The Dickinson press., 1894-08-11
PASSED BY CONGRESS.
NEW LEGISLATION DURING THE
PRESENT SESSION.
A Number Of Bills of Great Im-
pOrtance Have Become Laws-One
of the Most Important In the Bill
Repeating Federal Election Laws.

A Number of Bills of Great Im-
of the Most Important La the Bill
Repeating Federal Election Laws.
Washington, Aug Ca review Of the
legislation which has been accomplished
by the first session Of the Fifty-thiri
congress up to aud including Aug. 8
shows that much has Lecn done aside
fr.m the cnsiOSsing tariff struggle,
which has largely diverted public atten-
tiOn from, matters Which would under
other circumstances been considered
of great inportalcc.
One Of the nIuSt important acts Of
the session, Which passed both houses
by a strictly party vote, bcin- IN full
tillmcDt of II plan. Of the Democratic
platform, was the let rcpratirg all laws
cre.,t:ny federal supervisors of elections
or defining their poWers.
The act to enable the people Of Utah
to form u constitution and state gov
ernmcnt aud to be admitted into the
Union, provides the machinery by which
the Territory will bc admitted prOba.
bly, il .'eccmbcr, 1895, by adopting u
pr.:iding u republican
fOrE; Of government and insuring
against Tie supremacy OF eny church,
the government ceiling 1t much public
land for educational and charitable in-
stitutions.
An act making the first Monday in
September u legal holiday, to be called
Lal,,. day, was passed lMrgcly at the
instance Of labor organizations, while
scientific societies urged the act to dc
fine and establish the units of electrical
measurement be made law.
Three bills were passed to give ef-
feet to the award OF the tribunal Of
arbitration ,.t Paris which adjudicat ID
the seal fisheries disputes; that acts
prohibiting seal fishing from May l
to July 81 OF each year iiorih uf degree
35 north latitude and east Of degree
$50 longitude, and establishing :andi-
tiOIts under which .llc fishing Gun be
carried on outside of the closed selsOn
with penalties for violations Of the
law, and machinery for its enforce
ment.
Several measures were enacted In ac-
cOrdance with the recommendations OF
the Duckery commission Iso-calletl) for
improving and a:npl!fying the methods
0f doing the government business Most
important were tl,ose char siDs the
method Of auditing accounts IN the
treasury department., improving the
methods of accounting In the posto ce
department and changing the money
order system an that regulating the
making Of property returns by the
officials of tic govern lncnt. First ell
titled to mention are the appropriation
bills for the expense of the government,
which form an important part Of the
regular work Of every session, although
generally the last to be finished, gen-
eral legislation is usually engraftcd
upon these bills, and from this rule
those OF the past session were no eX-
cept:cn. The postotltcc department bill
authorized the postmaster general to
ALLOW postmasters of the first and Sec
ond class offices to disbulse ut their
discretion the amout allotted for their
offices, and admitted to the mails Pc
riodical publications published ut least
quarterly by benevolent and fraternal
societies and other organizations AZ
;econd-class matter. Provisions were
included in the pension bills regulating
the fees Rid methods OF examining
boards. The naval bill empowered the
presid,rt to fill vancancies In the grade
of ensign or assistant engineer by &C.
lccting from the graduation class Of
the naval academy where the vacancies
exceed the number of cadets In the line
division or engineer division. Also that
n v,ncancy in the naval school from a
district which the secretary of the
navy is called upon to fill must be
filled ly the appointment "f resi-
Il; ;,.t,f nf
stpnding
In the diplomatic and consular 'dll
sevcra! salaries were chang'd; that OF
the minister to Belgium being raj 'ed
from $1,000 to $4,000, aud q provisl IN
to make the bureau vt South Atlericaa
republics partially self sustaining by
tho sale of its publications was IN
serted. No important legislation was
contained in the bill f''r the naval
academy. The fortlfication bill con-
tanned nothing Of interest t" the sencr-
al public anl the legislation was
equally mintcrcsting. In the asricul'
tEral lnll were provisions governing Tie
distribution of seeds by the depart
ment. Three Of the appropriation bills
have rot yet gone to the president
tin: river and harl'or, general dciicitn my
and sundry civil. Incidental to the
sundry civil is a provision granting
l.NNOOO acres of the surveyed arid
public lands to each of the states to
which the desert land law is applicable
Nebraska, Kansas, and the Territories
of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma
and Utah, to be selected within ten
years. One of the dcciency bills con-
tanned legislation relating to the slls-
pension Of pensioners from the rolls,
q question which has excited endless
discussion during this administration.
I. vas forbidden to suspend them with
out thirty days notice and notification
of the charges against them. -Four
general deficiency bills have been nec-
essary this session.
ME first o!e was signed Dec. ~,
:o!l.;, a:.d its principal items were $l27,-
$50 for the pay of assistant ,anitors
npd custOtli;,ns under the treasury It,
partmcnt and $2CO,OOO for mileage for
members, t.,a regular mileage appro-
D.;ation for the first session having
been used during the special session.
The second deficiency bill, signed the
same day. Il cluled $745.O0O for the
treasury department; $3GO,OOO Of 1t for
the customs service. 100000 for the
rension service, $500. 600 for the cen.
sus and 100000 for public printing.
The thir:l deficiency. signed March IL.
1894, carried $lOOOpo fro the treasury
department. half of it for the enforce
n,ent CT the Chinese exclusion act,
with $4,000 for the treasury print.
''rs, $3O5.OCO for the department Of
Justice and $4,000 for Improvements
to the grnboats Castine and Machtas.
The fourth. approved April q. carried
about S215OOO for the treasury, most
of it for the bureau Of printing and On
e. g.aying. aud the United States courts
81. t30. 900. Tho fifth bill, approved
June 10, carried S1G5.O0O for the public
printing Office and $lS5,OOO for the Gus
toms service. -.-
Two resolutions appropriating $4,000
end $4,000 for enforcing the Chinese
exclusion net were approved Dec. 2.
1893, and April 1904. AS most Of
tie appropriation bills had not passed
to the beginning Of the year, July l,
u was nncesssarv to extend nv resolution
oil appropriations for tile necessary
operations Of the government for pea
siOns ard for the nistricI Of Columbia.
They were twice extended Tor thirty