Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-08-30
WORK OF CONGRESS-.
a Brief Review of what Was Accomplished
at tho Late Session.

gress excepting the ten days during
which the tariff bill has been in the
presidents hands have been fairly pro-
ductivc of general legislation and there
is short list of bills which have be-
come laws to add to the review of the
sessions work previously published.
All of the appropriation bills have
now become laws. The general
deficiency and sundry civil bills
were both signed late in the ses-
sion and the latter measure embraces
two important pieces of legislation, the
appropriation of $500. 900 for govern
ment exhibit 1T the Cotton States ex-
hibition, 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 1000, 900 acres
each of desert lands for reclamation, a
plan which is intended to advance the
movement for Irrigation in the west
and to partially take the place of the
scheme for irrigating 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, excepting the repeal of the
purchasing clause of the Sherman act,
became law August Ii. It was the
bill introduced by Representative
Cooper, of Indiana, to subject to state
and municipal taxation the national
bank notes and the United States
treasury notes, under the same provis-
ions, by which gold, silver and other
money is taxed. It is left optional
with the states, however, to tax those
heretofore exempted forms of money.
The most important acts emanating
from the committee on judiciary were:
One authorizing the compromise and
settlement of the differences between
the government and the state of
Arkansas and of certain states of
bonds held by the government; an act
for the protection of persons furnish
ing material and labor for the con-
struction of public works by allowing
them to bring suit against contractors
in the name of the government; an act
permitting certain classes of corpora
tions to furnish bonds for government
officials; one fixing the time for hold
ing federal courts in NebraSka; one
changing the lines between the judicial
districts of North Carolina, and an act
amending the funding act of Arizona.
On the recommendation of the ways
and means committee the articles OF
foreign exhibitors at the Iowa inter-
state fair were exempt from the pay
ment of duties, and from the foreign
affairs committee was reported an act
for the disposal of the accretions of the
Virginius indemnity fund, an interest
and premiums of the bonds in which it
was invested to the original benefi-
Charles of the fund.
The contest between the interior de-
partment and the railroads operating
in Oklahoma, which has been a stub
born one, has finally been settled by
the enactment of q law compelling the
roads to maintain depots and stations
at all townsites on the lines estab-
1ished by the department. An act was
passed extending from four to five
years the 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 in other than min
eral lands to secure survey by depos-
iting with the government a sum suffi-
Gent to cover the cost of the survey.
Affidavits in land entry cases made be-
stead of a United States Circuit court
commissioner, as provided by law, were
made valid by special enactment.
Other legislation of Importance re1at-
ing to public lands includes an act to
enable the state of Montana to select,
as part of the lands granted to her
on becoming a state, any of the lands
in the Bitter Root vally, above the
Lolo fork of the Bitter Root river; an
act extending the time of payment to
purchasers of lands of the Omaha tribe
of Indians in Nebraska to December 1,
1897; an act authorizing the secretary
of the interior to lease for periods of
ten years twenty-acre tracts in the
Yellowstone park for hotel purposes; a
grant of the abandoned military reSer-
walton at Oklahoma City to the city for
school purposes, and an act for the
resurvey of Grant and Hooker counties
in Nebraska; for the sale of the old
custom house in Louisville, Ky.;a grant
of public land in Castine, Me-, for use
as a park: one to grant leases for cold
reservoir site on the Springs reserva-
tions in Arkansas, and an act for the
construction of military road from
Ell Paso to Fort Bliss, Tex, and one to
grant a right of way through Indian
territory to the Arkansas, TEXAS Sc
Mexican railway.
The bridge bills have recently been
added to the list, one authorizing the
Purcell Bridge and Transfer Co. to con-
struct a bridge across the South Cana