Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-08-25
WHAT CONGRESS- DID.
Summarizes the Work of
Democrats.
The Party Can Safely Stand
Upon Their Record.

Here is what Mr.. Dockery had to
say regarding the actual working of
the session, and it speaks for itself:
"The following is 4 brief summary
of the record Of the House in respect
to some of the important questions
that have come before it for considera-
ton. Of the 1885 bills introduced,
this House has passed 2lO of public
and 255 of private, OF which 2S4 have
become laws. Besides the house has
passed lls senate bills, both public and
private, that have become laws at this
session 397.
A SUMMARY OF THE RECORD.
"Among the important bills that
have passed the house are those ad-
hitting New Mexico and Arizona Ter
ritory to statehood in the American
union, this high privilege having been
denied them by the republican party at
the time of the admission of the Da-
kotas, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana
solely because it was recognized that
they would be democratic states. These
bills stop on the calendar of the repub-
lican senate.
The democratic house has also
passed bill absolutely forbidding
Chinese immigration, and this bill
passed the senate and is now a law.
The democratic house has passed
bill commonly known as the anti
option bill, which prohibits under Sc
we're pains and penalties gambling in
farm products, the effect of which
have been as claimed by the farmers,
to lower and depress the price of al
most every product Of the farm. The
senate has declined to pass this meas
ure. The democratic house has also
passed a bill in the interest of labor
which will hereafter prevent contract
ors upon any public works, either OF
the government of the United States
OF of the District of Columbia, from
employing the services of laborers and
mechanics for a longer period than s
hours in any one calendar day, except
in cases Of extraordinary emergency.
The democratic house has also passed
a bill to promote the safety OF employ
ees and travellers on railways by COM
polling common carriers engaged in
interstate commerce to equip their
cars with automatic couplers and con-
tinuous brakes and locomotives with
driving wheel brakes.
This measure is obviously important
to Il vast number of laborers when we
recall that for the fiscal year ending
June Goth, 1880, there were employed
in the handling Of trains as trainmen,
switchmen, yardmen, engineers, fire
men and conductors 1925 persons.
Out of this vast number occurred ,459
deaths, and 13, III injuries, the result
of some form of accident. The total
number killed in coupling cars being
1853 and injured l ISL.
LAND GRANTS FORFEITED.
The democratic house has also
passed, despite the continuous tillbus-
tering on the part of the republican
minority, a bill providing for the for
fixture Of certain lands heretofore
granted for the purpose of aiding in
the construction of railways. The
public domain of the United States
since the organization of the govern
ment has comprised, 1915, ss9 1887 acres,
including the 229 1887 :1s7 acres ceded
by the original states, the Louisiana
purchase, the purchase from Texas,
the Gadsden, Alaska and Florida pur-
chases and the territory acquired us a
result Of the Mexican war. Of this
vast domain, 1856 ,504: 1894 SO acres, an
area four times greater than that of
the state of Missouri, has been granted
to railroad corporations. Of this area,
26, S76, 1882 acres were granted by the
government to the states for the con-
struction of railroads, prior to March
4th, 1851. The grants under demo-
cratic administration, however, were
made to the states under such limita-
lions and restrictions, notably i'll the
case of the Illinois Central, as to yield
a profitable revenue to the states.
It has been the policy of the demo-
cratic party to preserve the public do
main for actual settlers, and upon it's
return to power in this house, after
the tidal wave of 1874, it inaugurated
the policy of wrestling the public do
main from the railroad corporations
where the terms Of the granting act
had not been fully met. The Forty
eighth and Forty-ninth congresses for
feited 5O,4s3 ,240 acres, whilst not a
single acre has been granted to a rail
road corporation since the return OF
the democrats to the control of the
house. This bill which passed the
house July 8, 1892, forfeits 54,S23, 99{