The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-03-14
= ORK OF CONGRESS.

II N(iNtN NLl WI WI l. N) ~.
4, review of the work of this last
= f' on of the fifty third congress
"a =" On adjourned at noon March 4,
y sI'.sa. necessarily deal more with
Y 't was attempted to be done than
u which was accomplished, since
E most of the important business con-
iaered has been regulated to the
L iirst class. The term has been par
icularly marked by the inability of
ne senate and the house TO agree
upon any Of the most important
problems presented by them. Con-
gross met on the 4th OF December
lastf with one perennial and impera- :
esk r frame and enact the va
Fious appropfiation billsy next IN i'm !
portance was the financial question,
for which no definite plan Of settle :
ment beyond many free silver bills
and various individual schemes that
were then in view. Several import
ant bills came over as heritage
from the proceeding session. Fore.
most among them were in the house,
the Nicaragua canal bill, the railroad
pooling bill and the bill for the set
tlement of the indebtedness of the
Union Pacific railroads, known as the
Reilly bill.
The Nicaragua canal project has
not been able to secure hearing in
the house. Largely through the en-
thusiastic efforts of Senator Morgan,
of Alabama, the senate bill wa
pushed to vote in that body after
protracted debate, and was sent to
the house, where the conference
committee substituted it's own bill,
which had been on the calendar
through out the session and which
differed in several points from the
Morgan bill. The pooling bill was
passed by the house early in the ses-
sion, but the senate refused to con-
slider it by negative vote of AZ to
"a on the question of consideration.
Strong opposition to the bill was
manifested in the house and after
very sharp debate it was recommitted
to the committee without instruc-
lions.
Several important bills were
placed on the calendar of the senate
at the beginning of the term, handed
down from the long session when
they had been passed by the house.
Among them was bill to establish
a uniform system of bankruptcy
which was debated internationally,
but finally sidetracked. Another
unsuccessful measure was the anti
option bill There were also on the
senate calendar the four bills which
the house had sent over to place on
the free list, sugar, coal, iron and
barbed wire, but the attempt in
secure consideration of the free
sugar bill was negatived by small
majority, and the opposition to the
three others was 30 apparent that
they have been allowed to pass into
oblivion.
The most in! eresting chapter in the
history of the session is made by the
attempt at financial legislation in
both houses, These are too well
known to require recapitulation.
No financial legislation has yet
resulted from the host of bills intro
duced during the session, with more
or less weight of authority behind
them.
The principal class of legislation
accomplished by the short session
was that of making appropriations
for the support of the government.
Not little general legislation was
incorporated into the appropriation
bills. These bills, in the order in
which they were passed by the
house were: For the military acad-
emy West PoinD, army, pension,
fortifications, diplomatic and consul
Lon niot nj tpf r4lrn,h;o
agricultural, Indian, sundry civil,
legislative, executive and judicial,
navy and general deficiency. When
the last week of congress began the
house had passed all except the gem
eral deficiency and the senate had
the last four yet to consider.
The pension bill, as enacted, con-
tanned provisions that pensions shall
not be paid to non residents who are
not citizens of the United States,
except for actual disabilities incurred
in the service, directing examining
surgeons to state the ratings to
which they think the applicants are
entitled, and fixing the lowest rate
Of pension at SO a month. The dip
lomatic and consular bill increased
the salaries of several foreign repre-
sentatives 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 agriculture to enforce
rules for the inspection of live cattle,
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