The Session Ended

TheXLIXthcongress ended its existenee at noon on the 4th inst. As usual at the closing session everybody wasbusy, everybódy was excited. Members woreanxious to get matter i attended to which had been pending tor tome timo. In their eagerness to catch the speaker' eye and reaeh men whose inilueuce was do.sired tumbled, over each other like boys on a play ground. Added to this the session had lastod for 4S hours, and the members were sorehended, sleepy and uncharitable. The night boforo congress adjourned was a busy one at the oxeeutive mansion. The president had notined the president of the senate and speaker of tb house that the executive mansion would bo open all night nnd that he would be on hand at all bours to pass upon matter requiring executiva nction. The president passed a good part of the night at his desk in the library, examiningand signing bilis, and Consulting with members of his cabinet about appropriation afTecting their respective departments. All through the night the president remaiaed about the library, and at intervals messongers arrived with bilis that had passed both housos and only needed the president'ssignature to become laws. Two important bilis which had been before the president for 10 dnys- the antipo'.ygamy an 1 the trade dollaV bilis- were allowed to be -(mie laws without his signature, but a largo number were eonsidered and signed (1 uring the night. At an early hour iu the morning, howover, he went to the capital in time to sign several bilis before the adjournment. Despite the fact that a very great deal of time has been wasted in useless debates by this congress, much has been accomplished in the way of enactment of general iaws. NíiVer wero there so many bilis introduced, and more were reported from committees than at any previous congresses. More, too, are left on the calenders as blasted hopes than was ever known at the expir.ition of a congress. There were introducid in the house during the session ust ended 1 1,25') bilis una '.63 joint resolutions. of these moasures 4,173 were reportad back from the various committeer with favorable or adverse recommendation, and a inajority of them have died, so far as having any legislativo status is concevned. If thev are to havo any life in future con gresses they must bo reintroducedThere were introduced in the senate :s,3T7 bilis and 116 ioint resolutions, and the per cent reported from committees was a little hi.srher than in the house. During the last two days of the segsion tho calendara of the two houses increased in size rather than diminished. owing to reports made for the purpose of giving character to the measures rather than with a view of bringing about their passage. The following are the acts of the last fession of this congress which have a gen eral interest: Ketiring certain oflicers of the navy of the United States: for the re lief of certain soldiers of the Michigan volunteer infantry, honorably discharged under speciul ornerx 92, war department, Maren 1, 1SIK5; aiuending the revised statutes relating to pensions to certain disalileil persons wlio have served in the navy or marine corps; eztending the freo delivery system of the postoffice department to every incorporated city or village with a population of 10,000, or having groes postal receipts of $10,000 a year; authorizing the construction of a bridge aeross the St. Louis river between Minnosoti and Wiseonsin : grauting pensions to the soldiers and sailors of the Mexican war; providing a school of instruction for cavalry and light artillery ; fixing the dav for the meeting of tho electors of president and vice-president, and to próvido for and regúlate tho counting of the vote for president and vice-presipresident and the decisions of ouestions arising thereon; authorizing tlie construction of a bride aeross tho Mississippi river at St. Louis, Mo. : regulating interstate commerce; amending the law relating to patenta, trade-marks and copyrights; proviJing for the allotment of lands in severalty to Indians; declaring the forfeiture of lands granted to the New Orleanï, Batan Rouge & V'icksburg railroad company : making an annual appro priation of $100,000 for arma and oquipments for tho mililia; establishinK a military post at Denver, Col; providing for the execution of certain sections of the treaty with China, and prohibiting United States officials from hiring out the labor of federal prisoners. The retaliation bilí has received the President's siguature, and is now a law. Tho measure is known as the Ëdmunds bilí, and pro vides in substance that when the President is couvinced that our fishormen or fishing vossels are deprived of thuir rights or narassed or voxea in Canadtan ports or waters, he may by proclamation exclude Canadian vesfels from the waters