The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-06
WORK OF THE CONGRESS.
a TOTAL OF $50 ACTS PUT ON TRE
STATUTE BOOKS.

OF the Total 425 Originated In the
House and 235 in the Senate-Two
Hundred Measures Passed by the
House Turned Down by the Senate.
The House Retaliated in 626 In
stances.
WASHINGTON, March 5.-Ths silver and
tariff questions, the anti-option bill and res
duction Of the appropriations were the
leading topics of consideration by the
Fifty-second congress, which expired by
constitutional Limitation at noon yesterday
Secondary only in Importance to these mat
ters were measures relating to the worlds
fair the equipments Of railroads with auto
matic car couplers, national quarantine and
! immigration, Bering sea and Hawaiian
annexation. Nothing of an afirma-
tive nature except to prevent
two items in the Mckinley law
taking effect was actually accomplished as
far as respects silver, the tariff or anti-op-
tions. the action taken on each Of these
! questions in one branch of congress being
! negatived by the action or non-aotion Of
the other branch.
The result Of the agitation of the neces-
sity for retreu chment Of expenditures is not
! apparent in any considerable change in the
| aggregate appropriations carried by the
national appropriation bills. for they
amount to about as much as in the Fifty
first congress, laws on the statute books
preventing some large reductions which
otherwise would have been made, while the
| decrease which it was possible to effect were
OFFSET by increased appropriations for pen
sions and rivers and harbors. The con-
dition Of the public treasury, however,
| though il did not result in the Flfty-second
| congress getting below the billion dollar
| limit, undoubtedly influenced legislation TO
a considerable extent and prevented
the authorization OF many proposed new
| expenditures for improvements Of the public
service, for public buildings, for the pay
ment Of claims and for other purposes. A
| notable instance Of the operation Of this in-
huence is seen 10 the fact that not single
| public building bill passed the House and ii
was only by putting a number of them on
the sundry civil appropriation bill that any
authorizations whatever for public build
| ings were secured.
THE FIGHT OVER SILVER.
The silver question was kept steadily be-
| fore the attention Of congress by alternate
| efforts Of the advocates of free coinage and
the repeal Of the Sherman law. The coinage
| committee of the House in the first session
|
| exciting debate, was saved from defeat by
the casting vote OF the speaker, but was
| afterward filibustered to death the friends
| OF the bill failing to secure the signatures of
| majority of the democrats to a petition
asking for a closure rule in It's behalf. The
Senate then passed a free coinage bill
| but when the free silver men renewed
their fight 10 the House, they we're outuum-
bered by IA votes, and of course failed. The
! hntt-silver men met a similar fate in their
efforts to secure a repeal of the present law,
the Senate refusing by decisive vote to CON
slider it and the House killing the Andrew
Cate bill by declining to vote so as to give
| It's friends parliamentary right to move
closure on it, without which il concededly
| could never be forced TO vote in the clos
ing hours Of congress.
\ WRESTLING WITH THE TARIFF.
on the tariff, the dominant party in the
| House adopted the policy of attacking the
! Mckinley act in detail largely for political
reasons aud partly for the reason that In
! view Of the political complexion of the
! Senate i5 was practically out Of the ques-
| tton 70 pass "a general tariff revision bill
| through the Senate, while a special measure
might stand more show OF passage. The re-
| suit was the enactment into law of two
| bills continuing block tin on the free list
| and fine linen at 35 per cent ad vslorem.
| Under the Mckinley law large du-
ties were to take effect on these
/ items in the near future Other separate
bills were passed through the House only TO
be pigeon-holed in the Senate as follows:
! Free wool and reduction of the duties on
! wooden manufactures, free cotton bagginR
machinery. free binding twine, free silver
lead ores. where the value mot the weight
| of the silver exceeds that Of lead in any
importation; free tin pate, terne pIare and
| taggers tin and limitation TO 500 of the
amount Of personal baggage returning
tourists may bring into the United States
The anti-options bill passed both houses.
but was killed by the refusal Of the House
| to suspend the rules and agree by a two
thirds vote to amendments put On the bill
by the Senate, the opponents of the measure
| maneuvering 80 as to prevent Mr.. Hatch
from making effective his majority in
favor of the measure and forcing him at
the last moment to try a suspension Of the
rules.
The pure food bill, the running mate OF
the anttsoptions bill, passed the Senate, but
was never able to get consideration in the
House.
The worlds fair legislation comprised a
grant OF S2,500, 900 IN souvenir half dollars
in aid Of the fair, the closing of its gates on
Sunday. the appropriation of various
| amounts for different fair purposes and the
passage Of sundry acts Of a special nature
and minor Importance.
II
its drastic features was enacted into a law.
as was also national quarantine bill in-
creasing the powers Of the marine hospital
service to meet threatened dangers from
cholera, and an immigration law imposing
additional restrictions on immigration. but
not suspending it entirely.
The Senate averted trouble over the
Beriug sea seal fisheries by ratifying a
treaty Of arbitration. It alao ratified ex-
tradition treaties with Russia and other
countries, but still has before it the treaty
Of annexation of the Hawaiian Islands.
Opening Of the Cherokee outlet was pro-
vided for in the Indian bill under a clause
appropriating IS ,295, 900 for It's purchase
from the Indians, 1926, 900 to be paid ia cash
and Ss,000,000 III five equal annual STALL
ment5.
TOTAL OF THE HEw ACTS.
approximately, 425 House and 235 Senate
bills and joint resolutions became laws
making $50 acts put on the statute
books as a result OF tho work Of the
congress A majority of these meas
ures we're OF interest only TO individuals
or localities, being for the relief OF
citizens, for the bridging of streams, for
the District of Columbia, for rights Of way,
etc. An unusual proportion OF the claims
bills were for the relief OF southern men.
The HOuse DRaEad in round riro barz f2S