The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-07-29
GENERAL LEGISLATION.
Review of Some of the Ordinary Enact
ments OF the Late Congress

Review of Some of the Ordinary Enact
ments OF the Late Congress
The most important piece of ordinary
legislation enacted by the Fifty-ffth
Congress, lately adjourned, undoubtedly
was the ssact TO establish uniform sys-
tenn of bankruptcy throughout the
United States approved by the Presi-
dent on July T.. This measure as it was
finally enacted avoids on the one hand
the extreme which sees only the creditor,
and on the other the extreme which sees
only the debtor, and aims to be fair to
both classes. Bankruptcy under the
new law is not regarded as mere sponge
to wipe out Indebtedness, as was the case
under Bailey's abortive bill; nor does it
set up an instrument of torture for the
pleasing pastime of extracting blood
from turnip. What it aims to do is to
give an honest debtor chance to begin
life over again after having given up all
his property to his creditors, and also to
compel dishonest debtor to surrender
! LIS RAOPCAAJ WHICH, IL 10 c41OWA LHdL uC 10
seeking to defraud his creditors. The
fees provided in the act are reduced to a
minimum.
A peculiar measure, SO far as our usual
way of doing things is concerned, is the
I act that provides for the appointment of
a 'non-partisan commission to collate
information and consider and recommend
/ legislation to meet the problems pres
ented by labor, agriculture and capital"
This commission is TO consist of nineteen
persons, five Senators TO be appointed by
the Vice President, five Representatives
to be appointed by the Speaker and nine
others appointed by the President by and
with the advice and consent of the
Senate, these nine to be persons who
s'shall fairly represent the different in
dustries and employments. The COM
mission thus constituted is to investigate
questions pertaining to immigration,
labor, agriculture, manufacturing and
business. 1t is to report to Congress,
suggesting legislation, one point being to
arrive at a basis for uniform legislation
by the States which shall be equitable to
the laborer, the employer, the producer
and the consumer.
Among the acts of general legislation
may also be mentioned one to make it
lawful to send through the mails at the
postage rate of one cent apiece, to be
paid by stamp affixed by the sender,
written or printed messages on private
mailing cards to be approximately of the
same form and weight as the ordinary
postal card. This was approved on May
10.
The interstate commerce law was
amended by an act approved on June l
by prescribing the manner and machinery
for the arbitration and settlement of con-
troversies arising between common
carriers and their employees concerning
wages, hours of labor, conditions of
employment, etc.
The statutes relating to patents, trade
and other marks. and trade and COM
mercial names are, under an act approved
June 4, to be revised by three commits
sioners to be appointed by the President.
Another act approved on June 10 pro-
vides for revising and perfecting the
classification of letters patent and printed
publications in the United States Patent
Office. To carry out the purposes of this
act provision is made for the appoint
ment of eighteen additional examiners of
various grades and twenty-six clerks and
other employees.
The postoffice appropriation act APP
proved on June 10, contains provisions of
a general nature as follows: That assis-
tant postmasters and cashiers of first and
second class postoffices may be required
to give bond forth faithful performance
of their duties; that second, third and
fourth class mail matter shall not be
returned to the sender or remailed until
the postage has been fully prepaid, pro-
vided that when such matter is of
obvious value and the sender is known
he shall be notified and an opportunity
afforded him to prepay the entire postage;
creating commission to consist of three
Senators and three Representatives to
investigate and report to Congress on or
before February /, 1899, whether or not
excessive prices are paid to railroad COM
panies for the transportation of the mails
and as compensation for postal car ser
vice, and all sources of revenue, and all
expenditures of the postal service and
rates of postage upon all postal matter,
the report to embrace the evidence and
testimony taken, together with the con-
illusions and recommendations of the
commission.
On June IS the President approved an
act flor the protection of the people of
Indian Territory. and for other purposes.
This act embodies the agreement entered
into by the Dawes Commission in behalf
of the United States and the Greek,
Choctaw and Chickasaw Commissions in
behalf of those tribes. On July l the
President approved another act ratifying
and confirming an agreement entered
into in December, 1897, by the Dawes
Commission on behalf of the United
States and the Seminole Commission in
behalf of that tribe.
There were a great many other acts,
but these are the ones of widest general
interest and Importance, except the war
revenue act. This l have commented on
before in this correspondence, but it is
worth while barking back to it for