The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-30
DONE AND UNDONE.
What Congress Has Accomp-
lished Thus Far,
And the Things it Has Not
Accomplished.
EIGHT MONTHS WORK
And What There is to Show
for Tt.


cemetery are filed with vast throngs, and
the graves are strewn with flowers. AS
all business is suspended, this is good
time as any to look over the record and see
what the Fifty third congress has done in
the nearly ght months of its sitting. AS
everybody knows that the special session
was devoted TO the repeal of the Sherman
law of 1890, that may be passed without
further comment
The More Important Work.
First in the regular session, of course,
was the question of supplies, and the first
urgent deficiency bill appropriated 81. 237,-
255. 66 and contained provision authoriz-
ing the commissioner Of labor to prepare
at once an abstract of the main facts col
lected at the last census bearing on the
subjects dealt with by this department
The next appropriated 1888, 95S, including
$50, 600 for the enforcement of the Chinese
exclusion act and $50, 900 to be expended
in protecting the interests of the United
States IN suits affecting the Pacific rail
roads The third bill of this class appro-
priated $500, 600 and included the provi-
sion that no pension granted under exist
ing laws should be withheld or suspended
without 80 days notice to the pensiOner,
and that such notice must contain a spe-
cific statement of any charges against the
pensione-. All these went rapidly through
the senate, of course, and SO did the much
discussed bill repeating all federal election
laws.
The foregoing attracted public attention
at the time of their passage but several
bills of less popular interest have become
laws, and among them these: Bill chang
ing the method of accounting in the treas
ury department; bill to provide an Amer
lean register for the steamer Ell Callao;
bill for the appointment of a commission
to the Antwerp international exposition;
bill appropriating $45, 600 for the recovery
of the armament and fragments of the
United States warship Kearsarge; joint
resolution for comforting diplomas upon
designers, inventors and expert artisans;
various bills providing for stricter meth
DDS of accounting and taking bonds in the
postal department, and numerous private
bills, and bills for the erection of bridges
over navigable rivers.
Bills Yet to Be Acted On.
OF house bills which have not yet passed
the senate the list is quite long, beginning
of course, with the famous Wilson bill,
and the oft discredited prophets are now
prophesyin1 anew that in a few days more
it also will pass the senate by a majority
of four certainly and possibly eight. They
base their prophecy on the statement of
leading Republicans that they will no
longer try to delay it; the action of
Senator German, who generally comes in
with his speech just before a compromise
is made effective, and on the now conceded
fact that the Populist senators will vote
for the bill. The house has also passed
bills for the admission of Utah and Ari-
IONA as states and for the opening to set
Element of certain abandoned military res
ervations. The important New York and
New Jersey bridge bill, amended to meet
the objections assigned in the presidents
veto, also awaits only the action of the
senate to become law. Another bill of
some importance is that to require steam
vessels of l, 900 tons or more to have one
engineer and helper always on watch when
under way and to carry licensed engineers
when under steam for 10 hours. Still
other is that abClishing the offices of COM
missioner of customs and deputy commits
sioner
Matters of Little Importance.
Among the minor bills passed by the
house are these: Bill amending and codify-
ing the laws relative to recognizances,
stipulatiOns bonds and undertakings, and
to allow certain corporations to be accept
ed as surety thereon; bill permitting hotel
leases in the Yellowstone park; bill to pro-
tect the insignia and name of the Red
Cross society; bill authorizing officers of
the navy to administer oaths; bill amend
ing the regulations for preventing COLI
Eions Mt sea; joint resolution authorizing
the wearing of the distinctive badge adopt
ed by the Regular Army and Navy union
upon all occasiCSls of ceremony, and a mis-
cellaneous mass of private bills. OF the
IA annual appropriation bills, the house
has passed IL and in them has put some
tolerably important amendments. One of
these declares that the law of 1856 for de-
Quoting the pay of members when absent
Is no longer in force, and the other cuts
down the appropriations for the civil serv-
ice commission TO a point which is expect
ed to leave it quite harmless affair
In the Indian appropriation bill as in
trOduced the committee has made many
changes, most of them in the direction of
reducing the number of employees and
simplifying the work. 1t has also provid-
ed for relocating all the Indian tribes
and bands which were dissatisfied with
their previous assignment, and it is
claimed that in every case the new 1oca-
ton is satisfactory to the Indians. The
general statement shows a better condition
and more peaceful temper among all the
Indians than for many years In like
manner the statements of the foreign
affairs committee show that, with one or
two small exceptions, our relations with
other countries are very sati~ factory, and
that the world is now more nearly in a
condition Of general peace than it has been
at any time since 1858.
In the foregoing summary no mention
has been made of Hawaii Boring sea or
the Mosquito coast, no member speaks
OF these matters settled and, as to the |
senate, the Nicaragua canal and the Chi |
nese treaty are about they were at the
beginning
AS to action IN the immediate future
one mans guess is good another's.
The District of Columbia is still clamor-
ing for action, and Mr. Richardson of Ten
nessee is pushing his bill authorizing it to
issue bonds to the amount of 81, 500, 900 |
and directing the commissioners to lay it
out In a system of sewer extension and
other needed improvements This bill was
asked for by the commissioners as a sub