Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-07-12

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approximately equaled, all records made
by any other peace session in the his
tory of the country in bills introduced
and passed, both public and private, in
the amount of appropriations voted and
in the length of debates. 1t has passed
more corrective legislation than any
other session in recent years and has
paid closer attention to business.
In the making of speeches and draft
ing Of bills the Congress fairly outdid
itself. The Congressional Record,
pulled and swollen far beyond its usual
proportions, will embrace a small-sized
library in telling of the work of the
session, while the files of the document
rooms were damned and overf1owing
with more bills, resolutions and reports
thar any single session has ever had
and more than have been accumulated
in many an entire Congress.
The flood of bills was greatest in the
House, although the Senate was not far
behind in proposing laws. The bills
filed in the House during the seven
months of the session numbered almost
$1,000. In the Fifty eighth Congress,
consisting of three sessions, there We're
only 1920 bills introduced in the
House. The Senators presented $500
bills from December to July, as against
1925 for the three sessions of the Fiji
ty-eighth Congress.
The two Houses did not take up all
the time filing bills and talking about
them. They passed 1000 laws, 800 of
which were public in character and
destined to WELD a tremendous infiu-
ence on the nation. The balance were
private bills" mostly pension grants
The Fifty-eighth Congress was content
with the enactment of 5,4GG laws. a rec
ord which is outdone by the private
acts" of a single session of the Fifty
ninth Congress. In view of this accom-
plishment the people who believe the
country suffers from too many laws will
have just grounds to complain.
Sets Record for Speeches.
But it was in the field of oratory that
both Houses won fame. With the first
weeks of the session the talkfest began
and it continued to the end, a veritable
Niagara of words. 1t is estimated that
during the seven months of the session
more than 100000 words We're spok-
en- and reported in the two houses of
Congress, a record that will probably
never be equaled by any legislative
body On earth.
The Congressional Record for the
session numbers more than 10000
pages.
The most popular speeches of the
session, judged by outside demand
were the rate speeches of Senators
Bailey and Knox and Senator Till
mans attack on the President in con-
nection with the Mrs. Minor Norris
incident
Money Bills Nearly S9OO,OO0.0OO
Lavish appropriations have been
made. In the total appropriated, all
previous records have been broken.
The exact amount is not yet known,
but it will approximate $S15,000,OO0,
and may nearly reach the S900.000,000
point. The appropriations of the clos
ing session of the Fifty -eighth Con-
gress, for the fiscal year, 1906, amount
ed to $500, 1874 ,634, the high record up
to that time.
One of the largest items of increase
is in the postOffice bill. Last year the
postal appropriation was $1S1 ,022, 093
This year it is S19S,000,OOO, an in
crease of S17,000,000. An increase of
over 100000 had been made in the
meat inspection appropriation and
s., 100000 went to San Francisco. EX-
traordnary appropriations of about
S11 100000 were made for the Panama
Canal. An enormous increase was
made in the sundry civil bill, which
carried for the fiscal year 1906 little
less than SCI, 100000, but which went
through the Senate this session with
UOJdI OF over S1UZ.UDD,DtO. vi tlIS
more than $25,O0O000 was for the Pa
mama Canal for the coming fiscal year.
Permanent appropriations carried at
the close of last session amounted to
less than $147,O00000. This total is
now much larger and is growing with
every session. 1t will probably ap-
proximate $1600O0,G00.
Chairman Tawney of the appropria-
tons committee and most of the House
chairmen having charge of big appro-
priation bills have worked hard to
keep them down, but have had an al
most impossible task. Congress has
been crowded for money from every
quarter. The Panama canal has re-
quired liberal treatment, San Francis
co had to be relieved, the meat inspec-
ton appropriation had to be largely
increased, postal business has been ex-
panding so as to require much larger
sums.