Evening journal., 1891-03-05
FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS-.
What 1t Accomplished During
the Session Just Closed.
0yER s0o0.000.0a0 Arrn0rRIATED

/ a AsAhHAA+t Nt AhN A-eAtAlattNA AARA HNN-
ceedcd Or Failed Dufing Both Sessions.
The silver, Tarin and Federal Elections
RIM yetocs Of Harrison and Cleveland.
WASHINGTON, March Extraordinary
conditions governing the composition Of
the Fifty-frst congress drew TO its legisla-
tion the attention Of the whole country
The Republican party had on the 3ay con.
trcss convensd once more obtained control
Of the executive and legislative branches
uf the federal government, but 50 small
was the majority ia the house Of rppreSen
tatiyes that IL was obvious the suteegs of
narty measures would he greatly imperilea
unless radical methods were adopted.
| Realizing this. the Republican managers
made every preparation to place them par
tn ia thar body on 4 strong footing and
hardly had the congress convened when ID
| became evident that vigorous policy waa
. he pursued. THE long struggle y tho
Democrats iu the house 70 prevent the un
eating 81 one Of their number and the
seating 81 q Republican contestant 10 hie
! place while the house was proceeding I'M
,er general parliamentary law, ana the
more bitter opposition 10 the adoption Is.
a new code making radical changes To the
rnles had the effect Of keeping on the alert
the interest in legislative proceedings
Three Groat Measures
Three great measures considered b.
the congress just ended viii take prom.
nent place in the history Of legislation
These are the tariff act Of 1890, the fed.nl
elections bill and the silver bill by Tho
tariff bill important changes in tine Gus
toms laws were brought about, and the
first practical opportunity Of testing this
theories Of the advocates Of commercial
reciprocity were made certain The rec
procity matter wns brought 10 the atten.
tion Of congress by Secretary Blaine Il
did not find enthusiastic advocacy IL thu
house. but Senator Aldrioh Succeeded
with the assistance Of several of his col
leagues. in persuadine the senate 10 at
! tach a clause to the tariff bin providing
for a commercial trade agreement by
which the United States could secure th,
free admission 70 this country from th,
Latin American nations of sugar aud othei
d products a practical opportunity of test
, ing its benefits has been afforded BY thi
/ recent AtEFNEliHNN NthH iiAHAAt
The Tight ior Free Coinage.
. On July H. 1870, after protfaote,
{ slruggle between the advocates Of fre
! silver and the conservatives on the silve
y question, bin was enacted providing 70
q the issue of coin certificates based on gol
q 0r silver bullion. with provisc that th
y secretary of the treasury should purchas
z ,500, 600 ounces Of silver bullion enc
4 ~ A. lts ..F
y promise, Ii conference, between tho t,v
Il houses-the senate having passed q FIRE
coinage bin Barly IN the second sessio
agitation on the silver question was r.
sumed A bill introduced by Senate
= sherman, providing for certain changes il
2 the national banking system, was amende,
y In the finance committee and reporte
e back TO the senate in the shape of genera
? financial measure A long debate resulte
Y in the adoption Of q free coinage amena
y ment TO the bill: and late one night. whe
y the senate had completed and Anall
y passed on the measure, Senator Vest, afte
y expressing his dissatisfaction with the bill
< offered as a substitute the free coinage bi
lt pure and simple-that had been passe
y by the senate during the first session
q the congress The substitute was adopte,
q II was sent to the house, but was nev,
Y called up.
Il The Federal Elections En.
The vacillating career Of the federal elel
y tions bill was watched with intense inte
I, est throughout the country, and partici
larly in the south. After a limited, bu
bitter debate, the house passed the mea
ure in the first session. II was called up /
the senate, but the seemingly endless d,
\, bate caused by the opposition Of the Den
" ocrats brought about the caucus agre,
ment by which the elections bill was lai
aside and the tariff bill taken up, with tn
understanding that the elections bi
! should be pushed to a final vote durin
the second session. But the discussion Z
the measure was never completed II wa
taken up according TO the agreement i
= the second session, and laid aside for III
!. financial bill, previously referred TO- by
: yea and nay vote most II the Republica
!, free silver men and several other Republi,
= ans voting with the Democrats. II cam
p up again and the Repu blicans endeavore
to limit debate by passing the closure bin
but the opponents of tile bill dncluding
4 | npmber OF Republicans) succeeding
4, sidetraczing the rule for the apportior
\. ment bill This killed the measure.
4. The Pension Question.
I'd IN pursuance OF ltS promise m the can
x paign Of 1885 that more liberal Legislation
x would be enacted the Republican party
q representatives in congress secured ia
II passage Of a disability pension act givin
+ disabled soldiers $i2 a month Presiden
n Harrisons opposition to lotteries brough
q about the enactment Of law prohibitin
d the sending through the mails Of letter
= and circulars relating TO lotteries, and G
Il newspapers containing lottery advertise
ments. Somewhat similar to this legisla
tion was the passage Of bill TO restrai
trusts and combinations. The retiremen
v Of Mr. Blair from the senate probabl
4 marks the end Of legislative proceeding
on his famous educational bill Previou
re 70 the Fifty-first congress the bill had twic
81 passed the senate, but in the first session
lf Of the congress just ended it was defeate
e in that body.
"a The Worlds Fair Fight.
n International interest was aroused dul
lt ing the first session by the contention bt
y tween the cities OF New York, Chicago, 81
z Louis and Washington to secure th
!, Worlds Columbian exposition. After a
exciting struggle a national commission
was appointed and Chicago was selected a
the site
' The first or long session is notable 10
y the number Of other important measure
n that became laws. Wyoming and Idah
+ were admitted to statehood, making tn
4 number Of states forty-four. A genera
1, land grant forfeiture bill, providing for IN
forfeiture TO the government Of all uu
earned lands granted to aid ia the cor
..Ha fss4.ra g \. -