The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-08-11
WHAT CONGRESS HAS DONE.
Little Acconp tslscd Aside from Passing
Appropriation Bills.

Appropriation Bills.
The future compiler OF the official
history of the laws of the United States
will not need much space in which to
inscribe the really important laws en-
acted by the first session OF the Lid
congress, says a Waslin gton correspon-
dent. The session has not been re-
markable for its actual accomplishments
SO far as respects large legislation.
Efforts more or less vigorous have
been made to pass through both houses
Of Congress bills dealing with questions
that occupy large share o. public at
tention, but these, with a single exccp-
tion, have failed of accomplishment.
The sole measure of the first class In
Importance, not counting the appropria-
tion bills which have become law, is
the Chinese exclusion bill. and political
expediency has much 10 do with its
rapid Congressional al progress. This bill,
the 1nman registry bill, the Black Hawk
and Seminole Indian wars rension bill,
the eight-hour bill, the bill to enable
the President to enforce reciprocal
canal arrangements with Canada, the
army nurse bill. the intermediate pen
sion bill. and the bill to increase the
pay Of life-savers are about the ouly
measures of much general interest en-
acted into law
Free silver, the tariff, the anti-option-
bill, retrenchment OF appropriations and
$5,00O,0O0 loan to the Worlds Fair
have been the live topics of the session.
The first three subjects have been
killed, at least until after the election,
while the last is still before Congress.
The House passed approximately AS
bills, Of which 2S4 were passed by the
Senate and sent to the President. OF
the bills PASSED by the House 22O were
public bills, including measures relat-
ing to the District of Columbia: ISL pri-
vate pension bills; ~ bills to remove
charges Of dcsertion; and Al private bills
Of a miscellaneous character.
The Senate passed 69l bills. only 1l3
Of which succeeded in running the CANT
let of the House and reaching the Presi-
dent. Two of the latter number the
President vetoed, viz. the bill to send
the famous McGarrah n claim to the
Court of Claims for adjudication and a
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
in the Mexican war, the Indian wars
and the war of 1912, the benciiciaries be-
ing chiefly Southern men.
The Bering Sea trouble with Great
Britain was the ugliest complication
the Senate had to consider behind closed
'oors, and a peaceful solution of it was
found in its reference to an arbitration
commission. The Chilian 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, and in the Senate 1904. In tho
House 2,iO6 reports were made on bills,
and in the Senate ,097 written reports
were made, no notice being paid to un-
written reports.
Aside from the passage Of the regular
annual appropriation bills the most
interesting feature Of the Congress has
been what it did not do rather than
what it did.