Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-03-09
SESSION REVIEWED.
Tho Fifty-seoond Congress Accom-
plished But Little.
DUE TO POLITICAL ANTAGONIST.
Two Items of the Mckinley Act Only Ar
fected - Worlds Fair, hallway
Coupler. 'herokee Opening.
the Treasury, Etc.

tion OF appropriations were the leading topics
OF consideration by the Fifty.second congress
whioh expired by constitutional limit ct noon
Secondary only in Importance to these mat
ters we're measures relating to tho worlds
talr' equipment Of railroads with uutomat tic
car eouplers, nationu quaratine and immlgra.
uon behring sea and Hawaiian annexation
Nothing OF an Affirmative nature except TO
! prevent Two Items In the Mckinley bill taking
eneot was actually accomplished. So far as
respects silver, the tariff or anti-optons, the
action taken on each OF these questions In ono
oraneh OF congress was negatlved by he action
OF hohAetion OF the other branch The result
OF inc AGITATION OF the necessity for q retrench.
ment OF expenditures Is not apparent IN any
considerable change In the aggregate appropri.
huons carried by the national supply bills for
they amount to about as much as in the Fifty.
nrst congress, laws on the statute books pre-.
venting some large reductions which otherwise
would have been made, while the decreases
| winch II was possible to effect were Offset by
increased appropriations for pensions and
| rivers and harbors
The condition Of he public treasury however,
though II did not result IN the Fifty second con.
gross getting below the s 0,uOO,OJU limit I'm.
doubtedly Influenced legisla' ion to a c. n,ider.
aole extent ami prevented the authorization Of
many proposed new expenditures Tor improve.
ment OF the public service. for public buildings,
LOT payment OF claims and for other purposes
n
nlenco Is seen In the fact that not a single pub-
lie building bill passed the house, and Il was
only by putting number OF them on the sun.
arr civl appropriation bill that any AUTHORIZE
IONS whatever for public buildings were So
| cured
The silver question was kept steadily before
| the attention OF congress by the alternate Of.
forts OF the advocates of free coinage and OF the
repeal OF the Sherman law. The coinage com.
mittec OF the house In the FIRST session reported
Tree silver bill, which. after an exciting de.
baie, was saved from Z, feat by the casting vote
OF the speaker, but was afterward nlibustered
TO death the friends OF the bill failing 10 secure
inc signatures OF u majority OF the democrats TO
petition asking for cloturo rule In its behalf
The senate then passed free coinage bill. but
when the free silver men renewed their lght I'm
the house lhey were outuumbcrcd by fourteen
votes ana. OF course, failed. Tho anti. liver
men met similar fate IN their Efforts to secure
repeal OF the present law, the senate rcfus.
ing by decisive vote to consider 10 and the
house killing the Andrew. Cate bill by declining
TO vote so as to give Its friends the parlilmrn.
tary right to move cloturc On IT, without which
II concededly could never be forced to q vote in
the clio ling hours Of congress-
In the tariff the dominant party In the house
adopted policy Of attacking the Mckinley bill
In detail largely for political re- sons and partlv
Tor the reason that In view OF the political com.
pleXion Of IN senate. 1t was practically out OF
me question to pass general tarii revision
bl through the senate, Will srecial measure
might stand some show OF passage The result
was the enactment INTO law of two bills contin.
ulng bloek tin on the free list and linen ut 3, uCr
cent ad valorem Under the NJ, Kin ey bin
large duties were TO take eject on these items
In the near future
Other separate ills were passed through the
house only TO be pigeon holed IN the senate, as
follows: Free wool and reduction Of duties on
WOODEN manufactures, free cotton LgcgIng ma.
ehinery, free binding twine free silver l,ni
ores where the value mot the weight Of tho
silver exceeds that Of lead Ia any proportion,
free tin plate, terne plate and tnggcrs' tin and
the Limitation TO il0i Of the amount OF personal
baggage returning tourists may bring in.o tho
United States
The anti options bill passed both houses, but
was killed by the refusal Of the house 10 sus.
