The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-27

The Employment of Women and
Children.
Washington, D. c., Aug. 26-The last
month of the present session of Con-
gress excepting the ten days during
which the tariff bill has been in the
presidents hands has been fairly pro-
ductive of general legislation, and there
is a short list of bills which have be-
come laws to add to the review of the
sessions work previously published
through the Associated Press.
All of the appropriation bills have
now become laws. The general de-
ficiency and the sundry civil bills were
both signed late in the session, and the
latter measure embraces two important
pieces of legislation-the appropriation
of 100000 for 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 terri
tories, of one million acres each of
desert lands for reclamation, a plan
which is intended to advance the move
ment for irrigation in the west, and to
partially take the place of the scheme
for irrigating by the general govern
ment, which has been fostered by the
western members.
The only financial measure which has
been enacted by the F'ifty-third Con-
greSs except the repeal of the purchas-
ing clause of the Sherman act, became
law on the 18th instant. 1t was the
bill introduced by Representative
Cooper, of Indiana, to subject to state
and municipal taxation the national
bank notes and United States treasury
notes, under the same provision that
all gold, silver and all other money is
taxed. 1t is left optional with the
states, however, to tax those hereto
fore exempted forms of money.
| Enlistment in the Army.
Among the acts of the session relat-
| ing to the military, no one was more
! important than the plan fathered by
Representative Curtis, of New York,
which recently became law, regulat-
| ing enlistments in the regular army
upon new principles, the most import
ant of which are that recruits In time
of peace must be citizens of the United
States. or have declared their intention
] to become citizens; must be able TO
read. write and speak the Englsh IAN
suage. and be under So years of age.
To promote the efficiency of the naval
militia. a comparatively new branch OF
the volunteer service, Congress author
| lied the temporary loan to any state
making application for it. of any vessel
| of the navy Wnlcn was uoI ntteu III
regular service.
An act was passed, constituting the
law relating to the retirement anu
paw of mates in the navy so that the
! twenty-eight warrant ofhcers, now
serving as mates, shall be eliglple 70
the retired list and shall be salarleu at
81 200 when at sea, ana $iVV While oh
leave or waiting orders.
Two important laws relating to the
life saving service was enacted, one
providing that the stations ON the AT
Iiantic and Gulf coasts shall be manned
from the 1st of August to the ISL Oh
June. or those on the lakes from the
iopening until the close of Navigation
the other extending the Dement'S VI ti ero
marine hospitals to the crews OF THESE
stations. On suggestions of the secre-
Itarv of the treasury, the quarantine
laws were amended to exempt VeSsels
plying between nearby ports OF the
United States. Canada and Mexico. The
act on March 3. 1885, relating TO llghts
on, fishing vessels, was continued IN
force by such enactment tnat II sno9do
not be repealed by the recent regula-
tions to prevent collisions at, sea,
which. in some respects, would have
loverruled it.
| A revenue cutter was provided for
service in the harbor of San francisco,
a fog signal was established at keWa-
lnee. Wis. and range lights as well as
llightships with fog signal in Boston
lharbor.
The city of Oakland. Cal, was made
a SUPPORT of entry, and an American
register was provided for the steamers
Is. Oteri. Goldsworthy, and Oceanic,
and thes chooner barge Astoria The
law relating to barretry on the hlgh
lseas was so amended as to make i'm.
prisonment for life or for term of
Years the punishment III certain
leases.
The most important acts emanating
from the committee on judiciary work
were:
An act for the protection of persons
furnishing materials and labor Tor the
construction of public works by allow
ling them to bring suit against the
lcontractors in the name of the govern
lment: an act permitting certain Gas
SEES of corporations to furnish bonds
lfor government officials; one fixing the
time for holding federal courts IN Ne
Ibras ska. and an act amending the tund-
ling act of Arizona.
On Recommendation OF the ways anu
Means committee the articles OF for
eign exhibitors at the Iowa interstate
fair were exempted from the payment
of duties.
settlers on Desert Lands.
An act was passed extending from
fo,Ir. to five years the limit of time
within which final proof may be made
nv settlers who have declared their in
tention of taking up desert lands.
Another law in the interest of western
settlers was one enabling those who
desire to locate in other than mineral
lands to secure a survey by depositlng
with the government a sum sufficient 10
cover the cost of the survey.
| Affidavits in land entry cases MADE
lhefore United States Commissioners
Instead of a United States circuit court
commissioner, as provided by law, were
made valid by special enactment.
Other legislation Of importance re-
Hating to public lands includes an act
To enable the state of Montana to Sc
llect. as part of the land granted to her
ON becoming state, any of the lands
lin the Bitter Root valley, above the
I,olo fork of the Bitter Root .iver; an
lact extending the time of payment to
purchasers of lands of the Omaha tribe
of Indians, in Nebraska, to December l,
1887: an act authorizing the secretary OF
1.-THE interior to lease for periods of ten
wears. twenty-acre tracts in the Yellow
Il r0,- fo5 nd