The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-08-06
WORK OF CONGRESS.
Much Accomplished by the Session
Now Drawing to a Close.
Review OF Important Matters Which
Have Received the Presidents
Endorsement.
IN Tho l~octntsd Press

by the second session Of tbs Fifty
third oongrsss up to and includ-
lng Aug. 8, shows that much has
been donO ssids from ths tariff strug-
gle, which has largely diverted public
attention from matters which would have
under other circumstances been considered
Of great importance
In the SUM total Of bills which have
been passed tho record Of the house ID
far ahead Of the senate, because the senate
occupied itssA with the tariff bill fer .
longer time than tho house, the measure
reaching q vote In the latter body few
days after 1t wss reported from the ways
and means committee, under . special
rule limiting debate.
However, the record Of general legisla-
ton which wns passed by both houses and
lrecsived tho presidents signature II .
diversified and interesting ono. One OF
the most important acts Of the session was
the aot rspealing all laws creating federal
supervisors Of elections or defining their
powers.
The act to enable the people of Utah to
form q constitution and state government
and to be admitted into tho Union on an
y equal footing with the original states,
provides the machinery by which the ter-
ritory win Be admitted. probably in Dc
oember, 1895.
An act making the first Monday In Sep
\ tember a legal holiday, tc be called Labor
l. Day, was passed largely at the instance Of
labor organizations, while scientific socts-
ties urged that the act to dehne and estab-
lish the units Of electrical measursmsEt
be made law.
Thres bills were passed 10 eive effect to
the award Of the tribunal OF arbitration at
Paris which adjudicatcd the seal fisheries
disputes; the aots prohibiting seal fishing
from May TO July 81 OF each year, north
OF degree IS N. latitude and east Of de-
gree iS0 Of Longitude, and establishing
conditions under which the fishing can DO
carried on outside Of tho closed season, with
penalties for violations Of the law and
machinery for Its enforcement.
Several measures were enacted In no
cordance with the recommendations Of the
Decksry commission leo called for I'm
proving and amplifyiRg the methods Of
doing the government business. Most Nm
portant were those changing ths method
of suditing accounts In the treasury do
partment, improving the methods Of 90
counting In the postoffloe department and
that regulating the making Of property
The Apprspriatisn Hills.
First entitled to mention arc the appro-
lpriation bills for the expenses Of the gov
ernment, which form an important part Of
the regular work of every session, although
generally ths Last to be finished. General
legislation II usually engraftsd on these
bills, and from this rule those Of the past
session were no exception
The postofiice department bill, the first
10 pass, authorized the postmaster-gene
TO allow postmasters offices and second
GLASS offices to disburse-at thsir discretion
the amount allotted for their Offices, and
admitted to the malls periodical publica-
tions published at least quarterly by be-
nevolent and fraterpal societies and other
organizations as second-class mail matter.
Provisions were included In the pension
bills regulating the fees and methods Of
examining boards
In the diplomatic and consular bills
several salaries were changed, that of the
minister to Belgium being raised from
$75oo to $4,000, and . provision to make
the bureau Of South American republics
partially self-sustainins by the sale Of its
publications was inserted.
In the agricultural bill were provisions
governing tho distribution Of seeds by the
department.
Three of the appropriation bills have not
yet gone to the president--the river and
harbor, general deficiency and sundry civil
General Deficiency Bills.
Four general deficiency bills have been
necessary this session. The first one was
signed Dec, Ell, 1893, and it's principal
items were s1e7, 800 for the pay Of assistant
janitors and oustodians under the treasury
~ a.
members, the regular mileage appropria-
tion for the first session having been used
during the special session.
The second deficiency bill, signed the
same day, included s745, 900 for the treaS-
ury department., $500 900 Of 1t Tor the GUS
toms service, sooo, 900 for the pension serv-
Ice $500 600 for the census and 500 900 for
public printing.
The third deficiency, signed March 1e,
1894 carried 100000 for the treasury de-
partment, half Of 1t for the enforcement Of
the Chinese exclusion act, with sSl6 900 for
treasury printing; s305, 900 for the depart
ment Of justice and $4,000 for improve
ments to the gunboats Castne and Ma
chias.
The fourth bill, approved April 81, oar.
ried about S215,000 for the treasury, most
of it for the bureau Of printing and engrsv-
ing, and for United States courts 81, 49,
600. The fifth bill, approved June 10, Car.
ried s165,oo0 for the public printing Office
and sls5,0O0 for the customs service.
Two resolutions, appropriating go, 900
and SIC, 900 for enforcing the Chinese exolu-
sion act, were approved Dec. z, 1893, and
April 4, 1894
As most Of the appropriation bills had
not passed at the beginning OF the fiscal
year, July 1, II was necessary to extend by
resolution all appropriations for the neces-
sary operations Of the government for
pensions and for the District Of Columbia.
Merchant Marine Interests
Among the laws Of bensft to merchant
marine interests enacted was one 10 pre-
vent collision at sea; prescribing syytsm
Of signals; to facilitate tho entry Of
yeeamships by authorizing the customs
officers to permit the unloading Of q vessel
of n regular established line on receiving
from the master q sworn manifest Of the