The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-29

the Work of the FIfty-Ninth Con,
gresS First Session Shows That It i
Remarkable in Several Respects. Blu
Chiefly for Important Measures Elk.
tending Federal Control. Such a.
; Rate and Meat Inspection Bills.
Washington, June 24.-Importan;
measures extending fedora, regulation
and control have been enacted a. the
first session Of the Fifty-ninth con
gress, now rapidly drawing TO a close
The railroad rate bill and the meat
inspection bill will o become laws
and before adjournment both houses OF
congress will have passed pure food
bills which, though dissimilar in terms
are based on the same principle OF
federal control. II is the presen. in
tention to try to adjust these differ
ences before adjournment There has
been no marked division on party lines
in effecting the above results, the diff
ference being only as to ways and
means rather than as to policy.
Besides branching of into this new
field of legislative endeavor the pres
= N4S 1CA III AoO NS'Al
important i'll other ways. II has add
ed n and perhOps W. new states to
the union, and by so doing disposed Of
-four territories. Great results 10 the
people are expected from the removal
of the tax on denatured alcohol. If
predictions are fulfilled, heat, light aud
power are to be supplied by alcohol
made from the corn fields Of the coun-
-r1v r-~,o ro h41-~ n,I zero n 10
from fruits and other vegetation.
CANAL QUESTION SETTLED.
By a deft turn of legislative points
of view, the questions which lave per-
picked congress for some time regard
ing the Panama canal have been set
tied. The president may dig q lock
canal as fast as he pIeases. A joint
resolution was agreed to requiring ca
nal supplies to be of American manu-
facture.
An act making a m~uch-needed reOr-
ganizatiOn Of the consular service was
passed. Nothing was dom in the San
to Domingo controversy, and the leg
islatiOn affecting our colonial posses
siOns was meagre and unimpOrtant,
although tariff revision for the Phil
lippineS received the attention and ap-
prevail Of the house, and an act was
passed, revising the tariff collected by
the Philippine government A coin
age act for the islands was also passed.
MORE TALK THAN EVER BEFORE.
But congress talked about u own
tariff law. Thousands and hundreds
of thousands more words than nave
been uttered at any other one session
of congress were compiled in the Con
gressiOnal Record. Nearly 10000 bills
were introduced. 1t has been impO5sl-
BILE to hold the appropriations down to
much less than nine hundred million
dollars, although economy was the
watcnword from the start. Permanent
annual appropriations increased dur
ing the session nearly five million dol
lars, making a total permanent annual
appropriation of more than $40. GEO.
900. The meat inspection bill carried
a permanent annual appropriation OF
S3. 900. 900 and the same day the Gus
passed the bill adding s1,080,00O to a
like amount annually for the support
of the state militia.
Important to the southern states was
the enactment of the general quaran-
tine bill, providing for cooperation of
STATE dlu pIublioI 8SAN5 1A "NF
pressing yellow fever.
The private pension legislation OF the
session was heavy and many hundred
acts will be signed before the end
zones
The jamestown. Va, ter-centennlai
is expected to be recognized by Jaw
before the session ends.
LABOR LEGISLATION.
Organized labor succeeded in seCur-
ing the enactment Of the employers
liability bill.
The eight-hour bill got no further
than a favorable committee action and
the anti-injunction bill was postponed
until next session.
Congress authorized the oOnstruc-
ton of the biggest b~attleship atoat'
with the provision that before the
plans of the ship are submitted Or bids
received or accepted, the plans OF the
ship must be submitted to congress at
it's next session.
Hazing in the naval academy was
given a further legislative rebuke by
the passage of a bill giving the secre-
tary of the navy discretion to dismiss
or otherwise punish hazers at that In
stitution.
An ~anti-hazing bill and a bill wind
ing I'D the affairs of the Five Civilized
Tribes were among those passed.
Ten bills relative to the courts OF
the United States were passed. These
related to the establishment Of add
tional courts, procedure, ETC., Including
one to give full understanding in GRIM
inaI cases to the witness and party
seeking information regarding tie
subject of immunity.
FOR CONFEDERATE GRAVES.
A law was passed which will result
in appropriate markings being made
over the graves of confederate veter-
ans of the army and navy who died
in northern prisons during h civil
war. The wearing Of the insignia Oh
the G. A. R. or other soldier organiza-
lions by others than members OF SAID
organization, was made a misdemeancr
with appropriate punishment,
Alaska was given the right 10 e a
delegate TO congress. The ship SUBJ
cidv measure did not become a law.