The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-06-29
Present Session Of Congress Also Ac.
compllshed Much in law-Making.
RESULTS OF PRESENT SESSION
Rate Bill Assured-Canal Question De-
cidcd-Pure Food Laws Likely
Strenuous Work Failed to Keep APP.
preparations Dcwn-Nlaeara Falls to
BE Protected.

Washington, June 25.-Important
measures extending federal regulation
and control have been enacted at the
first session of the fifty-ninth congress
now rapidly drawing to a close The
railroad rate and the meat inspection
bills will soon become laws, and before
adjournment of congress both houses
will have passed pure food bills,
which, though dissimilar in terms, are
both based on the same principle OF
federal control. 1t is the present in
tention to try and adjust these differ
cnces before adjournment.
Besides branching off into this new
field OF legislative endeavor, the pres,
ent session of congress has made it.
self important in other ways 1t mas
added one, and perhaps two new
states to the union, and by so doing
has disposed of four territories.
Great results to the people are ex-
on denatured alcohol. If predictions
are fulfilled, heat, light and power are
to be supplied by alcohol made from
the cornfields of the country, from
sugar beets and sugar cane, from,
fruits and other vegetables.
PerpIexing Question.
BY deft turn of legislative points
of view, the questions which have per-
picked congress for some time regard.
ing the Panama canal have been set
tied. The president may dig a lock
canal as fast as he pleases. A joint
resolution was agreed to requiring ca
nal supplies to be of American manu-.
facture.
Congress has not dwelt with the for
eign situation to any extent. An act
making a much-needed reorganization
of the consular service was passed.
Nothing was done in the Santo Do
mingo controversy. An act was pass.
ed revising the tariff collected by the
Philippines government. A coinage
act for the islands was also passed.
Congress broke the record for
words. Thousands and hundreds of
thousand more than have been utter
ed at any other one session of con-
gress were compiled in the congress
sional record. Not only on the floors
of the two houses has the word record
been heavy, but the publicatins result
ing from committee Investigations of
subjects are larger and more mum.
erous than at any previous session. A
large number of bills were introduced
in the two houses. The calendar rec
ords that the number has reached
nearly twenty thousand, i've hundred
more than were introduced during the
entire three sessions of the last con
gress.
Before discussing the nu;nbcr Of
that with all the strenuous exertions OF
an appropriations committee in the
house with a new chairman-Repre
sentative Tawney-it has been impos-
sible to hold the appropriations down
to much less than nine hundred mil.
lion dollars, although economy" was
the watchword from the start.
The resv't was the enactment OF
restraining legislation on nearly every
appropriation bill, which it is intended
will have a beneficial effect hereafter.
No Deficiency Appropriation Go.
First in this class is undoubtedly
that requiring the heads of all exc
cutive departments to apportion the
appropriations they receive into equal
parts to avoid deficiencies. This is to
be done under penalty. The head OF
a department asking for a deficiency
appropriation shall be summarily re-
moved and lays himself liable in the
future to fine and Imprisonment.
Another requirement on the exc
cutive departments intended to bring
the matter of appropriations directly
into the hands of congress is that
contained in the legislative appropria.
ton act, and which makes 1t necos.
sary for each department to submit
all of it's estimates for appropriations
in the book of estimates sent to con.
gross at the beginning of each session.
Although there has been an effort
to prevent the enlargement of what
is known as the permanent annua.
appropriations" this character Of ex.
pense has increased during the ses-
sion to the extent Of nearly five mil
lion dollars, making a total perma-
nent annual appropriation of more
than $140,000,0G0. AS it happened
the increase in this appropriation
came in one day in the house. The
meat inspection bill carried a perma.
nent annual appropriation of $4,000.
600, and the same day the house, pass.
ed the bill adding S1,000,000 to like
annually for the support Of
the state militia.
Organized labor has succeeded in its
requests of the present session of con.
gress to the extent of securing the
enactment of what is known as the
employers liability bill" This enact.
ment will make it possible for an en-
ploye to secure damages for HIS injur-
les, notwithstanding his own ncgli-
sence may have been in part RESPONSE
bic for that injury.