The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-01

Washington. Feb. 2S.-The ffty-fourth
congress. which will expire at noon on
Thursday. will be held remarkable.
principally for what it has failed to ac-
complish.
In one respect-in the number of bills
and resolutions introduced-it was a
record breaker. In the house alone. over
10 400 bills and :. 100 resolutions were intro
duced and referred to various commits
Tees only fraction of these passed the
house and fewer still became laws.
PRINCIPAL BUSINESS.
The principal business of the congress.
aside from the passage OF the appropria-
ton bills. was limited to the first session
the net results of which We're the enact
meht INTO law or the bills creating the
commission 10 determine the true divi-
slonal line between Venezuela and British
Gulana prohibiting prize lighting in the
tssrritorles' permitting appointments in
t..e army and navy of former United
States officers who served III the rebel
army in the rebellion; making one
years residence in a territory nee
cooperating the national society of the
Daughters of the Revolution: defining the
penalty for interference with railway
trains and persons riding thereon and
substituting salaries for fees TO United
states marshals and district attorneys.
Aside from the foregoing measures the
remaining bills excepting the immigra-
ton bill and the joint resolution for an
international monetary conference, passed
AT the second session., were of no general
interest Included in these were zoo pri1a
Vate pension bills-an unprecedented
number.
WAS REMARKABLE.
In another respect the fifty-fourth con-
gress was remarkable. This was its fail
ure TO pass single bill providing for
public buildings. The house calendar
contained 100 bills of this class including
the senate bill for a custom house in
New York City.
Speaker Reed however. in his deterni-
nation TO reduce the expenditures to the
lowest limit consistent with the necessi-
ties of the government. set his face
sternly against all legislation of this
character Notwithstanding this cir
cumStances, the present congress is the
third in American history in which the
appropriations have exceeded a billion ,
dollars. If. it is claimed, these appropriate
tons be deducted from the sum total
the aggregate for the past two years
-ould be little in excess of one billion
dollars.
A number of important measures which
were reported to the house last session
and were expected to receive favorable
We're either defeated. or We're left on the
calendar
The bill to settle the Indebtedness of
the bond-aided railways to the govern
session suffered a crushing defeat in
January last The substitute measure
prepared by Mr.. Harrison, of Alabama,
to adjust these claims through the
medium of a cabinet commission was not
permitted by the committee on rules to
come before the house. the house leaving
it an open question before the supporters
and opponents of the measure what its
fate would have been. In the preceding
session upwards of so bills bearing upon
the. Cuban Instruction were introduced
but one passed the house Dur
ing the present session the Cuban reSo-
buttons introduced have been few in num-
be-.
TERRITORIES SNUBBED-
No effort was made at the present ses-
SION TO call up the bills admitting Ari-
IONA. New Mexico and Oklahoma to state
hood. The sound money men in the
house were unit against the admission
of any territories which were likely to
send advocates of free silver TO the SEN
ate.
Among the bills which passed the house
but have not been acted upon in the SEN
ate are the Morse bill to prevent the
selling of liquor in the capitol; the
Brosius bill. permitting the establishment
of national banks with capital of $40
1O0 in towns of 1000 inha bftants and the
Loud bill TO reclassify second class mfl
matter.
The ways and means committee gaze
series of hearings during the early
weeks of the session. and the remainder
Of the time was occupied by the Re
publican members in formulating a new
Tariff bill. This will follow the general
ines of the Mckinley law of 1890. and Will
De reported to the house at the beginning
If the extra session of the congress All
# the contested election cases. 81 in num-
Der. have been disposed of.
OUR FOREIGN RELATIONS.
Much of the time of the senate has
been consumed in the discussion of ques-
ions relating to our foreign relations
Ind while no positive action of any kind
las been taken many columns of the con-
yressional record have been filled with
speeches on these topics
Cuban resolutions have been introduced
md pressed for action by the score. ogr
1eyond precipitating debate nothing has
been accomplished
A treaty with Japan has been ratined,
putting into immediate operation the
clause of the treaty of commerce ana
navigation negotiated two years ago.
The general treaty of arbitration with
Great Britain after being fruitlessly con-
idered for two weeks went over until the
lext session. The Alaska boundary
reaty with Great Britain has not even
,een considered in committee
The Nicaraguan canal Dill. WHICH was
debated for several weeks. was on the
,oint of final passage with comfortable
in front of it when the protest
f the minister representing the Greater
central American republics was received
The house will do nothing for the next
hree days except to act on conference
epOrts.