and ports of the United States. oucu vt)süi; mu uKii t ,ul;im-, uiay De seized, and the erews fined or imprisoned. In tuis connection it may be well to state that it has been derided to introduce a bilí in the Dominion parliament raising the ihilios on all imports from the United States, the mensure to take effect whenever the Edmunds retaliation bill is put into effect by the United States. Thero is no one subject of more interest to the labor element than that of convict labor, and we append a synopsis of tho report of Carroll I). Wright, commissioner of labor, on this subject. He says that the prison population of (54,(iÜ9 has a proport mi of ono in a thousand to the population of the United States. Whatever competitlon, con-idering the country at large, which comes from convict labor in any form, must come from this one conviot in one thousand of the population - uot tho proportion to those engaged in mechanical pursuits in the whole country, wliich is about one oonvict to every fifty persons so employed. The United States prisoners included iu tho above estímate number 1,240, and they are distributed through the different status. Theindustry employing the greatest number is that of boots and shoes, the manufacture of clothing standing uext, then stone dressing, then farming, gardening, furniture, nnn ing, lumber and carpeting in the order named. The total product of all penal institutions is flfty-four one hundredths of one per cent. of the total products of the industriesof thecountry. Ihe report states that it is perfectly evident from information obtained that the competition arising from the employment of convicts as far as the wholo country is concerned, would not of itself constituto a questiou worthy of serious di-cussion. However, locally and in certain distriots. says the report, the competition may be soriousand of such porportions as to claim the most serious atteution of legislatures. The commissioner concludes that the gystem of hand labor, if introduced in the prisons, would reduce competition with free labor to the minimum. For many years the late John Burt of Detroit, and the other heirs of Wm. A. Burt have prosecuted a claim before congress for tbe payment to them of $-2ñ0.00O, a compensation for the use by the United States of the solar compa-s invented bv vm. A. uure. me cornmitte on claims of the two houses havo of ten made favorable report upon the bill, the first ouc more than 85 yearu ago ; but it bas nevor bec-ome a law bpeause it did not pass both liuu80H the samo session. Thli year a now departurn has been takon, and. lor 1I10 first time, a very adverso report has been made. Senator Doiph of Oregon, on the last day oC the session, mado on extended report upon the Uil, going into tho history 01 tho whole matter. mul giving copios uf the correspondenco had with the govornmimt by Mr. Burt and otherparties intero.tod. In conclusión the committea advor-ely report the bill in the followiug strong language: It doe not appear that the United States ever purohasea. or owned, or used a solar compass or even mado a survey of the public lands except under contract9 with surveyor-i who furuished their own instruments. Mr. liurt rcceived a patent for his invention vinder tho patent l.iws of tho United States, and enjoyed whatever benefit the patent conferred. That his invention did not prove profitable is not shown to have beenthefault of the United States, and his experience in this regard is not exceptional. In the opinión of your committeo. congres8 might as well be askcd to appropriate money for tiie relief of the heirs of the inventor of the magnetic needie, or of Euclid who made important mathematical discovorics, or of aper who invented lognrithms, on the gi-ound that such needlo, mathematical discoveries and logarithmic table were of utility in the Mirvey of the public lands, as to appropriate monoy to the heirs of Wm. A. Burt or the ground upon which this claim is based. The president has pardoned Joseph Evans, who is serving a term in the Utah penitentiary for polygamy. The president is iuformed that the man is 70 years oíd; that his legal wife seeks bis release, but that he refuses to renounce polygnmy as a condition of his release. The president says he is unwilling that the hardship of such a case should make the government appear vindictive in the attempt to extírpate fho practico of polygamy. Executive clemency has also been shown N. H. Camp, convicted of embezzlement from the eovernment while assay er at Boise City, Idaho, on the ground that he has doubts as to his guilt and is convinced of his present good character. (Jscar L. Baldwin oL New Jersey alio blesses President Cleveland. Baldwin has tornpleted his sentence for misapplication of bank funds and hos been restored to citizenship.