Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-03-04
WHAT CONGRESS- DID.
APPROPRIATIONS LARGEST
ON RECORD.
The Total Far Over the Billion Dollar
RGark-sOme of the Important Meas
ures That Became Laws-NicaraguS
Rnl Fails.

WASHINGTON, March /. - Speaker
Reed and the other Republican leaders
of the House entered upon the final
session of the Fifty fourth Congress
with the alleged determination that
no legislation which compelled great
expenditures of public money should
be enacted during the session. Not
withstanding this fact the regular ap-
preparation bills for the support of the
government have brought the total
appropriations of this Congress far be-
yOnd the billion mark, breaking the
record of former Congresses. Many of
the appropriations, notably those for
river and harbor improvements and
for public buildings, were necessary
To continue works authorized by other
Congresses. No public buildings have
been started by this session, and no
new battleships or vessels of any de-
seription, although the creation of
new navy" begun several years ago,
has by no means been abandoned.
The last week of the session begins
with several of the appropriation bills
not yet passed by the Senate. Much
of the time of that body has been con-
sumed in the discussion of the Cuban
question, which the House has dealt
with only incidentally. Necessarily,
the policy of the Houss to avoid new
legislation which involved expendi-
Sures has been enforced upon the SEN
ate. The Nicaragua canal bill, which
was discussed at great length by the
Senate, but not voted on, was not
taken up in the House, nor has the
free homes bill, which the Senate
passed, had hearing at the other end
of the capitol. The Pacific railroad
funding bill met decisive defeat in
the House, so the Senate found it use
less to discuss that PROPOSE
ton. One feature of the ses-
sion which is worthy of note is the
great numbers Of private pension bills
passed, many Of them placing the
widows of officers on pension rolls at
ratings ranging from $40 to SIS
month. Private claims and war claims
have been few. Several of the pension
bills were vetoed by President Cleve-
land, but Congress enacted some of
these despite the veto by the necessary
two-tnirds majority. Several impor-
tant bills are in the Presidents hands
awaiting his action, foremost among
them the immigration bill, which es-
tablishes an educational test for inn
migrants, and bars out laborers who
fnt ain IN, -
tries.
One act written upon the statute
books this session is noteworthy as
being the work practically of one
man. That is the act to reduce the
cases in which the penalty of death
may be inflicted, q movement to which
General Curtis of New York has de.
voted the best efforts of his congress-
ional career The abolition of the
death penalty has been a long cher
tshed enthusiasm with General Curtis
Now, after years of agitation of the
subject, he has succeeded in erasing
from the statute books all United
States laws imposing the death pen
atty for other crimes than murder,
criminal assault, treason or piracy,
and endowed juries with the power to
stipulate whether or not capital pun
ishment shall be inflicted for these
crimes
One of the most important pieces of
public land legislation permits the pat
enting of lands containing petroleum
or other mineral oils, under the min
eral land laws. Another extends to
January /, 1890, the time in which
purchases may be made of the railroad
grant lands forfeited to the govern
ment under the act of 1890, and an
other confirms cash entries which have
been declared invalid because the
lands entered were never offered for
sale. Other acts confirm the titles of
settlers in Greer county, Oklahoma;
Mississippi settlers on swamp lands in
the grants of the Mobile & Ohio rail
road and settlers ON some $4,000 acres
in Louisiana.
Right OF way has been granted the
Muslogee, Oklahoma & Western rail
road through the Indian territory and
Oklahoma and the Eastern Nebraska
& Gulf Railway company through the
Omaha and Winnebago Indian rescrv.
ations in Nebraska.