The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-06-29
HOUSE AND SENATE
WORK SUMMARIZED
MANY IMPORTANT BILLS HAVE
BEEN ENACTED DURING
SESSION.
Most Noted Legislation Is Along New
Lines, Extending Federal Regula-
ton and Control of Quasi-Puolic
Affairs.

JuAO EO.-lhpOt IdAI
measures extending federal regulation
and control have been enacted at the
first session of the fifty-ninth congress,
now rapidly drawing to close.
The railroad rate and the meat in
spection 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.
Great results to the people are ex-
| pected from the removal Of the tax on
denatured alcohol, and 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 vegetation.
Lock Canal for Panama.
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
canal supplies to be made of American
manufacture.
Congress has not dwelt with the for
eign situation to any extent. An act
making much needed reorganization
of the consular service was passed.
Immense Number of Bills.
A large number of bills were intro
duced in the two houses. The calendar
records that the number has reached
nearly 10000, 500 more than were in
troduced during the entire three ses-
sions Of the last congress.
Before discussing the number of acts
| passed, 1t is interesting to note that
| with ali the strenuous exertions of an
appropriations committee in the house,
| with a new ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| Tawney-it has been impossible to
| hold the appropriations down to much
less than $9OO,OOO,OOO, although ECO
nomy" was the watchword from the
| start.
One of the important features of the
session has been. the careful scrutiny
with which the demands of the differ
ent government departments have been
committee. The result has been the
enactment of restraining legislation on
nearly every appropriation bill which
it is intended will have a beneficial
effect hereafter
A strict accounting is hereafter to be
received from all United States court
clerks. A revelation that one such
amounting to 1886 in one day brought
about this provision.
| Laws for Labor.
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
Another bill which has received the
approval Of the senate and will doubt
less become law before the end of
the session is that limiting the hours
of continuous service of railway train
men to 16 consecutive hours work, to
be followed by 10 hours rest. The
| dSlIdIcu Cl6uI-lOul Ulll ICCClNCu
a favorable vote from the labor COM
mittee of the house, but too late to
secure action at the hands of con-
gress. The anti-injunction bill was
postponed in committee until the next
session of congress.
Naval Enactments.
Enthusiasts for the greater navy
regard the legislation of the session as
inimical to the proper growth of that
arm OF the fighting force. The record
shows that congress authorized the
construction of the biggest battleship
afioat," with the provision that before
the plans are submitted or bids re-
ceived or accepted the plans of the
ship must be submitted to congress at
its next session.
| HazIng at the naval academy was
given further legislative rebuke by
the passage of bill giving the secre-
tary of the navy discretion to dismiss
or otherwise punish hazers at that in
stftution.
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 the civil war.
The wearing of the insignia of the
Grand Army of the Republic or other
soldier organizations by others than
members of the said organizations
was made misdemeanor with appro-
pirate punishment
Shipping Legislation.
Although the ship subsidy measure
did not become law, "a public acts
relative to shipping became laws
These were all minor in character and
inauguIated no new policy.
Liberality towards the Indians, the
wards Of the nation, characterized the
several enactments on that subject.
The important measure relative to
court procedure is that which pre-
scribes the eact procedure which must
be followed by witnesses 70 secure
immunity from prosecution later. This
law prescribes an exact procedure to
be followed in cases where the govern
ment undertakes to gain information
to be used later in criminal procedure
and is intended to give full under
| OF RI hn wif y