St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-01

to close as soon as the worlds fair mat.
ter is out OF the way. The session now
drawing to close has not been remark
able in accomplishments. so far as re-
spects large legislation. Efforts more o.
less vigorous have been made to pass
through both houses of congress bills
dealing with questions that occupy
large share of public attention,
but these, with single exception, have
failed of accomplishment. The sole
measure of first-class Importance, not
counting the appropriation bills, which
has become law is the Chinese ex-
clusion bill, and political expediency
mad much to do with its rapid congress
man registry bill. the Black Hawk and
Seminole Indian wars pension bill, the
elght-hour bill, the bill to enable the
president to enforce reciprocal canal
arrangements with Canada, the army
nurse bill, the immediate 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
bill, retrenchment of appropriations and
a $1,000, 00O loan to the worlds fair have
been the live topics of the session. The
first three have been killed, at least
WILL uitVI tlic tlSCliOIl, tll0 ldSl, tfldG OI
appropriation, is still before congress.
Many other bills providing for new
expenditures, the omnibus lighthouse,
for instance, failed because of the re-
trenchment policy sought to be pursued.
The house passed approximately 475
bills, of which 2S4 were passed by the
senate and sent to the president. OF
the bills PASSED by the house 900 were
public bills. measures relating to the
District of Columbia, ISL were private
pension bills, As bills to remove charges
OF desertiOn, and Al private bills of a
miscellaneous character.
The senate passed COL 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 McGarraghan claim to
the court of claims for adjudic alton and
bill to amend the court of appeals act.
Three bills the president permitted to
become laws without his signature.
The noteworthy feature Of the private
bills which became laws was the large
percentage of them relating to services
III the Mexican war. the Indian wars
and the war of 1912. the beneficiaries
being chiefly Southern men.
The senate was free from election
SoiitCStS uc uOUSC SIX ClSCtlOH
contests. and four of them have been
practically settled. The Behring sea
trouble was the uglieSt complication the
senate had to consider behind closed
doors, and peaceful solution of it was
found in its reference to an arbitration
commission. The Chilean muddle also
occupied some of the senate'S attention
in executive session.
The total number of bills and Joint
resolutions introduced in the house was
1885. aud in the senate 1904. In the
mouse z. LOG reports were made on bills,
and in the senate 1907 written reports
were made, no notice being paid to un-
written reports.
Aside from the passage of the regular
annual appropriation bills, the most in
teresting feature of the congress has
been what it did not, rather than what
it did do. The bill for the free coinage
of silver OverShadOwed all other meas
ures in Importance and interest. The
coinage committee in the house was
made up largely of friends of free coin
age, and it reported with promptness
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 bill from a square defeat. and
SitiOn began to filibuster. the bill was
killed by refusal on the part of ma
Jority of Democrats in the house to sign
request for a closure rule, without
which request the speaker announced
that he would not report a rule for clos
ing debate and forcing measure on its
passage.
The senate, which had been waiting
on the house, so far as respected silver
legislation, then took hold of the sub
ject and in June, by majority of four,
passed the Stewart free coinage bill.
This again brought the house face to
face with the issue. and on vote a ma
jOrity of IA was found to be opposed to
silver legislation at this time, SO that
the spectre of free coinage, which has
been hanging over many 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 separate tariff bills. dealing
with special items, instead of bill max
ing general revision of the tariff.
Prominence was given to the Springer
bill, placing wool OH the free list and
facturerS as the chief exponent of party
policy on the tariff question, and, with
this measure as basis, there was long
and on the whole very undressing
tariff debate. The bill was passed by
the house and was followed by two
other bills, one placing cotton bagging,
cotton ties. and gins and cotton bagging
machinery and other binding twine on
the free list, the binding Irvine bill be-
ing passed under suspension Of the
rules.
There was then lull in tariff mat
ters to see what course the senate would
take. The senate's policy was made
apparent by the action of the finance
bills, and none of them has yet emerged
from the seclusiOn of the committee
room, though their slumbers were oc-
casiOnally disturbed by efforts on the
part of senators to have them reported.
After time other tariff bills were re-
ported from the ways and means CON-
mittee and passed as follows:
TO make silver lead ores free of duty
whenever the silver in the Importation
exceeds in value the lead; to limit to
500 the amount of personal baggage
which returning tourists may bring into
the United States, and to place tin plate,
list after a named date. These bills
met in the senate the fate of their pred
ecessors. A bill was passed by the
house and reported from the finance
committee to the senate to correct the
clerical error in the Mckinley bill by
which chocolate was made dutiable as
confectionery, but it has not been
acted on. Various other tariff
bills were considered by the
house committee OH ways and means,
and there was much time given to the
advisability of reporting bills placing
refined sugar, salt, lumber and iron ores
on the free list and reducing the duty
OH barley, but the committee failed to
embark on the advocacy of these meas
ures, there being difference of opinion
as to its wisdom at this time.
The agricultural committee in each
house had before it some of the most
important measures of the session. A
bill was reported. and, under suspension
of the rules, passed by the house. to
ornbihit doaIiup in fufu,oc which