The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1894-08-24

il
- second s ,ssion OF the
' i: !: !: ! ]:
(hIi 4-d Congress, one OF the
S[%3 mo remarkable
zSL77& periods OF legisla-
EMELl IN tion ever witnessed
E1f/!i.lsM since the founda-
|tte tgs4A I on of the United
YSi5Tf1SIiSs3sS States Government.
lIIlnhnnlHM A little reflection
will show those dis
kN6Bf[yE posed to challenge
MHyWW DEI%this statement on
@7C3 the ground that 1t
vt @-mmnrm- is too general, how
SSmMWe true the assertion
o@-lETffg1tis For the first
91DffflIJ. .1lr j lrtime since March 1,
LNNKP VII u '6l, when Abraham
Lincoln succeeded Democratic resi-
dent, the executive and legislative
branches OF the Government were in
the possession of the I emocratic party,
pledged to change the prevailing
method OF raising revenue. Addsd TO
this the country was CONFRONTED Dy
an appalling prospect OF financial dis
aster to its business interests and the
people looked to Congress oglve them
relief from the prevailing distress.
Remarkable as were the radical
changes proposed they were made even
more so by the character of the Fl esi-
dent whose record of four years IN the
White House from 1885 to 1859 showed
conc 'usively that party pressure did
not succeed in making him change a
policy he had outlined. With this
knowledge of Mr.. Cleveland, 1t was no
wonder the people OF the country
looked for S meth ng out of the COM
mon during the sessions OF the Fifty
third Congress and it is safe to say
that they were not disappointed. The
term extraordinary session" applied
in a formal and technical sense to the
special convention of Congre for the
purpose of repeating the purchasing
clause of the Sherman Silver Act,
might we'll app V to the entire period
from Aug. 7, 1888 to the date OF the
approaching adjournment.
Only One Longer Session.
The second session of the Fiftythird
Congress, including the first, or extra
ordinary session, lasted over $50 days,
record exceeded only by the first
Congress, which held a ession of 43l
days and the Twenty-seventh c ngress,
which transacted business for 37o days.
Compared with other long sessions of
Congress, the session Just ended
has not been prolific in the
enactment of important measures.
a though il has accomplish d
much that would ordinarily have at
tracted greater attention had not the
tariff been the a absorbing ql eston.
One of the NEST important acts of
the session. passed by strictly party
vote, was the act REL ealing all laws
creating federal supervisors of cleo
lions or defining their powers.
Appropriation bills, which are of
first importance, were no exception in
that upon them has been engrafted
general legislation. The pos toffice
department bill, the first to pass, au-
thOrized the Postmaster General to
allow postmasters of the fir. and sec
ond class to disburse at their discre-
ton the amount allowed their Offices
and admitted to mails publications OF
benevolent and fraternal societies as
second class. The pension bill regu-
lated fees and methods of examining
boards, the naval bill empowe ed the
Pre- ,ident to fill ce, tain vacanc es and
prescribed the methods of appoint
ment to naval schools by the Secretary
OF the Navy.
Several measures were enacted in ac-
,rdance with recommendations of the
Dockery comm ssion so-called for i'm
proving and simplifying the methods OF
doing government business. Most i'm
portant were those changing the
method of auditing accounts in the
Treasury department, improving the
IN ,thods of accounting in the Postoffice
department and changing the money
order system, and that regulating the
making OF property returns by otcers
oil the government
Appropriations.
The diplomatic and consular bills
changed several alaries. Nothing i'm
portant was attached to the fortifica-
tions bill. The agricultural bill provid-
ed for distribution Of seeds. The river
and harbor general deficiency and sun
dry civil bills have not gone to the
President. One def cheney bill contained
legislation relating to suspension of
pensioners without thirty days notice
against them. Five deficiency bills
have been niece sary during the ses-
sion. The first was for S127.0 )0 for
treasury janitors and custodian, and
100000 for mileage for members.
The second, signed the same day,
included $745,0 for the treas
ury, 100000 for customs service,
pIOOiOOO lOr penSiOH SerNlce, 00OO, =
900 for the census, and $780,
O00 for public printing. The third
carried total of $4,000, the fourth
81, 45l ,000 and the fifth bill 1910 coo
for various departments. Two resolu-
tions appropriated $4,000 and $4,000
for enforcing the Chinese exclusion
act, approved Dec. I. 1893, and APP il 4,
1894. AS most of the appropriation
bills had not passed at the beginning
of the fiscal year, July 1, it was neces-
sary to extend by resolution all appro-
priation for the necessary operations
of the Government, for pensions, and
for the District of Columbia They we're
twice extended for thi ty days and
once for fifteen. Two special appro-
priation bills for salaries of employees
were necessary, and one for the ex-
penses of Investigation ordered by the
Senate.
Miscellaneous Enactments.
Provisions for the admission of Utah
and the making OF the first Monday in
September Labo Day a national holt
day-largely at the instance OF labor
societies-became laws, and at the ur-
gent request of scientific societies an