Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-07-05
FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS
BREAKS GABFEST RECORD
Also Enacted Some Legislation of More or
Less importance and
Benefit.

ninth congress adjourned Saturday
night at 10 o'clock after passing
the rail road rate regulation and the
pure food bills. The latter provides
for the inspection of cattle killed by
the big packing houses. Both. were
enacsulated, so as to suit the wishes
of the big corporations. The fol-
lowing is a, summary of the work
accomplished:
1t has added one, and perhaps two
states to the union, and by so doing
has disposed of four territories.
Great results to the people are OK
pcctcd from the removal OF the
tax on dcnsturcd alcohol and if
predictions are fulfilled, heat, light
and power are to be supplied by al
cohol, made from the cornfields OF
the country, from sugar beets and
sugar cane, from fruits and other
vegetation. BY deft turn of leg
islativc points of views, the ques-
tions that have perplexod congress
for some time regarding the Pana-
ma canal have been settled. The
president may dig a lock canal as
fast as he pleases. A joint resolu-
tion was agreed to requiring canal
supplies to be made of American
manufacture. Congress has not
dealt with the foreign situation
to any extent. An act making a
much needed reorganization of the
consular service was passed. Moth
ing was done in the Santo Domingo
controversy and the legislation af-
fecting our colonial possessions
was meagre and unimportant,. al
though tariff revision for the Phil
ippines received the attention and
approval of the house and an act
was passed revising the tariff col
1ected by the Philippine govern
ment. A coinage act for the ISL
ands also was passed. But con-
gress talked about our own tariff
law. 1t broke the records for words.
Thousands and hundreds of thous-
ands more than have been uttered at
any other one session were COM
piled in the Congressional Record.
Not only on the floors of the two
houses has. the word record been
heavy, but publications resulting
from committee sessions on the sub
ject are larger and more numerous
than at any previous session. A
large number of bills were intro
duced in the two houses. The
calendar records that the number
has reached nearly twenty thous-
.ands, five hundred more than were
introduced during the entire three
sessions of the last congress.
Before discussing the number of
acts passed, it is interesting to note
that with all the strenuous cxcrtions
of an appropriation committee in
the house with a new chairman
Representative Tawney-it has been
impossible to hold the appropriation
down to much less than 5000, o00,-
900, although economy" was the
watchword from the start.
VIC Vi Tic llllpOl ldlhl lCdtIi Go Vi
the session has been the careful
scrutiny with which the demands
of the different government depart
ments have been received by the
house appropriations committee.
The hearings accorded to govern
ment officials asking for money tc
run their departments and bureau:
have been more exhaustive thar
ever before. The result has beer
the enactment of restraining legis,
1stion on nearly every appropria
ton bill, which it is intended will
have a beneficial effect hereafter
In this class is undoubtedly tina
requiring the heads of all execu
tive departments to apportion the
appropriations they received il
equal parts, to avoid deficiencies
This is to be done under penalty
The only excuse will be some unfor
seen emergency, and unless this cal
be shown the head of a department
asking for a deficiency appropria
ton shall be summarily removed
and lays himself liable in the fu
ture to fine and even Imprisonment
Another matter of economy
the taking away from the clerl
the right to secure transfer to an
other department at higher salar
until he has served three years i
the position he wishes to abandon
The prompt turning into the treas
ury of all moneys collected by head
of departments as government reve
nue., is another safeguard agains
extravaganza. 1t was found thu
during the past year one departmer
had collected revenue to the amour