pend the rules and agree by two.thlrds vote
10 the amendments put ON the bill by the sen.
ate, the opponents Of the measure mlneuyering
so rs to prevent Mr. Hatch making effective his
majority In favor Of the measure and forcing
HIM ut the last moment to try suspension OF
the rules The pure food bill the running
mate OF the antOptions bill passed the senate,
house
Worlds fair legislation comprised the appro.
prtation OF tabOO OJl In souvenir half dollars in
aid Of the fair the closing Of Its gates on sun
DAY tue appropriation OF various amounts for
different fair purposes and the passage OF sun.
dry acts OF special nature OF minor impor.
lance.
The automatic coupler bin shorn Of It's drastic
features, was enacted into law, as WINS also n
national quarantine bil increasing the powers
OF the marine hospital service TO meet The
threatened dangers from cholera, and nm immi
grafton law imposing additional restrictions on
immigration, but not suspending It entirely,
The senate nverted trouble over the Bchrlng
sea fisheries b. ralifylng % treaty OF nrbitra.
ton 1t also ratified extradition treaties with
Russia and other countries, but sim has before
1t treaty OF annexation Of the Hawaiian
Islands The opening Of the Cherokee outlet
was provided for in the Indian bill undera
clause appropritting St29j,1OO for It's purchase
from tie Indians $4,000 to be paid In cash
$50 O'OOJ In i've equal annual installmcntA
Approximately AS house and 3 senate bills
and Joint resolutions became laws, making CO.
acts put on the statute books rs the result of
the work OF congress- A majority OF these
measures were 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 re-.
lief OF southern mn
The house passed In round numbers 90 bills
Of which 100 failed OF passage In the senate ami
In the neighborhood OF IS bills PASSED by the
senate failed In the house including the long
list Of public building bills, m ny private pen.
sion bills and other measures involving in.
creased expenditures. Three bills were vetoed
by the president viz, to refer The McGarrnhan
claim 10 the court ofolaims "a second McGarra.
han bil failing OF action In the housed to amend
the court OF appeals act and Ia relation 10
matshals In the United States court In Ala.
bamh
This last bill became Law by passage over
the veto, Senator Hoar stating that IL had been
vetoed through u misunderstanding OF its pro
visions
The president subjected three bills TO n
pocket veto and two other bills failed OF en-.
gTossment In time for presentation TO him All
were OF comparatively small importance
The pension and census Offices the whisky
trust, Panama canal and Pacific NJ an compan.
les, the WatsOn-Cobb cherges the PinlIurton
system and Homestead troubles and tho Nave.
rick and String Garden bank failures and the
Ellis island immigr ,tion station were investl-
gated by congressional committees but nothing
came Of the reports submitted,
The following are the more important bills
which have become laws; The car coupler bill,
The Chinese exclusion bill national quarantine
bill immigration bill. to grant an American
registry to two lnmun line steamships. To Pen.
sion survivors of the Black Hawk and Semi.
mole Indian wars; to increase the pensions Of
veterans Of the Mex can war, the immediate
pension bin; the eight hour oil Tor adjustment Of
accounts Of men who ave worked over limo. To
enable tire prCsi ipnt 10 cn;ot,y rceil rugal can i
urrangcmcpts vijh Canada to pension army
nursrs; to increase The paw NJ crew. 40 lite
saving station the Omuihus llght houses aud
I K signal til. % umHul The iutrr-4tnts potn.
mCrgn act 40 rs "a M 'AH Gresham Counsel.
man decisions aud correct other d, ferls 10
Il; 10 umuud tnc law In reference 20 bills Of
lndng 70 as 10 IA hr more clear the resi- ousl-
blitY' APP roprliius sbO.0p Tor tie u,eI a,t-
ton Of u site and erection Il pgit1'al Tor
tho sherman statue: 10 tstahl'st d u Nary
.auIN 49,. al.