| Show OCR washington LETTER correspondence of tho 1 present sessio not congress which has been in session a little over two months more than bills have been introduced in the bouse of representatives sot one fortieth of them have passed and before final the number of bills presented and referred will probably have reached twice that number the life of a congressional bill is rather interesting to give yon some idea of the red tape that a bill must encounter it is only necessary to say that a full grown bill printed six times and must pass through the hands of at least twenty five persons before it can bo numbered with tho laws of tho land there seems to a growing disposition on the part of congress to regulate or rather to restrict the publication of certain matter in the press such as lotteries and gift enterprises thirteen bills of this character were introduced in the last congress and eight or nine have been brought forward in the present the house committee has reported adversely the bill to license railroad conductors and this is probably the last that will be heard of that measure the house judiciary committee has ordered a favorable report on the senate bill to refund the direct taxes collected during the late civil war with an amendment providing that money so collected shall bo restored to the rightful owner there is latue doubt of the passage of this act the ways and means committee has reported a bill authorizing the secretary of the treasury to invest the surplus in the purchase of united states bonds heretofore this authority was conferred upon that official by virtue of the provision of tho an nual appropriation bill As an issue has been raised questioning hia right in the matter it was thought best to finally settle the such legislation the republican senators have but two subjects to discuss when they wish to talk for political effect when weary of assaulting the presidents message they are reduced to the necessity of attacking the mail service in the west senator beagan was to the point when he said that if a reform was honestly sought the complaints would not be sent to the united states senate but to the fice department where steps could b taken to correct the alleged shortcomings blames letter is variously viewed both by democrats and republicans the former place little faith in his sincerity while those of the latter who are unfriendly to the aspirations of the man from maine are more than willing to take him at his word on the other hand the ardent supporters of mr blaine are hoping that there will bo a reaction in his favor which will apparently make the candidacy of their favorite a necessity As a result of the retirement of blaine there are a number of presidential booms among which may be mentioned senators hawley sherman acison as well as gresham and general sheridan in fact publicans public ans in congress are now think 1 mg more of president making than of legislation at last the so called everlasting blair bill has again passed the senate this time by a vote of 39 to 29 it has been in three congresses now and has occupied much valuable time which its enemies say will be to no purpose its fate in the house is problematical but most of the democrats voted against it before and the longer the bill has been thought of and talked of the weaker it has grown the last vote upon it by the banate was not so strong as the vote of two years ago the fisheries commission having concluded its labors and signed a treaty the same will be submitted fo the senate today to day itoney includes the disputes on the atlantic coast i the president and party are expected to make their flying trip to the land of flowers early next week they will not be absent quite one week feb |
