The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-16
MANY NEW BtLLS
but TO GET BEFORE THE HOUSE
EACH HAS TO BE APPROVED
BY REED.
POWERFUL POCKET VETO.
EVEN A TW0-THIRDS VOTE CAN
NOT PREVAIL AGAINST
MEASURES TO BE ACTED UPON.
Proposal for Monument for Lafay-
ctte-Change for Capitol
MEASURES TO BE ACTED UPON.
Proposal for Monument for Lafay-
ctte-Change for Capitol
Streets.

dIc pdSSeQ. ~ PCA1idpo II Is We'll ltldI
the legislative process is slow and the
consent of so many persons and bodies
necessary in order to make mark on
the statute books. To become law,
any measure no matter how meritori-
Gus, needs very vigorous pushing. 1t
must be approved by Speaker Reed,
unless, perchance, 1t Is something Of
such predominating Importance that he
prefers to let the house pass upon it,
The annexation project will furnish
such a case. But with the approval
Of the speaker a measure must still
have a majority of the house at its
various readings, a majority OF the SEN
ate, and must be approved by the pres
ident or else two-thirds of both houses
must afterwards express their approx
al over his disapproval. During the
last ten days of the session, when 40
per cent of the bills and resolutions
are passed, the presidents veto is abso-
lutte. Even two-thirds of both houses
cannot break into pocket veto More
over, most important measures pass
so late in the session that In case of a
straight presidential veto 1t is usually
possible for the minority to talk the
thing down. Mr.. Cleveland returned
the immigration bill last spring, and
the house promptly passed 1t over his
veto, but the senate needed to take no
action upon it. Ten good opponents
would have been enough to dispose of
the measure for the rest Of the con-
gress, but in that case there were
doubtless more. For all practical pur-
poses, then, it may be put down as
fact that the ordinary laws enacted by
the Fifty-fifth congress will be those
approved heartily by both Mr.. McKin-
ley and Mr.. Reed, and by majority
In each house. And besides that an
enormous amount of human steam
power must be behind each one. That
is why so many harmless things, which
are generally regarded as good so far
as they go, never get beyond the stage
Of proposals.
Some interesting bills of the minor
Importance group have already been
introduced. Mr.. Dalzell, of Pennsyl-
vania, has renewed his petition that
the '1ettered streets" of Washington be
given more dignified names, with the
alphabetical order still preserved This
is the list Of names he proposes for
the national capital: Adams, Bancroft,
Clay, Decatur 8. Emerson, Franklin,
Grant, Hamilton, Irving, Kane, Lin
coin, Marshall, Newcomb, Oglethorpe,
Perry Quincy, Randolph, Stanton.
Taylor, Union, Van Buren, and Web
ster. j is omitted because there IS no
] street here. The similarity toI, it is
thought, would be confusing.
Mr. Dockery, of Missouri, has intro
duced a bill to change the name of the
library of congress to the national
library. This is more important than
it's mere recital suggests. The present
theory of the institution is that it is
an adjunct of congress, for the con-
venience and comfort of the members,
much as are the barber shops, etc. But
public taxation pays the bills; the
copyright regulation supplies the
American books, and many people have
come to regard the institution as too
great and far too important in its mag
nificent new quarters to be an informa-
ton bureau for congress, and of but
incidental service to the great student
public throughout the country. The
change of name would imply this
change of scope Speaking of today,
Mr. Dockery said: "There is no reason
why the congressional library should
not be made of use to all the people.
I am in favor of changing the name
and then allowing every body to take
out the books under proper restrictions
The use of the 100000 volumes Is now
restricted to q very small number Of
people. feel sure that system could
be devised which would insure the
safety and proper care of the books.
Mr. Cannon, the chairman of the ap-
preparations committee, heartily favors
this plan and we have the cordial CO.
operation Of Librarian Young
LAFAYETTE MONUMENT.
Mr.. Butler, of Pennsylvania, wants
congress to erect a monument on the
battlefield Of Brandywine to Gen. Lafa-
yette and the veterans who are buried
on the field. The people of Birming-
ham, Chester county, where the battle
field lies, will give the land. They
want the government to give $4,000
Meritorious as the project appears, Mr.
Butler will doubtless be invited to
"ecme again
Mr. briggs. the new member from
Brooklyn who was elected as Demo-
crat to take the place Of Francis H.
Wilson, resigned, desires to have a
monument for Fort Green, Brooklyn
and his joint resolution recites that
Twenty thousand patriot soldiers and
sailors of the Colonial army in the War
OF the Revolution persisted upon the
prison ship in New York harbor, as
many as 1000 have died upon single
hulk; and that their remains were bur
led IN trenches on the Long Island
shore, where the tide soon swept the
bones of hundreds into the sea. Their
heroic martyrdom running through
weary months and years, with liberty
constantly offered as the price of dis
honor on the one hand, and death as
+ba onJv reward IF fidelity to country
on the other is without a parallel in
the worlds history No stone marks
their resting place, and no inscription
commentaries their virtues, their suf-
ferings, or their death, throughout the
whole land for which they died. A
movement has been inaugurated by the
Daughters Of the Revolution and the
Daughters Of the American Revolution
to erect q monument in Fort Green
above the ashes of those heroic dead,
which monument may fifty transmit to
the ages to come the virtues of men so
long unhonored." Mr. briggs asks for
$4,000 for this monument.
In this line, Mr.. Dalzell has introduce
ed a resolution granting permission for
the erection of monument in Wash
ington in honor of Samuel Hahnemann.
and also appropriating $4,000 for the
building of a foundation upon which to
place the monument, which will be
presented ito the people of the United
States by the Americana Institute of
Homeopathy, kindred associations, and
citizens"
Mr. Catchlngs, of Mississippi, wants
to establish a national military park to
commemorate the campaign. seige, and
defense Of Vicksburg, and to preserve
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