Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-11-16
THE WORK OF CONGRESS,
WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED ny THE
SPECIAL. SESSION.

SPECIAL SESSION.
Silver Repeal and the Chinese Bill
the Only Measures of Prime Impor-
tnnce Which, Become Luvs-DiEest
Of Results In Each House.
Washington, nov. 3.-Thc session of
the senate will hc long memorable for.
the contest over the bill providing for
the repeal Of the silver purchasing clause
of the act of 1890 known as the Sh"r-
man law. The extraordinary session was
called for the purpose of accomplishing
this repeal, and the other work accom-
rliSrcI was merely incidental. That bill
reached the senate after passing the
house on Aug. 2S. and was not passed
by the senate until Oct. so. How for
these two months the senate contcnded
over the issue involved, but ut last
brought the bill through and passed it
by safe majority, is familiar to the
public. The Hill provides in effect for
the cessation of the purchase and COIN
age of silver, and may be said to mark
a revolution in the financial history of
the country. While the records show
that it was the house bill which bec.mc
Il law, that is only technically true, as
the senate substituted measure of its
own and the house accepted the sut,sti-
tute.
The bill of next greatest importance
to the repeal bill which has ,msscd both
houses of congress is the bill extending
the time in which Chinese laborers can
register under the Chinese act, known
tached to the bill providing for bridge
across the, Hudson at New York. This
bill passed both houses. OF the 1,152
bills introduced i'll the senate during the
session which closed to-day only twelve
passed IS that body, and Of these only
idcnt's signature and became laws. OF
the three new laws originating in the
senate one is in aid Of the md-wintcr
international exposition to be held in
San Francisco; another grants certain
settlers in Oklahoma Territory the right
to commute their homestead entries, and
the third relates to clerks in the Office
of the commissioners of the District of
Columbia.
These Also Passed.
The other bills which passed the SEN
ate are as follows: Making appropria-
tons for the purchase of ground in Wash
ington for a building to be used as u
hall of records granting to California
D per cent of the net proceeds of the cash
sales of public lands in that state; to
extend the time for making final pay
mcnts on entries under the desert land
act; authorizing certain Cherokee allot-
tees or, claimants to purchase certain
tracts held and claimed by them: to
donate to the county of Laramie, WyO.,
certain bridges on the abandoned Fort
Laramie military reservations: to author
ize the Chattanooga Western Railway
company to construct u bridge across
the Tennessee river near Chattanooga;
to grant the righ' of way to the Kansas,
Oklahoma Central & Southwestern Rail-
way company through the Indian Terri
tory and Oklahoma Territory; to aid the
States of California, Oregon, Washing
Colorado and South Dakota to support
schools of mines; for the relief of W. II.
Ward.
The senate has in addition to those
bills OF its own passed fourteen house
bills, the most important of these being
purchasing clause of the Sherman act.
The others relate to lands in the Sioux
Indian reservation in Nebraska and
South Dakota, to the United States
courts in Idaho and Wyoming and South
Dakota: to the New York & New Jer-
sey bridge; to steam revenue cutters for
the great lakes and for the New England
coast; to the annual work on unpatented
mining claims; to the increase of officers
OF the army detailed at colleges and to
the amendment of the Chinese exclusion
act, the rest being bills of a private
character. The senate also passed four
Joint Resolutions
which originated in that body and twelve
which originated in the house. The
only one Of the senate joint resolutions
or importance IS the one which provides
for the construction of a hall of records
in Washington, which also passed the
passed the senate, those worthy of note
are: Relating to the Mormon church
property in Salt Lake City; providing for
the. publication of $4,000 additional
copies of the compendium Of the eleventh
census; for the removal of ocean dere-
licts,, and comforting diplomas upon
worlds far artisans through the board
of lady managers. The total of the SEN
ate bills and joint resolutions, and of
house bills and joint resolutions, all told,
is only forty-two.
The senate will not be without mate
rial to work upon when it reconvenes in
December. The calendar issued to-day
shows sixty-five bills and resolutions re-
ported by committee and ready for the
attention of the senate. A large proper
ton Of these bills and resolutions relates
to private claims, and there are also sew
eral relating to the finances which had
connection with the repeal bill and which
are not now pertinent. Probably the
most important bill upon the senate cal
endar now IS that tor the repeal of the
federal election laws. A similar bill has
passed the house. Senator Voorhees, has
a bill concerning national bank note cir
culation. Mr.. Morgan's resolution for
joint committee of the two houses to
consider questions of finance, has a place
on the calendar, as has Mr. Stewards
resolution. concerning the coordinate
branch of the government, and also Mr.
PETERS relating to interstate COM
merce. Senator Palmer's bill concerning
invalid pensions paid to non-residents is
in shape for consideration at any time
There are on the table resolutions by
Senators Hoar and Martin relative to
the election of senators by the direct
vote of the people, and a resolution by
Senator Call dispensing with the civil
service commission.
Results in the House.
The chief bill that failed in the e1trl
session of the house was that providing
for urgent deficiencies. The most i'm
portant item in this measure was that
which provided for the janitors and Gus
todians of public buildings. There was
an item of 100000 to pay clerks to mem
bers, but that can be passed later without
causing any hindrance to public busi-
ness like the first-nam med aDprOnriation