Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-07-30
WHAT CONGRESS DID.
Tariff Bill the All.AbSorbiug
Feature of the Session

! The Four Appropriation btlls---N' 49,
ures Passed by the StnRte---Action On
Arbitration Treaty and Regarding
Price of ArmOr.
The extraordinary session Of Congress
which closed Saturday was called by Presi-
dent Mckinley two days after he took the
oath of Office on the steps of the Capitol Ii
met in pursuance to his proclamation at
noon, March 10. The special message
transmitted by him to both Houses on the
opening day was brief. 1t explained the
deficiencies in the revenues, reviewed the
bond issues of the last administration and
urged Congress promptly to correct the
then existing condition by passing tariff
bill that would supply ample revenues for
| the support Of the government and the
liquidation of the public debt.
No other subject of legislation was men
| toned in the message, and the tariff bill
has been the all-absorbing feature of the
session. The Republican members of the
ways and means committee of the preced-
ing House had been at work throughout
the short session which ended March !,
giving hearings and preparing the bill
which was to be submitted at the extra
session. Three days after the session
| opened the tariff bill was reported to the
House by the ways and means committee
and l3 days later, March 81, it passed the
| House. 1t went to the Senate, was re-
| ferred to the committee on finance, and
| the Republican members of that commit
tee spent month and three days in its
|, consideration and in preparing the amend
ments which were submitted to the Senate
MAY T.
Its consideration was begun in the SEN
ate May :, and exactly two months later,
July :, it passed the Senate with S72
amendments. The bill then went to con-
ference, where, after ten days struggle,
on July Il, a complete agreement was
reached, by which the Senate receded from
lis amendments and the House from oil.
The others, 243 in;number, were compro-
missed. The conference report was adopt
ed by the House July 10 at the conclusion
of two hours continuous debate. The re-
port was taken up in the Senate July 20
and adopted Saturday, July "a. The tar
i'll bill was signed by the President the
same day
Four Appropriation Bills.
Congress did not devote its attention en-
tirely to the tariff, though it did subordi-
nate everything else TO this one measure
The four appropriation bills which failed
on March last in themselves would have
compelled President Mckinley to call
Congress in extra session even if the ne
cessity for a revision of the tariff had not
existed. Those appropriation bills were
the sundry civil, the agricultural, the H.
dian and the general deficiency.
These bills were introduced and passed
by the House in the identical form in
which they existed at the time of their
failure of enactment into law at the pre-
ceding Congress, but they were amended
in some important particulars by the Sen
ate, and when they finally became laws
contained more or less new legislation of
interest and Importance The general de-
tciency carried a provision accepting the
invitation to take part in the Paris eXposi-
tion in 1900, and appropriated 50 600 to
detray preliminary expenses, and appro-
priated $4,000 for new immigrant sta
tion at New FORK to replace the one de-
stroyed by fire.
The Cost of Armor Plate.
By far The most important piece of new
legislation in the bill. however, was that
limiting the cost of armor plate for the
three new battle ships to $500 per ton. In
case the secretary of the navy should find
it impossible to make contracts for armor
within the price fixed he was authorized
by this provision to take steps to establish
government armor factory of sufficient
capacity to make the armor In executing
this authority he must prepare a descrip-
tion and plans and specifications of the
land, buildings and machinery suitable for
the factory, advertise for proposals and re-
port to Congress at its next session.
In the sundry civil bill the most impor-
tant new provision was that suspendng
the order of President Cleveland setting
aside about 21 100000 acres as forest res
ervations. The law also includes gen
eral scheme of legislation for the govern
ment and protection of the forest reserva-
| tiOns of the country.
Policy of InRctIOn In the House.
The Republican leaders in the House de-
! cided at the opening of the session to pur-
sue policy of inaction in order to throw
| the responsibility for the delay in the tar
| iii bill upon the Senate, and, therefore, the
| committees were not announced until the
| close of the session, and only urgent mat
ters were considered. Fifty thousand dol
lars were appropriated for the relief of
American citizens in Cuba at the solicita-
tion of the President; 100000 was appro-
| priated for the relief of the Mississippi
flood sufferers; resolution was passed
authorizing the secretary of the navy to
transport supplies contributed for the re-
lief of the poor and famishing in India,
and $4,000 was appropriated for the en-
tertainment and eXpen es of the delegates
to the Universal Postal convention. The
only extensive pieces of general legislation
enacted by this Congress, except the tariff
bill, were the laws TO prevent collisions at
sea, and to place in force regulations to
prevent collisions upon certain harh"-
| rivers and inland waters of the
States, and the bill authorizing the rresi-
dent to suspend discriminating duties on
foreign vessels and commerce.
Rejection of the Arbitration Treaty.
The Senate, not being confined as to the
scope of its legislation, dealt with a num-
Der of important subjects both in and out
of executive session. One of these, which
attracted worldwide attention, was the
general arbitration treaty negotiated by
President Cleveland with Great Britain
After exhaustive consideration, despite the
great pressure brought to bear upon the
Senate by religious and commercial bodie:
throughout the country, the Senate re-
jected the treaty.
The Hawaiian treaty of annexation ne
gotiated by President Mckinley was still
unacted upon when Congress adjourned.
In open session, after much debate, the
Senate passed the Cuban belligerency reso-
luton, bankruptcy bill, including botf
voluntary and involuntary features, and
the "Free Homes bill" But none o
these important questions received con