Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-03-06
WORK OF CONGRESS-.
a Resume of the Legislation of
Both Houses.
Appropriations VIII Amount to More
Than $1,000, 100000 - No Mems
ures for Public BuiIdings-
Over 10000 Hills offered.

noon on Thursday, will be held remarlt-
able, principally for what it has failed
to accomplish. In one respect--in the
number of bills and resolutions intro
dufed-it was II record-breaker. In the
house alone over lO,400 bills and 3,l0O
resolutions were introduced and re-
ferred to various committees. Only a
fraction of these passed the house and
fewer still became laws.
The principal business of the con-
gress, aside from the passage of the APP
preparation bills, was limited TO the
first session, the net results of which
were the enactment into law of the bills
creating the commission TO determine
the true divisional line between Ven
ezuela and British Guiana; prohibiting
prize fighting in the territories; per-
mitting appointments in the army and
navy of former United States officers
who served in the rebellion; making
one year's residence in territory neces-
sary for divorce; Incorporating tho
National Society of the Daughters of
the Revolution; defining the penalty
Tor interference with railway trains
and persons riding thereon and SUBJ
stituting salaries for fees to United
States marshals and district attorneys.
Aside from the foregoing measures,
the remaining bills (excepting the i'm
migration bill and the joint resolution
for an international monetary confer
ence, passed at the second session) were
of no general interest. Included in
these were 700 private pension bills
Il
In another respect the Fifty-fourth
congress was remarkable. This was
its failure to pass II single bill providing
for public buildings. The house cal
endar contained 100 bills of this class,
including the senate bill for n custom
house i'll New York city. Speaker Reed,
however, in his determination to reduce
the expenditures to the lowest limit
consistent with the necessities of the
government, set his face sternly against
all legislation of this character.
Notwithstanding this circumstances
the present congress is the third in
American history in which the appro-
priations have exceeded $1,000, 900. 900.
If, 1T is claimed, these appropriate
be deducted from the sum total tie
aggregate for the past two years would
be little in excess of 81 ,0OO, ,OOO. 900.
A number of important measures
which we're reported to the house last
session and were expected 10 receive
favorable considerations during the pres
ent session were eiCher defeated or were
left on the calendar. The bill 10 settle thu,
Indebtedness of the bond-aidcu railways
Il ffsa NNrl,i,,l,
from the last session, suffered n crush.
ing defeat i'll january last. The sub
stitute measure prepared by Mr.. Harri-
son, OF Alabama, 10 ADJUST these claims
through the medium of cabinet com
mission was not permitted by the COM
mittee on rules 90 come before the
house, thus leaving it an open question
between the supporters and the oppo-
nents of the measure what its fate would
have been.
No effort was made at the present ses-
sion to call up the bills admitting
Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma 10
statehood. Tie Sound money" men in
the house We're practical unit against
the admission of any territories which
are likely to send advocates of free sill
YER to the senate. Among the bills
which passed the house but have not
been acted upon in the senate are the
Morse bill TO prevent the selling of
liquor in the capitol; the Brosus bill
permitting the establishment of ma
tjonal banks with a capital of $50, ,00o in
towns of 1000 inhabitants, and the
Loud bill to reclassify second-class mail
matter.
The ways and means committee gave
a series of hearings during the early
weeks of the session, and remainder of
the time was occupied by the republican
members in formulating n new tariff
bill. This will follow the general lines
of the Mckinley law of 1890 and will be
reported to the house at the beginning
of the extra session of the next con-
gress.
Much of the time of the senate has
been consumed in the discussion of
questions relating to our foreign rela.
tions, and while no positive action of
any kind has been taken, many columns
of the Congressional Record have been
filled with speeches on these topics
Cuban resolutions have been introduced
and pressed for action by the score,
hut, beyond precipitating debate, moth
ing las been accomplished. A tre..t
with Japan has heen ratified, putting
into immediate operation the clause OF
the treaty of commerce and navigation
negotiated two years ago. The gen.
eral treaty of arbitration with Great
Britain, after being fruitlessly cousid-
cred for two weeks, went over until the
next session. The Alaskan boundary
treaty with Great Britain has not even
been considered in committee The
Nicaraguan canal bill, which was de-
bated for several weeks, was on the
point of final passage with n comfort
able majority in front of 1t when the
protest of the minister representing the
Greater Central American Republic
was received.
A BAD FIRE.