The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1893-11-11
THE WORK OF CONGRESS.
WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY THE
SPECIAL SESSION.
Silver Repeal and the Chinese Bill
the Only Measures of Prime InipOr-
lance Which Become Lavws-DiEsst
of Results In Each House.

lance W h1Ch become ALAVS-A1Aks"A
of Results in Each House.
Washington, !iov. 3.-Thc session OF
the senate will he long memorable for
the contest over the hill providing for
the repeal of the silver purchasing clause
of the act of 1890 known as the Sb"r-
man law. The extraordinary session was
called for the purpose of accomplishing
this repeal, ind the other work accom-
plishcd was merely incidental. That bill
reached the senate after passing the
house on Aug. 2S. and was not passed
by the senate until Oct. 80. How for
these two months the cnate %contcndcd
over the issue involved, hut at last
brought the bill through and passed it
by a safe majority, is familiar to the
public. The hill provides III effect for
the cessation of the purchas" and coin
age of silver, and may be said to mark
Il revolution in the financial history of
the country. While the records show
that it was the house bill which become
IL law, that is only technically true, as
the senate substituted Il measure OF It's
own and the house accepted the su!,stl-
tute.
The bill Of next greatest Importance
to the repeal bill which has imsscd both
l.ouses of congrcss is the bill extending
the time in which Chinese laborers can
register under the Chinese act, known
as the Geary law. Much interest at
tacl,ed to the bill providing for a bridge
across the Hudson at New York. This
bill passed both houses. OF the LISP
session which closed to-day only twelve
passed that body, and Of these only
three passed the house, received the pres
ident's signature and became laws. Of
the three new laws originating III the
senate one is in aid of the mil-winter
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.
Thcsc Also Passed.
The other bills which passed the sen-
ate are as follows: Making %appr0pria-
lions for the purchase of ground in Wash
ingtom for a building to be used as a
hall of records; granting to California
5 per cent of the net proceeds of the cash
sales of public lands in that state; to
extend the time for making final pay
ments on entries under the desert land
act; authorizing certain Cherokee allot-
lCSS vi SidlIlllAlS " puASA4dSS
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 a bridge across
to grant the righ+, Of way to the Kansas,
Oklahoma Central Il Southwestern Rail
way company through the Indian Terri
tory and Oklahoma Territory; to aid the
States of California, Oregon, Washing
ton, Montana, Idaho, Nevada. Wyoming,
Colorado and South Dakota to support
schools of mines; for the relief of w. H.
Ward.
The senate has in addition to those
bills of it's own passed fourteen house
bills, the most important of these being
house bill No. 1, for the repeal of the
purchasing clause of the Sherman act.
Ths others relate to- lands in the Sioux
South Dakota, to the United States
courts in Idaho and Wyoming and South
Dakota; to the New York 4 New Jer-
sey bridge; to steam revenue cutters for
the great lakes and for the New England
coast; to the annual work on un%patented
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
Of importance is the n which provides
for the construction of a hall of records
house. Of the house resolutions which
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
licts, and comforting diplomas upon
worlds far artisans through the board
of lady managers. The total of the sem
ate bills and joint resolutions, and of
house bills and joint resolutions, all told,
is only forty-two.
rial to work upon when it in
December. The calendar issued to-day
shows sixty-fve 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
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 for the repeal Of the
federal election laws. A similar bill has
passed the house. Senator voorhees, has
culation. Mr.. Morgan's resolution for a
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 O resolution by
Senator Call dispensing with the civil
service commission.
Results in the louise
The chief bill that failed in the e1trl
session of the house was that providing
for urgent deficiencies. The most inn
portant item in this measure was that
which provided for the janitors, and U .
tcdians Of public buildings; There was
bers, but that can be passed later without
c., using any. hindrance to public busi-
ness like the frst-named appropriation. A
house joint resolution passed the house
providing for a reduction of SO per cent
of the duty on all goods sold at the
worlds fair. 1t was amended so as to
admit duty free such goods as might be
used for the Chicago museum to be es-
tablished in the art building on the
worlds fair grounds, but the SO per cent
reduction for goods was stricken out.
There have been introduced in the house
at this session session 1880 bills and 81
Joint resolutions. OF this entire number
166 have been reported from committees