Omaha daily bee., 1906-06-25
YEARS LEGISLATIVE WORK
Session Just Closing Has Enacted Much
Important Legislation.
MOST IMPORTANT Or ALL YET TO COME
Rate and Pure Food BiIIs Certain 10
Become Laws Before the End of
Session-Beats Record of all
Sessions for Talk.

session Of the ffty-ninth congress, now
IDLY drawing to a close. The railroad
d the meat inspection bills will soon
b, me laws and before adjournment Of
congress both houses will have passed pure
food bills. which, though dlssimilar In
terms are both based on the same prin-
ciple Of federal control. II is the present
intention to try and adjust these differences
before adjournment.
There has been no marked division on
party lines in effecting the above results,
the differences being only to ways and
means rather than az TO policy.
Besides branching of into this new field
of legislative endesvor the present session
Of congress has made itself important in
other ways. 1t has added one and per-
haps two new states to the union, and
by so doing has disposed Of four terri
tories.
Great results to the people are expected
from the removal of the tax on denatured
alcohol and IL predictions are fulfilled
light power Is to be supplied by alcohol
made from the cornhelds of the country.
from sugar beets and sugar cane, from
fruits and other vegetation.
BY deft turn Of legislative points of
view the questions which have perplexed
congress for some time regarding the
Panama canal have been settled The pres
ident may dig a lock canal as fast as he
pleases. A joint resolution was agreed to
requiring canal supplies to be of American
manufacture.
Congress has not dealt with the foreign
situation to any extent An act making
a much needed reorganization of the con-
sular service was passed. Nothing was
done in the Santo Domingo controversy
and the legislation affecting our colonial
possessions was meager and unimportant,
although tariff revision for the Philippines
received the attention and approval of the
house. and an act was passed revising the
tariff collected by the Philippine govern
ment coinage act for the islands also
was passed.
Avalanche of Words.
But congress talked about our own tariff
law. 1t broke the record for words. Thou
sands and hundreds of thousands more
than have been uttered at any other one
session of congress were compiled in the
Congressional Record. Not only on the
floors of the two houses has the word
record been heavy, but the publications
resulting from committee Investigations
of subjects are larger and more numerous
than at any previous session. large num-
ber OF bills were introduced In the two
houses The calendar records show that
the number has reached nearly 9O,5OO-
more than were introduced during the en-
tire three sessions Of the last congress.
Before discussing the number OF acts
passed it is interesting 10 note that all
the strenuous exertions of an appropria-
! tlons committee in the house with a new
acknowledgements Tawney-it has
been impossible to hold the appropriations
down to much less than $eO00.OO0, although
economy was the wBtchword from the
start
One Of the important features of the ses-
sion has been the careful scrutiny with
which the demands of the different gov
ernment departments have been received by
! the house appropriations committee.
The hearings accorded to government Of
] hcals asking for money to run their de-
psrtments and bureaus have been more ex-
haustive than ever before. The result has
! been the enactment of restraining leglsla-
tion on nearly every appropriation bill
I which It is intended will have a beneficial
effect hereafter.
Strikes at Deficiencies.
I First in this class is undoubtedly that
| requiring the heads OF all departments TO
! apportion the appropris tions they receive
| into equal parts to avoid deficiencies. This
! is to be done under penalty. The only ex-
| cuse will be some unforeseen emergency, and
unless this can be shown the head OF a de-
partment asking for deficiency appropris-
ton bill shall be summarily removed ard
! lays himself liable in the future to fine and
! even imprisonment
Another requirement makes 1t necessary
for each department to submit all OF its
estimates for appropriations in the book Of
J a.
/ of each session.
/ Still another matter of economy is the
taking away from the government clerk
the right to secure transfer to another
! department at a higher salary until he
has served three years in the position he
wishes to abandon. The prompt turning into
! the treasury of all moneys collected by
heads Of departments as government reve-
! nue. 10 another safeguard against extrava-
gance. It was found that during the past
year one department had collected revenue
TO the amount of $4,000 and disbursed II
without authority of lawf
A strict accounting is hereafter TO be re-
! ceived from all United States court clerks
! revelation that one such clerk had re-
| ceived emoluments amounting TO 1896 in one
day brought about this provision
Although there has been an effort 10 prs-
! vent the enlargement of what is known as
the permanent annual appropriations,
this charcter OF expense has increased dur
( ing the session to the extent OF nearly s.
100000, making a total permanent annual
appropriation OF more than $4,000. 600
Measures were introduced on which action
| will be pressed at the next session TO repeal
/ portion Of the permanent annual appro-
priations OF the government.
Labor Bills Enacted.
Organized labor has succeeded in its re-
quests on the present session Of congress 70
the extent OF securing the enactment OF
: what is known as the Employers Liability
I Bill This enactment will make Il posi-
bic for an employe TO secure damages for
his injury, Notwithstanding his own negli.
Eence.
Another demand, which will doubtless be.
come a Law before the end of the session.
is that limiting the hours Of continuous
| service OF railway trainment to sixteen
| consecutive hours work 10 be folnwsd by
I ten hours rest, The much agitated eight
hour day bill received a favorable yot,
I from the labor committee OF the hous.
but too late 10 secure action AZ the hapd,
Of congress. The ant-injunction bill was
postponed IN committee until tzs next ses-
sion OF congress
Enthusiasts for the 'Kreatast ns,.,.,t -