The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-08-27
THE WORK OF CONGRESS-
Some of the Measures Passed
Within a Month.
NEEDED MILITARY LEGISLATION.
Recruits for the Army Must be American
Citizens and Able to Read, Write and
Speak the English Language-Importan

Investigations by the Labor Committee.
WASHINGTON, Aug 2T.-The last month
of the present session of congress except
ing the ten days during which the tariff
bill has been in the presidents hands
have been fairly productive of general
legislation.
All of the appropriation bills have now
become laws. The general deficiency and
the sundry civil bills were both signed
late in the session, and the latter measure
embraces two important pieces of legisla-
ton, the appropriation of 5000, 900 for a
government exhibit at the Cotton States
exposition to be held at Atlanta and the
cession to each of the arid land states and
the states which may be formed from the
territories Of 100000 acres each of desert
lands for reclamation, plan which is in
tended to advance the movement for irri-
CATION in the west and to partially take
the place Of the scheme for irrigation by
the general government, which has been
fostered by the western members
The only financial measure which has
been enacted by the Fifty-third congress,
except the repeal of the purchasing clause
of the Sherman act, became a law on the
18th. 1t was the bill introduced by Rep
resentatiye Cooper, of Indiana, to subject
to state and municipal taxation national
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notes under the same provisions by which
gold, silver and other money is taxed. 1t
Is left optional with the states, however,
to tax those heretofore exempted forms of
money.
Among the acts of the session relating
10 the military none were more important
than the plan fathered by Representative
Curtis, of New York, which recently be-
came a law, regulating enlistmentsi In the
regular army upon new principles, most
important of which are that recruits in
time of peace must be citizens of the
United States, or have declared their in
tention to become citizens, must be able
to read, write and speak the English Ian
guage and be under 80 years of age To
promote the efficiency of the naval mil
itia, a comparatively new branch of the
volunteer service, congress authorized the
temporary loan to any state making APP
plication for it, of any vessel OF the navy
which was not fitted for regular service.
Two important laws relating to the life
saving service were enacted, one provid-
Ing that the stations on the Atlantic and
gulf coasts shall be manned from the lst
of August to the 1st of the June follow
ing, and those on the lakes from the open
ing to the close Of navigation. The law
relating to the barratry on the high seas
was SO amended as to make imrrison.
ment for life or for term of years the
punishment In certain cases.
The contest between the interior depart.
ment and the railroads operating in Okla
homa, which has been stubborn one, was
finally settled by the enactment of law
compelling the roads to maintain depots
and stations at all town sites on the lines
established by the department. An act
was passed extending from four to five
years tho limit Of time within which final
proof may be made by settlers who have
declared their intention of taking up
desert lands. Another law in the interest
of western settlers was one enabling those
who desire to locate on other than min
eral lands to secure u survey by deposit
ing with the government a sum sufficient
to cover the cost Of the survey.
Two most important Investigations de-
sired by the house committee on labor
have been authorized One Is for an in
vestigation into the effects of machinery
on labor, with reference to its productive
power and effects upon wages, hours of
work and employment of women and chill
dren and the conditions under which they
work. Both inquiries will be conducted
by the commissioner Of labor.