The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1896-06-11
A LONG SHORT SESSION
CONGRESS- EXPECTED TO ADJOURN
TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY.
Brief Session Due to Political Differ
ences Between Senate. House
and President.

Fifty-fourth congress adjourns this week
it will be the shortest so-called long
session" since that of the Thirty-fifth
congress. and one of the shortest in the
history of the government. This reco.'d
is probably due to political differences be-
tween the senate, house and the presi-
dent which have forestalled agreements
on lines of legislation, and partly due 20
the determination which the republican
leaders in the house have carried into ef-
feet Speaker Reeds caucus prediction
that the congress would be do-nothing
assemblage.
Legislation means appropriations, as
the house leaders have said, and as their
opinion was that the treasury's condition
warranted no appropriations except the
most imperatively necessary they have
held the doors tightly shut against
classes of bills which usually receive
the parings. Foremost among the inev
liable and regular acts of congress are
the annual appropriation bills for the
support Of the government. Their prep
aration has constituted a large part of
the work of the session, and five of them
are yet hanging between the house and
senate with some of their details unset
tied, and for this reason it is impossible
to give the exact totals of the bill on the
grand total of appropriations made by
this congress, which aggregate about half
billion dollars; but the disbursements
authorized during the session will be dis
cussed hereafter by Chairman Cannon of
the appropriations committee and ex-
Chairman Sayers from t1se points of view
of their respective parties.
Tariff or financial legislation of any
general character was abandoned for all
practical purposes when the disagree
ments between the house and senate were
demonstrated by the fate of the two bills
prepared by the house ways and means
committee. Other lines of business were
also tabooed by the house because of the
alleged lack of revenue. notably the pub
lie buildings, public and provincial claims
and all sorts of private bills; bills entail
ing expenditures except pension bills. TO
which last the usual amount of time has
been given One of the most bitterly con-
tested fights which has occurred has
crept out from the provisions of the In
dian and District of Columbia bills for
| government aid to church schools feat
ure which still holds both bills in con-
| ference. The Indian bill contains pro-
| visions giving the homestead settlers on
all ceded Indian reservations an exten-
sion of one year in which to make pay
ments and for the completion of the sur
veys of the land in Indian territory.
Incidental to the legislative, executive
| and judicial bill was an entire revision
of the salaries of attorneys, marshals and
! commissioners, with the stipulation that
the term of office of commissioners ex-
| pire on June 3O 1897 The agricultural bill
conferred upon the president authority
| to suspend the prohibition against i'm
portations of meat cattle, domestic ami
mails and hides on the certification of the
secretary of agriculture that countries or
parts of countries are free from con-
tagious or infectious diseases of animals;
authorized the president to take steps to
secure the abrogation of the regulations
by Great Britain prohibiting the impor-
| taton of cattle from the United States
into that country alive
In the sundry civil bill the most i'm
portant legislation is to make effective
the Carey arid land act, which ceded arid
land to the public-land states for recla-
nation, by authorizing the states to give
liens on the land to cover the expenses of
reclamation. The most noteworthy legis-
ation pertaining to the navy is contained
in the appropriation bill. The house pro-
vided for l5 new torpedo boats and four
battleships, but the senate reduced the
number of battleshps to two, and a con-
ference is pending over that difference.
The bill made provision for the enlist
ment of 1000 additional seamen. 1t also
made unlawful the employment of naval
or marine officers on the active OF re-
tired list by parties furnishing supplies
or materials of war to the government
A special report authorized the accept
ance by the government of the ram
katahdin, which failed to make the speed
required by the contracts, but which sat-
isfed the department, being largely in
experimental craft. The naval reserve
system was strengthened by a plan de-
signed to draft vessels engaged n the
coastwise trade into the service IN time
of war. An act was passed to establish
a naval training station on Yerba Buena,
or Goat Island, San Francisco harbor.
The secretary was empowered to accept
certified checks in lieu of bonds from
contractors for naval uspphes. No special
legislation was contained in the army
appropriation bill Special bills were
passed. however, creating the positions
of chaplain who will also be professor
of history, geography and ethics. and an
assistant professor of the same branches
at West Point academy, making the ma
} tional military park fields for maneuvers
by the national guards or militia, and a
resolution appointing General Franklin ci
Connecticut, General Thomas Henderson
of Illinois, Representative Steele of In
diana and George L. Beale of Maine
Z | members of the board of managers FOL
the national soldiers home.
The senate resolution to prohibit the
issue of bonds without the authority oi
congress, one of the last important acts
of the senate was reported adversely by
: the house ways and means committee
| The only one of the many proposed
changes in the tariff laws which became
an actuality was the repeal of the claus
of the Wilson bill giving free alcohol II
the arts and manufactures, TINS peini
done on the recommendation of Secretar!
Carlisle and Commissioner of lnterna
4 Revenue Miller. This repeal met so mucl
4 antagonism from members representa-
the foreign manufacturing interests ina
| 1t could only be effected by coupling
with a compromise scheme devised D
}, Senator Platt and Representative Russo
of Connecticut, for congressional CON
mission to recommend legislation at tn
beginning of the next session by whic
free alcohol can be secured under sun
cient safeguards for the government IN