St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-04
SPLIT LITTLE WOOD
Fifty-Third Congress Chiefly
Remarkable for What 1t
Didn't Do.
IT PASSED MONEY BILLS,
But Any Jim Crow Congress
Could Have Done
That.
NO FINANCIAL LEGISLATION
For Relief Of the Currency
Resume OF the SEES
sion.
70 FINANCIAL LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, March "a re-
view of the work of the last session
OF the F'ifty-third congress must
necessarily deal more with what was
attempted to be done than that
which was accomplished, since most
of the important business considered
has been of the first class. The
term has been particularly marked
by the inability of the senate and
the house to agree upon any of the
most important problems presented
to them. Congress met on the 18th
of December last with one impera-
tive and perennial task, to frame
and enact the various appropriation
bills. Next in Importance was the
financial question, for which no def
mite plan of settlement beyond many
free silver bills and various individ-
ual schemes was then in view. Sew
eral important bills came over as a
heritage. from the preceding session.
Foremost among them were, in the
house, the Nicaragua canal bill, the
railroad pooling bill and the bill for
the settlement of the indebtedness of
the Union Pacific railroads, known
as the Reilly bill. The Nicaraguan
canal project has not been able to
secure a hearing in the house
Largely through the enthusiastic eff
forts of Senator Morgan, of Ala
bama, the senate bill was pushed to
vote in that body
AFTER PROTRACTED DEBATE,
and was sent to the house. where the
conference committee substituted its
own bill. which had been on the calen-
dar throughout the session. and which
differed in several points from the Nor
gan bill. The pooling bill was passed
by the house early in the session, but
the senate refused to consider it by
negative vote of AZ to "a on the question
of consideration. Strong opposition on
the Reilly bill was developed in the
house, and, after a very sharp debate,
1t was recommitted to the committee
without instructions. Several imDor-
tant bills were placed on the calendar
OF the senate at the beginning of the
term, handed down from the long SEES
SION, when they had been passed by
the house. Prominent among them was
the bill to establish uniform system
OF bankruptcy, which was debated in
termittently, but finally side-tracked
Another unsuccessful measure was the
anti-optton bill There were also on
the senate calendar the four bills
which the house had sent over. 20
place on the free list sugar. coal iron
and barbed wire, but the attempt 10
secure consideration of the free sugar
Dill was negatived by a small majority,
and the opposition to the three others
was so apparent that they have been
allowed TO pass into oblivion The
most interesting chapter of the history
OF the session is made by the attempts
at financial legislation in both houses.
These are too well known to require
recapitula ton.
NO FINANCIAL LEGISLATION
has yet resulted from the host of bills
introduced during the session. with
more or less weight of authority be-
hind them. The principal class of leg
islation accomplished by the short
session was that making appropria-
lions for the support of the govern
ment. Not little general legislation
was Incorporated into the appropria-
ton bills. These bills, in the order in
which they were passed by the house.
We're for the military academy West
Point, army, pension, Notifications,
diplomatic and consular, District of
Columbia, postal, agricultural, Indian,
sundry civil, legislative, executive and
judicial, naval and general deficiency.
When the last week of congress began,
the house had passed all except the
general deficiency, and the senate had
the last four yet to consider. The
pension bill, as enacted contained
provisions that pensions shall not be
paid TO nOn-reSidents who are not citi-
zens of the United States, except for
actual disabilities incurred in the SER
vice, directing examining surgeons to
state the ratings to which they think
the applicants are entitled, and fixing
the lowest rate of pension at six dol
lars a month. The diplomatic and
consular bill increased the salaries of
several foreign representatives, and
the senate placed in it an amendment
authorizing the president to contract
for
LAYING A CABLE
between the Hawaiian islands and the
United States, and TO use $500, 900 in the
work, an amendment which the house
refused TO accept. The agricultural
bill empowered the secretary of agri-
culture to enforce rules for the in
spection of live cattle whose meat is
intended for shipment abroad in any
form, and regulations to prevent the
ShiDmanT nf pnndaTnnn6
abroad or from one state to another,
and fixed heavy penalties for violation
of such regulations. Considerable
legislation was included in the sundry
civil bill, and much more was attempt
ed in the senate by proposed amend
ments. The completion of several
public buildings was provided for in
the bill as it passed the house, and
sums were added in the senate for
new buildings. Another senate amend
ment provided for the purchase for
$4,000 of the site of the Blaine man
sion.
Provision was also included for the
transfer of the military prison at Fort
Leavenworth, Kan, to the department
of justice, to be known as the United
States penitentiary and maintained for
keeping United States prisoners who
have heretofore been held in state
prisons under contracts. The naval
bill was notable because of the new
navy" provision for two battle ships
and six torpedo boats and the increase
of the enlisted force by the addition of
1000 men. The general deficiency bill
reported to the house amounted to
$6,5l9, 5S9. An amendment requested by
the secretary Of state IN now fS,a
CLAIMS OF GREAT BRITAIN
for 1926, 900 damages for seizures of seal