The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-03-16
NUMBER 12.
w ork Of Congress.

Work Of. Congress.
The short session of the ifty-second
congress signalized itself quite as much
by the important laws it did not pass as,
by those which it did enact. It did
nothing for or against silver, failed after
q desperate fight to pass the antioption
bill and left the Nicaragua canal out in
the cold for the third time
OF the acts that became laws the prin-
cipal are. the following: The automatic
car coupler bill. the Chinese exclusion
and registry act, the act restricting i'm
migration and the national quarantine
bill. One of the most popular Of the
laws passed by the congress that has just
expired was that permitting the ocean
steamers New York and Paris to fly the
United States flag. The congress at it's
first session enacted a much needed law
pensioning army nurses. IF this law had
been in existence before the death Of
Walt w hitman, the old poet would have
been that much better off in his last days.
| The law concerning national auaran-
tine simply enlarges the authority Of the
marine hospital service so that it will
,, have power to take all needed precau-
hons against an invasion of cholera next
summer. It's authority is made para
mount to that of the various state quar-
antine commissions.
Freight trains under the new law per-
tanning to them. must use the automatic
car coupler.
The last important law passed was that
restricting immigration. Under this act
it will be almost as hard for steerage
passenger to get into the United States
as to get into heaven. In view of the
threatened visitation Of cholera, how
ever, and Of the actual and present evils
of unrestricted immig grafton, the new law
| is none too severe. Europe has only her
/ self to thank for it. IF she had not made
it a practice for the last half century of
pouring upon us crime, pauperism, IL
literacy and disease, merely to get rid Of
! it herself, then this law would never have
been passed
Under the new immigration act the
masters and surgeons of vessels at the
port of departure shall make affidavit
that all the immigrants they bring to US
/ are eligible as good citizens. In addition
to this the immigrants are subjected to
a second rigid inspection at the port Of
entry by United States officials, and if
they do not pass muster here may be
sent back Il aae,ssh persons.de
ing to come to us have been put through
the following examination at the port Of
departure the undesirable immigrants
! will be fairly well weeded out:
! The emigrant must state the full name, full
age and sex, whether married or SINGLE the
calling or occupation, whether able to read or
write, the nationality, the last residence, the
1 seaport for landing in the United States, the
final destination, if any, beyond the seaportof
landing; whether having q ticket through to
l such final destination, whether the emigrant
has paid his own passage or whether 1t has
been paid by other persons or by any corpora
ton, society. municipality or government;
! whether in possession OF money, and If so
1 whether upward of $50, and how.mrch if $50 or
less: whether going to join relative, and If SO
what relative. and his name and address;
whether ever before in the United States and
if so when and where. f@
+ 5 It must also be stated whether ever in prison
or almshouse or supported by charity; whether
polygamist, whether under contract express
or implied) to perform labor in the United
! States, and what is the emigrant's condition
of health, mentally and physically y, and wheth-
er deformed or crippled, and if so from what
cause.
S A bill is before a state legislature pro-
hibiting the Imprisonment Of children
under 16 years old with adults The inn
prisonment of children under 16 years
old at all ought to be prohibited It is
monstrous, almost fit to rank in barbar-
: ity along with the system which has al
lowed boys of 10 years to be executed ac-
: cording to the law which hangs MUIR
derers. The children have In some cases
gone to a gallows as to- picnic, without
the faintest realization Of what death
Z meant. One poor, half witted little ne
gro lad asked artlessly if hanging hurt
much. The moral sentiment is the lat
!, est and noblest to be developed Chill
dren under 16 cannot be controlled by it,
/ for except in the rarest of cases it is yet
latent in them Where they commit
crimes there is4sometimes even lack Of
mental development. sometimes an IN
: fortunate bent toward cruelty and mon
strosity which must be eradicated by
years of the best and most careful edu-
cation When children under Is mani.
| fest these abnormal and criminal tend
j encies. they should be sent to a reform.
!, atory, not to prison. There, away
from hardened criminal away from evil
: influences, with only restraint enough
: to keep them from doing any more
3 injury, they can be made nearly always
into useful citizens. That is what viii
be done with them in 1893.
S The silver and tariff questions were the
{, most important subjects before the shor1