The herald., 1896-06-08
congressional FORECAST
Continued from First Par.

penses OF negotiating convention to
locate the boundary line between Alas
ka and British America One incident
of the excitement which attended the
crisis Of the Venezuelan boundary dis
pute was the quick adoption of Senator
Hilfs proposition to repeal the law for
bidding ex-confederates who relin-
duished commissions in the United
States army or navy to be again ap-
pointed to the service.
The plans to bring about the Maher-
Fitzsimmons fight In the Indian Terri
tory inspired the rapid enactment of a
law imposing extremely severe penal
ties for prize fighting in the territories,
and the epidemic of train robberies in
the Indian Territory brought about an
ironclad law against crimes Of that
class. or attempts at them, with the
death penalty for any incidental loss Of
life. Another emergency act was that
authorizing the secretary of war to lend
tents to the cyclone sufferers of ST.
Louis.
The dairy interests Of the country pre-
vailed upon congress to enact the most
important measure for their protection
since the oleomargarine law, the ''filled
cheese" bill, which regulates the manu-
facture and sale of adulterated cheese
and imposes heavy penalties for decep-
tions.
Some of the bills prepared by the COM
mtttee were not given hearing in either
house or passed by the one house and
will be on the calendar for consideration
during the short session, If the support
ers are able to secure time for them.
Among the most important Of these
are the Lodge Mccall bill for an educa-
tional test of immigrants, with the Cor
liss amendment to prevent the invasion
of day laborers; the Phillips industrial
commission bill, the Curtiss bill to less
en- the number of crimes for which the
death penalty can be imposed by the
United States courts. the bankruptcy
bill and the Pickler pension bill. all OF
which were passed by the house. The
old anti-option bill was killed by the
house committee on agriculture and will
not appear in this congress.
A large fraction of the sessions busi-
ness related to public lands and import
ant amendments were made to the pub
lie land laws. Foremost among these
was Delegate Flynn's free home bill.
A second important measure was that
which extended for five years from the
I'd of March last the limit within which
the United States may bring suits to
annul grants of public lands heretofore
made under railroad grants, but con-
firmed the titles to all such lands held
by bona fide purchasers.
Acts were also passed permitting tim
ber culture claimants to give evidence
clerks of courts instead of land officers
in making final proof confirming private
cash entries to public lands sold in Ala
bama, Mississippi and in Arkansas be-
tween the date of the approval Of the
joint resolution of May IA, 1888. and it's
PRONUNCIATION May Goth; granting leave
of absence Of one year to homestead set
tiers on the Yankton Indian reservation
of South Dakota; authorizing the New
Orleans Pacific railroad to relinquish
lands with the indemnity limits of it's
grant in favor of settlers who have made
entries and select other public lands in
lieu thereof; to restore the Fort Lewis
military reservation in Colorado to the
public domain; to authorize the state
of South Dakota to select the Fort Sui
ly military reservation for military
school lands; to open to settlement
abandoned portions of the Fort ASSN
aboine Indian reservation; opening to
settlement the lands Of the klamath
bay reservation, Oregon, not included in
the Klamath Indian reservation; open
ing the Pixies Peak, Plum Creek and
south Platte forest reservations
in Colorado to the location Of mining
claims; authorizing the leasing of lands
reserved for school purposes in Arizona;
extending the mineral land laws to the
north half of the Colville Indian reser-
walton; extending to January l, 1897 the
time within which persons entitled to
purchase railroad grant lands forfeited
under act of December IL, 1893, may
make their purchases. providing that
purchases Of arid grant lands forfeited
under act Of December IL, 1898, may
make their purchases, providing that
purchasers Of arid grant lands forfeited
under the act of March 8, 1887, have
paid only portion Of the price to the
company, which is less than the govern
ment price for similar lands. they shall
be required to pay the government a
sum equal to the difference; settling the
titles to land in the Arrendondo grant
in Columbia county, Florida; for the sale
of forty-acre parcels Of lands in the
White Earth, Red Lake and Chippewa
reservations in Minnesota; granting
part of Pixies Peak military reservation
in Colorado to the city of Colorado
Springs; permitting railroad companies
to acquire depot lands in Colorado and
Wyoming; for the disposal Of public
reservations in vacant town sites in Ok
1ahoma to settlers; to grant rights Of
way for reservoirs and canals.
An important law enacted in the ses-
sion was that of the relief of settlers on
the Northern Pacific indemnity lands.
Among the miscellaneous acts passed
during the session were the following:
For the deportation of refugee Cana
dian Cree Indians from Montana; to es-
tablish the government of Greer county
as a county of Oklahoma; forbidding di-
vorces in territories unless the parties
applying have been residents for one
year before the applications; making
unexplained absence for seven years
presumption of the death for pension
claims; fixing penalties for failure to use
automatic brakes on railway trains.
Many rights of way to railway compan-
ieS through the Tinted States ferritorv