The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-07-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.

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With the adjournment Of Congress, a
brief review of what legislation has been
accomplished will be in place, and it will
be found that the record of the present
Congress has seldom, if ever, been ex-
celled in the number and id the import
ance of the bills passed. Thirty-six
thousand bills were offered during the
session twenty-seve thousand by the
House and nine thousand BY the Senate,
to say nothing of hundreds of resolutions
on varietyof subjects. In no previous
session have so many bills been presented.
With reference TO those reform move
ments which have become known as the
bills of the Presidents program, there
are many instances of accomplishment.
Perhaps first in importance is the estab-
lishment of postal savings banks.
Then revision of the railroad laws in
volving the creation of commission
court.
The admission of the states of New
Mexico and Arizona as separate states,
raising the number of sovereign states in
the Union to forty-eight.
A very important bill was that giving
to the President unlimited authority to
withdraw public lands for conservation
purposes. Under this act the President
was granted power to withhold lands
from settlement and TO conserve the
water power, and at the same time the
act provided for the agricultural entry of
coal lands which will open to settlement,
it is said, as much as sixty million acres,
reserving at the same time the coal right
to the government.
The increase of the Navy, while not in
Guiding many ships of the first class, was
significant in the fact that there were APP
preparations for two battleships of 81, 900
tons each. These are to be armed with
14-inch guns, which, it is said will make
them more formidable than any battle
ships on the seas. There were appropria-
tons also for four orpedo-boat destroyers,
two Golfers and four submarines, and an
increase of three thousand seamen was
provided for in the bill.
The publicity campaign bill is consider
ed one of great importance in that candi-
dates must within short time after cleo
tion publish the amount of campaign
contributions.
A bill authorizing an appropriation of
twenty millions in certificates of indebt-
edness to continue reclamation projects
was passed.
Also bill creating Bureau of Mines.
A bill appropriating $25o, 900 for the
support of tariff board was another of
the Presidents bills that had much oppo
sition before it was finally passed.
Bills looking to the suppression Of
traffic in white slaves, providing new
tariff system for the Philippine Islands,
promoting prohibition in the Hawaiin
Islands creating commission to consider
economics in the management of the
national government, were other import
ant enactments.
100000 was appropriated for the
raising and removal of the wrecked
battleship Maine in Havana Harbor,
Cuba.
Among the measures which failed to
pass. although it was well known that the
President favored them, was ship sub
sidy bill, an anti-injunction bill; a bill for
new form of government in Alaska and
also in Panama; also bills to create a
bureau of health; providing increased
rates of postage for second. class mail
matter and to establish the Appalachian
Forest Reserve.
Taken all in all, this has been re.
markably strenuous Congress. and there
| is no doubt but that record has been set
which will be stimulating example to
succeeding Congresses. Apart from the
Informative and progressive legislation
above referred to, Congress has in a con-
spicnous way reformed itself as deliber-
alive and parliamentary body. 1t has
taken power from the Speaker, 1t has re-
formed its system of conducting business,
and its organization for work Is more eff
fective now than 1t was at the beginning
of the session. The Speaker has been
removed from the Committee on Rules
and new rule has been adopted which,
it is thought, will prevent withholding
bills by committees when such bills have
the approval of the majority Of the House
without regard to party.
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