The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-08-27
THEWORE OF CONGRESS-
Some Of the Measures Passed
Within a Month,
NEEDED MILITARY LEGISLATION

Recruits for the Army Must be American
Citizens and AbIo 90 Read, write and
Speak the English Language--ImportAni
Investigations by the Labor Committee.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 97-The last month
of the present session Of congress except
ing the ton 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 msasure
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 T. 600 900 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 law on the
18th. 1t was the bill intsoduced by Rep
resentative Cooper, of Indiana, to subject
to state and municipal tsxRtion national
bank notes and United States treasury
notes under the same provisions by which
gold, silver and other money is taxed. II
IL loft ppffAnu1 1xry{k1 he aNa
TO tax those heretofore exempted forms Of
money.
Among the acts Of the session relating
to the military none were mors important
than the plan fathered by Representative
Curtis, Of New York, which recently be.
came law, regulating enlistments in the
regular army upon new principles, most
important of which are that recruits IL
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. Tc
promote the efficiency of the naval mil.
itia, comparatively new branch Of the
volunteer service, congress authorized the
temporary loan to any state making ap.
plicatiou for it, of any vessel of the navy
which was not fitted for regular service.
Two important laws relating to che life
saving service were enacted, one provid
ing that the stations on the Atlantic aud
gulf coasts shall be manned from the Isl
of August to the LIST of the June follow
ing, and those n he lakes from the open
ing to she close of navigation. The law
relating to the barratry on the high seas
was so amended as to make imprison
ment for life or for term of years tho
punishment in certain cases.
The contest between the interior depart
ment and the railroads operating in Okla.
homa, which has been a stubborn one, was
finally settled by the enactment of a 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 fv,
years the limit of time within which fna
proof may be made by settlers who hav,
declared their intention of taking NJ
desert lands. Another law in the interes
of western settlers was one enabling thos,
who desire TO locate on other than min
eral lands to secure a survey by deposit
ing with the government a sum su6icieu
to cover the cost of tine survey.
Two most important Investigations de-
sired by the house committee on labo
have been authorized One is for an in
vestigation into the effects Of machiner,
on labor, with reference to its productiv
power and effects upon wages, hours o
work and employment of women and chill
dren and the conditions under which the,
work. Both inquiries will be conductet
by the commissioner of labor