The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-08-09
PASSED BY CONGRESS.
NEW LEGISLATION DURING THE
PRESENT SESSION.
= Number Of bills of Great Im-
pOrtance Have Become Laws-One
OF the Most Important Is the Bill
Repeating Federal Election Laws.

Z Number OF bills of Great Inn
pOrtance Have Become Laws-One
OF the Most Important Is the Bill
Repeating Federal Election Laws
Washington, Aug. Ga review OF the
legislation which has been accomplished
by the first session of the Flfty-third
congress mp to aud including Aug. 3
shows that much has been done aside
frOm the enGrosSing tariff struggle,
which has largely diverted public atten-
ton from matters which would under
other circumstances been considered
OF great Importance.
One OF the most important acts OF
the session, Which passed both houses
by a strictly party vote, bcin" in full
fillmcDt OF Il plank of the Democratic
platform, was the let repeating all laws
creating federal supervisors Of elections
or defining their powers. !.
The act to enable the people OF Utah
to form constitution and state gov
ernment aud to be admitted into The
Union, provides the machinery by which
the territory will be admitted proba-
bly, in December, 1895, by adopting a
constitution providing republican
form of government and insuring
against the supremacy or Gny church,
the government ceding 1T much public
land for educational and charitable in
StitutionS.
An act making the first Monday in
September a legal holiday, to be called
Labor day, was passed largely at the
instance of labor organizations, while
scientific societies urged the act 20 de-
fine and establish the units OF electrical
measurement be made law.
Three bills were passed to give Ell
feet to the award of the tribunal OF
arbitration at Paris which adjudicatad
the seal fisheries disputes; that acts
prohibiting seal fishing from May
to July 81 of each year north of degree
35 north latitude and east of degree
1S0 longitude, and establishing condl-
tious under which .he fishing can be
carried on outside of the closed season
with penalties for violations or the
law. and machinery for it's enforce
ment.
Several measures were enacted in nc
cordance with the recommendations OF
the Dockery commission lso.calleO for
improying and amplifying the methods
of doing the government business Most
important were tltpse chal giDS tia,
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 the govern ment. First en-
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 engrafted
upon these bills, and from this rule
those of the past session were no eX-
ception. The postoffice department bill
authorized the postmaster general to
allow Dostmasters of the first and sec
ond class offices to disburse at their
discretion the amout allotted for their
offices. and admitted to the mails Pc
riodical publications published at least
quarterly by benevolent and fraterna4
societies and other organizations as
second class matter. Provisions We're
included in the pension bills regulating
the fees cid methods Of examining
boards. The naval bill empowered the
president to fill vancancies in the grade
of ensign or assistant engineer. by Sc
lecting 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 yancancy in the naval school from
district which the secretary Of the
navy is called upon to fill must De
filed by tie appointment of resi-
dent Gf that district ef two years
standing. ,,
In the diplomatic and consular till
several salaries were changed; that or
the minister to Belgium being raj 'ed
from $1,000 to $4,000, and provi IN
to make the bureau nf South American
rur,uhlics partially self sustaining by
the sale of it's publications was in
serted No important legislation was
contained in the bill for the naval
academy. The fertilization bill con-
tanned nothing of interest to- the gener-
al public and the legislation was
equally uninteresting. In the agricul-
tEral hill were provisions governing The
distribution of seeds by the depart
ment. Three OF the appropriation bills
have rot yet gone to the president
tilt; river and harl'or, general deficiency
and sundry civil. Incidental to The
sundry civil is provision granting
100000 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 deciency bills con-
| tanned legislation relating to the suS-
pension of pensioners from the rolls,
O question which has excited endless
discussion during this administration.
Iiv as forbidden to suspend them with
out thirty. days notice and notification
of the charges against them. -Four
general deficiency bills have been nee
| essaIy this session.
The first ore was signed Dec. 21,
| 1893, and its principal items " ere $127,
| 500 for the pay of assistant ianitors
and custodians under the treasury lc-
partmeIt and $2OO,000 for mileage for
members, tllp regular mileage appro-
Driation for the first session having
been used during the special session.
| The second deficiency bill, signed the
same day. i cluded $T45,000 for the
| n easury department; 100000 Of it for
the customs service. $200O0 for the
Iension service, 100000 for the CEN
s,us ard 100000 for public printing.
The tkirl deficiency, signed March IL,
1894. carried 100000 fro the treasury
department, half of it for the enforce
nent CT the Chinese exclusion act,
with $4,000 for the treasury print
ing, s3Oi,OeO for the department OF
| Justice and $4,000 for improvements
| to the gt.nboats Castine and Machias.
The fourth. approved April II, carried
| about $215,00O for the treasury, most
of it for the bureau Of printing and IN
| craving, and the United States courts
| 81, 10000. The fifth bill, apnrnVad
| June 10, Carried $165, 900 for the public
printing Office and $1S5, 900 for the Gus.
| toms servica.
Two resolutions appropriating $50, ,OO0
and $4,000 for enforcing the Chinese
exclusion act were approved Dec. z.
| 1893, and April 4 1894. As most of
the appropriation bills had not passed
| to the beginning Of the year, July 1,
| 1t was necessary to extend by resolution
OIL appropriations for the necessary
operations of the government for pei
1 gioy,S. aYSH for. tho Ili0trIor ,,P flnlun,I1;o