Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-08-13
The Chinese Exclusion Act One of
the Measures of Greatest
Interest Passed.
Tariff Problem Remains in Stain
QuO-The Record as a
. Whole.

space in which to inscribe the really i'm
portant laws enacted by the first session of
the hfty-second congress- now ready to
close as soon as the worlds fair matter is
out of the way. The sole measure of
those attracting large share OF
public attention, not counting the ap-
preparation bills, which ha. become a law
Is the Chinese exclusion bill, and political
expediency had much to do with its rapid
congressional progress. This bill, the
Imam registry bill, the Black Hawk and
Seminole Indian wars pension bill, the
eight hour bill, the bill to enable the
president to enforce reciprocal canal ar
rangements with Canada, the army nurse
bill, the intermediate pension bill and the
bill to increase the pay Of life savers are
about the only measures of much general
interest enacted into law.
Free silver the tariff, the anti-options
blk, retrenchment of appropriations and
five million dollar loan to the worlds fair
have been the live topics of the session.
The tirst three subjects have been killed.
at least until after the election: the last
is still before con gress, add the fourth
question, that Of appropriations, entered
largely into the make up of the appropria-
ton bills ard prevented a single public
building bill from passing the house, the
session being absolutely UNIQUE in this
particular. Many other bills providing
Tor new expenditure, the omnibus light
house bill, for instance, failed because of
the retrenchment policy sought to be pur-
sued.
The house passed approximately AIS
bills of which 284 were passed 10y the
senate and sent to the president. OF the
bills passed by the house go we're public
bills, including measures relating to the
District of Columbia; ISL private pension
bills; AZ bills to remove charges of deser-
ton, and Al private bills of a miscellaneous
character.
The senate passed 69l bills, only 113 of
which succeeded in running the gauntlet
of the house and reaching the president
Two Of this latter number the president
vetoed, viz, the bill to send the famous
McGarrahaD claim to the court of claims
for adjudication and q bill to amend the
court of appeals act. Three bills the
president permitted to become laws with
out his signature.
The total number of bills and Joint reso
lutious introduced in the house was S35,
2, LOG reports were made on bills and in
the senate 1907 written reports were
made, no notice being paid to unwritten
reports. Aside from the passage of the
regular annual appropriation bills the
most interesting feature of the congress
has been what it did not, rather than what
it aid. The bill for the free coinage of
silver oveTshadowed all other measures in
Importance and interest The coinage
committee in the house was made
up largely of friends of free coinage,
and itrepOrted with promptness a bill for
free coinage, but when after stormy
scene it came to test vote in the house,
it was necessary for the speaker to cast his
vote IN order to save the silver bill from
square defeat and when the large anti
free coinage opposition began to 6llibuster
the bill was killed 10y a refusal on the
part of a majority of the democrats in
the house to sign a request for closure
rule, without which request the speaker
announced that he would not report
rule for closing debate and forcing
measure on its passage
The senate, which had been waiting on
the house so far as respected silver legis-
lation, then took hold of the subject, and
in June, by a majority OF four votes,
passed the Stewart free coinage bill. This
again brought the house face TO face with
the issue, and on Tote a majority OF
fourteen was found &c be opposed to silver
legislation at this tine, so that the spec
tire of free coinage, which had been nang-
ing over mary members, was at last
banished
The ways and means committee Of the
house wrestled with the tariff problem
and after mature deliberation decided to
attack the Mckinley law by means of sep
arate tar tt bills dealing with special
items, instead of by till making a gen
eral revision of the tariff Prominence
was given to the Springer bill. placing
wool on the free list and reducing the
duties on wo0lrn manufactures aa
me chief exponent of party policy on the
tariff question, and with this measure as
a ba,l, there vas long and on the whole
very uninta osting tariff debate The Din
was passed 10y the house and was followed
by other bills one placing cotton b4gging.
cotton ties and gins and cotton Dayginy
machinery aud the other binding Irvine
on the free list, the binding Irvine BEING
passed under suspension 0f the rules
There was tlen a Iul Ina tariff matters
10 see what course the senate would take
The senate's policy was made apparent
10y The acton OF the finance committee in
pigeou-holing all three bills. and none Cf
them has Sc. emerged from the ssclusion
or the committee room. though occasion,
ally their sIumb.rs were disturbed by ef
forts Of the democratic senators to have
them reported
After time ether tariff oils were re-
ported from the ways ami means commit i
tee and passed as follows: 10 make silver
lead ores free of duty whenever the silver
~ tGe Importation exceeds in va.aa t5a
Lead; tn limit t9 Sl60 the amount If rar
souU baggage wuIca turning tourists
may bring into the United State. and 10
place lu plate, terne plate ans taggers tin +
on thu tree tss after q named date rba.e I
ellis met 'n the senate the fare Of their /.
predecessors.
A bin was passed IS a. house ard IS
ported fTou the finance committee Ia the
senate To Correct the clerical error IL tba