Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-08-04
THE WORK DONE.
| Synopsis Of What Was Accom-
| plished By the First Session.
The More Important Bills Passed-Msny
Investigations Attended In Cases By
Exciting Incideuts-A Session of
Eight Months

The More Important Bills Passed-Many
Investigations Attended In Cases BY
Exciting Incideuts-A Session of
Eight Months
WASHINGTON, Aug. AFTER session
of eight months, the first session of the
| 6fty-second congress is about to end,
and a review of its work may prove in
| teresting at this time.
The house devoted the Hrst two
months of its session to the discussion
| and adoption of a code of rules, after
which the regular business was taken
up. Bills to the number of 9,6T7 have
| been introduced in the house and re-
| ferred to committees Of this number
2.115 haye been reported and placed on
the calendar, about $50 of which have
passed the house. The most important
measure considered by the house, eN-
eepting the general appropriation bills,
were the silver bill, the tariff measures
reported from the ways and means
committee, the Chinese exclusion act,
the intermediate and army nurse
pension bills, the bill to enforce recip-
rocal commercial relations with Canada,
| the bill increasing the pay of life
saving crews, to establish hneal promo
| ton in the army, for the better control
of national banks in regard to loaning
| money to directors and officers, and to
add the name of the secretary of agri-
culture to the cabinet officers who may
| act as president in certain contingent
| cieS. This bill and the silver bill failed
| in the house, as did also the free COIN
| age bill which passed the senate. The
several tariff bills passed by the house
failed in the senate, as did also the bills
providing for the admission of New
| Mexico and Arizona as states.
Of the 3,492 bills introduced in the
senate 1,102 were reported upon by
committees and 700 of them passed.
| Among the most important measures
passed by the senate and not acted upon
| by the house were the following: To
facilitate the claims for arrears of pay
and bounty for the construction of
revenue cutters, two each; the pure
| food bill; the bill to increase the
rate of pension for certain cases
of deafness; to fix the price of lands en-
| tered under the desert land laws; to au-
| thorize the secretary of war to cause a
survey to be made for a ship canal from
Philadelphia across New Jersey to New
York bay and the bill for the immigra-
ton laws. A large number of public
building and claim bills passed by
the senate also failed in the house.
One hundred and three bills have
passed both houses and been sent
to the president for his sigma
ture. There are twenty of these
bills still under consideration by the
executive. One has been returned to
the house by its request without sign
ing; two have been vetoed-the bill to
go =
courts of appeals so as to give it juris-
diction of certain Indian cases and the
bill referring the McGarrahan claim to
the court of private land claims
Investigations were a feature of this
congress, especially in the house, and
committees devoted much time to them.
The pension office received the atten.
ton OF a special committee, which re-
ported mis,nanagement of the bureau
under the administration of Commits
sioner Raum, and reported to the
house that the president be or
dered to dismiss that official at ar
early day. They also criticised Russell
B. Harrison, the presidents son, fol
his connection with securing lease:
through the public parks. The com
mittee on Judiciary looked into matter
called to its attention by the attorney
general that marshals and clerk;
of United States courts in Boston wer,
obtaining illegal fees in naturalization
cases They reported several bills K
remedy the evil The committee OIL
banking and currency was ordered t.
investigate the failure of tn,
keystone and Spring Garde1
National banks of Philadelphia anc
of the Maverick National bank of Bos
ton. The committee took a mass o
testimony but did not complete thei
inquiry. The committee appointed t,
investigate the census Office began thei
work late in the session and finally
postponed it until next session tn,
committee on reform in the civil ser
vice investigated the Baltimore pos
office matter and filed a repor
severely criticising Postmaster-Gen
eral Wauarnaker, stating that h'
knew that the employees were
in Office. The investigation into the SO
called sweating system" of contrac
labor was conducted by a sub-comnit
tee of the house manufactures commit
tee. It did not finish taking testimon,
and will probably resume its session
during the recess of congress Senato
Chandler and Representative Stump
chairman of the senate and hous'
: committees on immigration, vigor
ously investigated the expenditure
of money at the Ellis Islam,
: emigrant station and the construction
= of the buildings there. This investiga
. ton was attended by several exciting
scenes between the two chairnen anC
| Assistant Secretary Nettleton and thu
: | principal witnesses. Majority and mi
!, | nority reports were made to the house
but too late for action. No report wa
d made to the senate, Chairman Chandle
finding himself opposed by the othe,
/ republican members OF the comnlitte,
! in his conclusions FROM the evidenc,
s and not inclined to join the democrat
| IN their directions
- GREAT EUROPEANS.