive vote on
its merits. The radical innovations in
the rules Of the House added interest
to its proceedings, and the determined
but fruitless efforts to adopt the most
vital of these innovations, the former
part of the history OF the lost part OF
| the session of the Senate. Even IN its
mortuary records Congress was re-
markable, the call Of death having
summoned no fewer than twelve Of its
Representative and three OF its Sena-
tors.
Many Of the bills enacted into laws
appropriated an unusually large
amount of money, and the expenditures
authorized will exceed of those any
'peace" Congress since the foundation
of the government. The total appro-
priations by the Fiftieth Congress
were, during the first session S395,33l,-
SIG. and during the second session
S422, ,626,343, or an aggregate of $751;
965 $50; while the appropriations for
the first session of the Fitty-iirst Con-
gress We're $3.50, 627,697, and those of
the second session will probably bring
the total appropriations for this Con-
gress to one thousand million dollars.
a comparison of the work OF the
Congress lust closed with that of its
| immediate predecessor makes the fol-
lowing exhibit: Bills introduced in
the House in the Fifty-frst Congress,
14.O33, against in the Fiftieth Congress
1864; increase, 1879; joint resolutions.
279; increase OF ten. Senate bills o,l29,
against 1000, or an increase OF ,l29;
ioint resolutions 169. increase of "a.
The number of bills passed by the
House were 1,74S, of which 1913 be-
cane laws, and 10y Senate 1906, of
which 672 became laws, making total
rumber Of laws during the Flfty-drst
Congress 2,1S6, against 1924 IN tne
Fiftieth Congress, an Increase OF 81.
The Senate also postponed indefinitely
GIG Senate and Is House bills, this be-
ing equivalent to their defeat. During
the Tiftieth Congress 161 bills were
vetoed, and during the Flfty-irst Con.
gress IA, the most important OF which
were the Act establishing the record
and pension Office of the War Depart
ment, and the Act providing for a pub
lie building at Bar Harbor, Me-, Dallas,
Texas, Hudson, New York, and Tusca-
loosa, Ala.
Out of the eighteen contested cleo
ton cases the House seated eight OF
the Republican contestants and de-
clared the seat of Breckenridge of Ar
kas vacant. Two cases, Goodrich VS..
Bullock, from Florida, and McGinnish
VS.. Anderson, from West Virginia, IN
which the committee recommended the
seating of the Republican contestants,
were not disposed of, and the Elections
Committee itself never acted on Eaton
VS.. Phelan, a Tennessee case. The Sen
ate disposed of its sole contested elec-
ton case by seating two RepubHcan
Senators from Montana.
AS the result Of the work of Congress
great number of measures which
have for years occupied more or less OF
the attention OF the legislative brancn
of the government will be transferred
to the Executive and Judicial Depart
ments of the governmelt-there, per-
haps to become equally familiar ac-
ouaintances. Among the "old stagers"
which are now laws are the copyright
bill, the private Land Court bill Ito SET
tie disputes arising over the Mexican
grants in the Western States and Ter
rItories), tie subsidy bill, the Indian
depredatiou claims bill, the timber and
pre-eu ption law repealed (makiDg a
general revision OF the land laws. the
customs administrative till, he gener-
al land forfeiture BILL the bill to re-
lieve the Supreme Court by the estao-
lishment of Interstate Circuit Courts
of Appeals; the United States Judges
salaries bill and the district tax refund
b:!l. The Blair educational bill, the
bill for the appointment Of an alco-
holic liquor commission and the Eight
hour" claim bills are measures which
We're defeated on test votes, while
among those which. after passing one
house failed OF action in the other and
will doubtless be wrestled with by sue
ceeding Congresses, are the bankrupt
cy bill, the Conger lard bull, and the
army reorganization bill. the Haduo:H
pure food bill, the Nicaragua Canal
bill, the Pacific Railroad funding bill
and the Interstate Commerce bill. ito
permit limiting pooling Of earnings by
railroad comp;,uies) are among the
measures winch failed to reach 4 vote