The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-03-08
lid. CONGRESS-
Review Of the Work Actually AC-
complished by
THE NATIONS LAW MAKERS
The House Passed e25 Bills and 200 Of
That Number
FAILED OF PASSAGE IN

The senate-About the Same Number
Were Passed by the Senate and De-
feated In the House.
WASHINGTON, March 8-The silver
and tariff question, the anti-option bill
and the reduction Of appropriations
were the leading topics Of conversation
by the Fifty.second congress, which ex-
pired by constitutional limitation at IL
o'clock noon Saturday. Secondary only
in Importance to these matters were
measures relating to the worlds fair,
equipment of railroads with automatic
car couplers national quarantine and
immigration, Bering sea and Hawaiian
annexation
Nothing Of an affirmative nature ex-
cept to prevent two items in the Nc
Kinley bill taking effect was actually
accomplished so far as respects silver
the tariff or anti-options, the action
taken on each OF these questions in one
branch OF congress being negatived by
the action or non-at ton OF the other
branch. The result Of the ag .tation OF
the necessity for retrenchment OF ex-
penditures is not apparent in any con-
siderable cha ngc in the aggregate ap.-
propriations carried by the national
supply bills for they amount to about
as much as in the Fifty-frst congress,
laws on the statute books preventing
some large reductions which otherwise
would have leen made, while the de-
crease which il was possible to effect
was offset by increased appropriations
for pensions and rivers and harbors
The condition OF the public treasury,
however, though it did not result in the
Fifty.second congress getting below
the billion dollar limit, undoubtedly in
fluerccd legislation to n considerable
extent and prevented the authorization
of many proposed new expenditures for
Improvement of the public service for
public buildings, for payment OF claims
and for other purposes. A notable in
stance of the operation Of this influence
is seen in the fact that not single pub
lie building bill passed the house and it
was only by putting a number OF them
on the sundry civil appropriation bill
that any authorizations whatever for
public buildings were secured.
The silver question was kept steadily
before the attention Of congress by the
alternate efforts Of the advocate of free
coinage and of the repeal of the Sher'
man law The coinage committee In
the house of the first session reported
free silver bill, which after an exciting
debate was saved from defeat by the
casting vote Of the speaker, but was
atterward flibustered to death, the
friends of the bill failing to secure sig
natures Of majority Of the democrats
to petition asking for cloture rule II
its behalf
The senate then passed free coinag'
bill, but when the free silver men re
newed their fight in the house theI
were outnumbered by fourteen votes
and Of course failed. The anti-silve
men met similar fate in their effort
tosecure repeal Of the present law
the senate refusing by q decisive vot
TO consider II, and the house killing tn
Andrew Cate bill by declining to vot
80 as to give It's friends the parliamer
tary right 10 move cloture on 1t, with
out which II concededly could never
forced to vote In the closing hours
congress
On the tariff the dominant party !
the house adopted policy OF attackin
the Mckinley bill in detail largely fo
political reasons and partly for the rel
son that in view Of the political con
plexion Of the senate 1t was PRACTICAL
out Of the question to pass generi
tariff revision bill through the sena'
while special measures might stan
some show Of passing. The result WI
the enactment into law Of two bill
continuing block tin on the free Ii
and fine linen at 35 per cent a
valorem. Under the Mckinley bi
large duties were to take effect on the
items in the near future.
Other separate bills were pass'
through the house, only to be pigeo
holed in the senate as follows:
Free wool and reduction OF duties
woolen manufactures; free cotton ba
Qing machinery. free binding twin
free silver lead ores, where the vail
mot the weight Of the silver excee
that Of the lead in any importatio
free tin plate. terne plate and taggel
tin and the limitation to 500 OF t
amount OF the personal baggage
turning tourists may bring into t
United States
The anttoptions bill passed DO
houses but was killed by the refusal
the house 10 suspend the rules Al
agree BY a two-thirds vote to the amen
ments put on the bill by the sena
The pure food bill, the running mate
the anti-options bill, passed the sena
but was never able TO get considerati
In the house.
Worlds fair legislation comprised
grant of q, SOC, 900 in souvenir half d
lars In aid Of the fair, the closing OF
gates on Sunday, the appropriation
various amounts for different fair p'
poses and the passing Of sundry acts
special nature and minor importan
The automatic car coupler bill, she
Of its drastic features, was enacted II
law, as was also a national quarant
bill increasing the powers OF the n
rine hospital service TO meet the thre
ened dangers from cholera and an
migration law imposing additional
strictions on immigration, but not
pending In entirely. The senate aver
the bill over the Bering sea fisheries
ratifying q treaty Of arbitration.
also ratified extradition treaties "
Russia and other countries, but still
before II q treaty Of annexation OF
Hawaiian islands The opening OF