The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-03-01
WORK OF CONGRESS-.
What Has Been Done at the Pres
ent SESSION.
THE HEAVY APPROPRIATION BILLS.
Efforts Made BY Leaders to Prevent
Increase OF Expenditures.
THE HEAVY APPROPRIATION BILLS.
BILLS IN PRESIDENTS HANDS
some Very Important Measures. In
GLIDING the Immigration mi,
Await Executive Action.

Washington February 2S.-Speaker Reed
and the other republican leaders OF the
house entered upon the final session Of the
Fifty fourth congress with the avowed de-
termination that no legislation which com
PEELED great expenditures of public money
should be enacted during the session. feel
ing compelled to adopt this policy because
Of the condition of the treasury, and they
have generally adhered to It. although the
regular appropriation bills for the support
of the government have brought the total
appropriation of this congress far beyond
the billion mark, breaking the record of
former congresses No public buildings
have been started by this session, and no
now battleships, although the creation Of
n new navy begun several years ago has
by 10 means been abandoned. The
intention has been to confine the work as
far as possible to appropriation bills aud
they have been successful In living up to
their policy, These bills, moreover, have
been numbered with fewer new projects aud
less general legislation than usual.
Washington, February 2S.--The last week
Of the session begins. with appropriation
bills not yet passed by the senate. Much
time Of that body has been consumed IN the
discussion of the Cuban question, which
the house has dealt with only incidentally.
Necessarily the policy of the house to avoid
new legislation which involved expendl
lures has beea forced upon the senate, rha
Nicaraguan canal bill. which was discussel
at great length In the senate. but not voted
on, was not taken up in the house, nor has
the free home bill, which the senate passed,
had hearing at the Other end Of the cap
itol The Pacific railroad funding bill met
a decisive defeat in the house. so the senate
found II useless to discuss that proposition.
one feature OF the sessions record worthy
OF note Is the great number of private pen
sion bills passed. many of them placing the
widows OF Officers on the pension rolls AT
ratings ranging from $50 to So month
Private claims and war claims, on the other
hand, have been few. Several Of the pea
sion bills were yEload by President Clevc-
land, but congress- enacted some or these
despite the veto by the necessary two
thirds majority.
Several importan, bills are in the presl-
dents hands awaiting his action, oicmost
among them the immigration bill, which
establishes an educational test for immi-
grants and bars out laborers who maintain
their homes in other countries. The anti
scalpng bill may he submitted TO the eN
ecutive for his action within two or three
days and since Senator Chdndier has given
notice that be will move that the senate &C
cent the house appointments to the bill au-
thorizlng the president to call an inter-
national monetary conference, 1t is likely
that President Cleveland will be given an
opportunity to sign his name TO that. The
bill for the re organization of the Atlantic
and Pacific Railroad company is also on
| the presidents desk
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 penalty of death
rlav be inflicted. movement to which Gen
eral Curtis of New York has devoted the
best efforts of his congressional career. The
abolition Of the death penalty has been a
\ long cherished enthusiasm with General
| Curtis. and now after yeara Of agitation OF
the subject. he has succeeded 10 Arasing
| from the statute books all United States
laws imposing the death penalty for other
crimes than murder, rape. treason or piracy
and endowed iuries with the power to slip
ulate whether or not capital punishment
shall be inflicted for these crimes.
| \ law fixing heavy penalties for public
performances of copyrighted dramatic or
musical compositions and empowering all
United States circuit courts to enforce the
orders OF any such court regarding these
performances has been passed. The inter
state commerce laws have been extended
TO prevent traffic in obscene literature or
articles designed for immoral uses.
The shipping laws have been amended to
enable American OF foreign clubs 10 enter
clear from the customs houses without ton
mage taxes; also to require naptha or
electric boats of more than fifteen tons
burden to he subjected TO all requirements
| for inspections and for pilots and engineers.
\ new law compels the name and draft
of every registered vessel to be marked on
the stern and bow, New regulations have
| been made for the compensation OF inspect
ors OF steam vessels for their travelling
expenses. All persons who make signal eN-
| ertions In rescuing wrecked snip or n
drowning person ere, under n law of this
section. eligible for the live saving medals
which formerly were given only to the life
saving crew men.
The friends OF the Tennessee centennial
| exposition of 1897 have succeeded in secur-
ling an appropriation OF $4,000 for gov
ernment building and exhibit. while the
| Nebrasila delegation is working to secure q
ike recognition for the Omaha exposition.
one OF the most important pieces of pub
| lie land legislation permits the patentlng OF
lands containing petroleum or other miner
nj oils under the mineral land law Another
extends to January i,isa9 the time in which
pur bases may be made Of the railroad grant
lands forfeited to the government under the
act OF 1890 and another confirms cash en-
tries which have been declared invalid be-
cause the lands entered were never offered
Tor sale. other acts confirm the titles OF
4 settlers IN Greer county Okla. Mississippi
settlers on swamp lands in the grants of
the Mobile and Ohio railroad and settlers
ON some SO 900 acres In Louisiana.
Among the acts of the session relating 10
the courts were these Fixing the fees
n the circuit court OF appears; wi,hura"'ns
tron, the supreme court jurisdiction OF
criminal cases not capital and giving 1t
to The circuit court of appeals; directing
he 6liug of mortgages on Indian Territory
property In the judicial district In when
The property is located when the morteaser