Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-08-30
PASSED BY CONGRESS.
ADDITIONAL LIST OF BILLS THAT
HAVE BECOME LAWS.
All the Appropriation Bills Are Now
Laws-Cessi0n OF Land to Arid
Land Statcs-Laws of ~nterc to
Western Settlers.

Washington. Aug. 27.-The last month
Of the present session of congress, ex-
cept the ten days during which h
tariff bill has been in the presidents
hands, has been fairly productive OF
general legislation, and there Is a short
list of bills which have become laws to
add to the review of the sessions work
previously published through the As
ISOLATED Press. All of the %appropria-
ton bills have become laws. The gen
rral deficiency and the sundry civil bills
were both signed late in the session,
and the latter measure embraces w
important pieces of legislation, he APP
preparation of 100000 for a govern
men exhibit at the cotton states ex-
position, 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 100000 acres
each of desert lands for reclamation;
a plan which is intended To advance the
movement for Irrigation in the West
and to practically 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, except the repeal OF the silver
purchasing clause of the Sherman act.
became a law on the 15ch. 1t. was the
bill introduced by Representative Coop
er Of Indiana subject to state and
municipal taxation. The national bank
notes and United States treasury notes
under the same provisions by which
gold, silver and other money is taxed.
1t is left optional with the states, how
ever, TO tax those heretofore exempted
forms Of money. Among the acts OF
the session relating to the military none
was more important thar the plan
fathered by Representative Curtis OF
New York, which recently became a
law, regulating enlistments in the regu-
lar army upon new principles, most inn
portant OF which are that recruits in
time Of peace must be citizens Of the
United States or have declared their
intentions to become citizens; must be
able to read, write and speak the Eng
lish language and be under thirty years
of age.
An act was passed extending from
louI W uNe ycaIs lit ilihlt VI Nv iliic
within which final proof may be made
by settlers who have declared their in
tention of taking up desert lands. An
other law in the interest OF Western
settlers was one enabling those who
desire to locate on other than mineral
lands TO secure q survey by depositing
with the government a sum sufficient
to cover the costs of the survey. Az
idavits in land entry cases may be
made before a United States commits
sioner instead Of a United States circuit
court commissioner, as provided by
law, were made valid by a special en-
actment. Other legislation of import
ance relating to public lands includes
an act to enable the State of Montana
to select as a part of the lands granted
TO her on becoming a state any OF the
lands in the Bitter Root valley above
the 10 10 fork of the Bitter Root river.
Two most important Investigations
desired by the house committee on Ia
Dor have been authorized. One is for
an Investigation into the effects of ma
chinery on labor, with reference to the
productive power and effects upon
wages, hours of work and employment
of ONE and children; the second for
an investigation of the extent of en-
ployment Of women and children and
the conditions under which they work.
Both inquiries will be conducted by the
commissioner of labor.