The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-04-28
A Total of Over 1,4W Bills Be-
came Laws During the
Two Sessions.
LESS THAN i5O WERE PUBLIC BILLS
In the House There We're 15.398 Bills,
$40 Resolutions, 152 Joint and
81 Concurrent Resolutions.
In the Senate There Were SEAS Bills
Introduced--one Senator and Sew
on Representatives Died Dur
ina the Two Sessions.

Washington. April 25.--The impor-
tant legislative accomplishments of
the sessions of the 5Sth congress were
confined to two subjects-Cuba and
Panama.
The senate ratified the treaty nego-
tatcd with Cuba to carry out the
terms of the Platt amendment II al
so satisfied the Chinese commercial
treaty which provides for two open
ports in Manchuria.
Chairman Hemenway, Of the house
committee on appropriations, In
statement compiled under his drec-
tion, gives the total of all supply bills
tsubject to light changes In pending
bills) as $597 .S02.324. to which must
be added $S4.791,s2O for interest on
the public debt. The estimated reve'
nues are $704,472, ,060 BY these fig.
ures the expenses are $22,000,000 less
than the revenues. The estimates of
the various government departments
on which the appropriation bills were
based exceeded the total estimated
revenues by $42,S45,S62.
While total of over / 400 bills be-
less than $50 of them were public"
bills, and of this latter number, one.
half simply authorized the bridging of
rivers. the dammlng Of streams, the
regulation of federal courts, and the
ordinance of the District of Columbia.
II was made crime to "crimp' sea.
men of the United States. by soliciting
them as dodgers or charging fee for
shipping them.
The only general pension legislation
which became a law makes the pen.
sion OF those who lost their sight in
the military or naval service 800 per
month. Agitation for service pen:
sion bill resulted in the introduction OF
many such bills. II was decided, how
ever, that no such action should he
taken at the present session, after
which the general order making age
an evidence Of physical disability to
perform manual labor was issued by
the secretary of the interior and recog-
/nized by congress in a deficiency ap.
preparation of 81, 500 900 to make it eff.
fective.
The house, by independent action.
directed an investigation of the alleg-
cd beef trust" by the department Of
commerce and labor. The attorney
general was given the benefit Of the
unexpended appropriation made last
congress for the prosecution of the
trust, an amount aggregating $475.-
900.
| The extension of the east front of
the capitol building was provided in
the sundry civil appropriation bill AMI
provisions were made for an Office
building for senators to correspond
with the proposed Office building for
members of the house of representa-.
tives. These buildings are to cost In
the neighborhood of $5,000,OO0 each
The creation Of two additional states
in the union was provided for In bill
senate. Oklahoma and Indian terri
tory were united as Oklahoma. Ari-
zona and New Mexico as Arizona,
Legislation directly affecting the labor
| interests of the country received con-
sideration In the committees of the
! two houses but final action was not
| taken. The eight.hour bill was refer
red to the department Of commerce
and labor for investigation and report,
and the anti-injunction bill was post.
poned by the committees until the
next session.
In the senate the confirmation of
Gen. Leonard Wood as major general
was accomplished after much inquiry
and objection.
Senator Hanna and seven members
of the house have died. namely, Rep
resentatives T. Fl. Togne (Ore), Win.
cent Borering (KyD. r. II. Foerderer
(Pa.), Henry Burk (Pa), w. w. Skiles
(O), G.. w. Craft IS. CD and c. W.
Thompson (Ala). r. II. Ball (Tex.) }
resigned. His place is filed by j. NJ.
Pinckney George B. Mcclellan IN.
" resigned and was succeeded by W
Bourke Cochran. Charles Dick CO.,
resigned to succeed Senator Hanna IN
the senate. George Howell (Pa) was
unseated in favor of William Connell
and j. f. Shafroth (Col) resigned in
favor of r. W. Bonynge, who contested
his election.
In the house there were 1898 bills
S49 resolutions, 152 Joint resolutions
and 61 concurrent resolutions intro
duced. OF these 1888 passed the
house In the senate there were 5.64I