The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1892-08-17
DURHAM RECORDER
A GOOD RECORD.
THE WORK OF DEM
OCRAIS In THE
HOUSE.
soME FAuTs THE PEOPLE
WILL REMEMBER,
Outlined at the Gloseof the SEES
sInn 2tat,f

SIDHs @H@.'F
The work done in the last
House of Representatives. in be-
half of needed reforms by DEM
ocrats shows up pretty well.
Mr.. Dockery, of Missouri, OF
the General Appropriation Com
mittee, IN his speech at the close
of Congress presented to the
public the following. Eve
haven't space for ALL He said
"Mr. Speaker, desire tp sub.
nit the following brief sum
mary of the record of this House
in respect TO some of the I'M.
portant questions that have
come before it for considera
ton. OF the 1885 bills intro
duced, this House has passed
go of public and 225 Of private,
of which 2S4 have become laws.
Besides these, the House has
passed Il3 of Senate bills, max
ing the total number of bills,
both public and private, that
have become laws at this sea-
son 1917.
"The Democratic House has
passed a bill commonly known
as the Anticipation bill, which
prohibits, under severe pains
and penalties, gambling in farm
products, the effect of which
has been, as claimed by the far
mers, 10 lower and depress the
price of almost every product
of the farm. The Senate has
declined to pass this measure.
SEE fATA REPUBL[gIA
SENATE REFUSES no Do
- FOR THE FARMERS.
"The Democratic House also
originated the bill which became
a law absolutely forbidding
Chinese immigration.
"The Democratic House has
also passed, despite continuous
and repeated filibustering on
the part of the Republican mi
nority, a bill providing for the
forfeiture of certain lands here
tofore granted for the purpose
of aiding in the construction OF
railways. The public domain
of the Government, has com.
prised l,Sl9,ss9,9 1857 acres, in
GLIDING the 229, 1857, lS7 acres
coded by the original States,
the Louisiana purchase, the pur
chase from Texas, the Gadsden,
Alaska and Florida purchases,
and the territory acquired as a
result of the Mexican war. Oh
this vast domain 155, 50I, 1874. 81
acres, an area greater than -four
times that Of the State Of Mis-
souri,, has been granted to rail
road corporations. Of this area
2T,S7S, 67S. SO acres were granted
by the Government to the States
for the construction Of railroads
prior TO March 1, 1861. The
grants under Democratic Ad'
ministration, however, were
made 10 the States under such
limitations and restrictions no
tally in the case of the Illinois
Central, as TO yielda profitabl,
revenue to the States. Ii hal
been the policy of the Demo
cratic party 70 preserve the pub
lie domain for actual settlers
and upon its return to power il
this House after the tidal wave
Of 1874 il inaugurated the poll
cy Of wrestling the public do
main from the railroad corpora
tions where the terms of the
granting acts had not been fully
met. The Forty-eighth enc
Forty-ninth Congresses forfeit
ed 50, 49,, 240 acres, whilst not 9
single acre has been granted Il
q railroad corporation since the
return Of the Democratic party
70 the control of this House
This bill, which passed the
House July 5, 1892, forfeits 81,
323, 900 acres Of these grants and
restores them 10 the public do.
main for the use and occupancy
Of the people Of the United
States. Consideration has been
denied this bill by the Republi,
can Senate.
"The House has illustrated in
Its tariff Legislation that funda-
mental doctrine Of the Demo
cratic party, that all taxation
should be for public purposes,
and 10 levied as to impose iii
heaviest burdens upon luxuriel
and its lightest touch upon the
necessaries Of life.
at goes without saying, Mr.
Speaker, that were the Demo
cratic party in control Of thu
Executive and beth branches
u the Legislative department.
Of the Government, among it
first acts would be the repeal oI
the Mckinley tariff. Confront
81 Ia...a..s.... ...aal. 4. L..aaI.- G..