The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-26
WORK OF THE CONGRESS
REYTEW WOFLEGISLdTION ENACTED
 DURING THE SPECIAL SESSION.

Four Appropriation Bills Passed-Rejec-
 ton of the PI oposed Arbitration Treaty
 With EnsIand-A Large Number of Mi
 nor Fills Made Laws.
 Washington, July 25.-The extraordi- nary session of congress, which has just closed, was called by President Mckinley two days after he took the oath of office on the steps of the capi- tol. It met in pursuance to this procla- mation at noon March 15. The special message. transmitted by him to both houses on the opening day was brief. It explained the deficiencies in the rev enues, reviewed the bond issues of the last administration and urged congress promptly to correct the then existing conditions by passing a tariff bill that would supply ample revenues for the support of the government and the H. quidaton of the public debt No other subject of legislation was mentioned 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 preceding house had worked throughout the short session, which ended March 4, giving hearings and preparing the bill which was to be submitted at the extra ses- sion. Three days after the session op- ened the tariff bill was reported to the house by the ways and means commit tee and thirteen days later, March 31, 1897, it passed the house. It went to the senate, was referred to the committee on finance, and the republican members of that committee spent a month and three days in its consideration and in preparing the amendments which were submitted to the senate.
 Its consideration In the senate was begun May and exactly two months later, July ', 1t passed the senate with SIP amendments. The bill then went to conference, where after ten days struggle, on July +, complete agree ment was reached by which the senate
 house from 511. The others, 243 in number, were compromised. The con- ference report was adopted by the
 house July 19 at the conclusion of
 twelve hours of continuous debate. The report was taken up in the senate July 20 and adopted Saturday, July "A. The
 tariff bill was signed by the president
 the same day.
 Congress did not devote its attention entirely to the tariff, though it did sub ordinate everything else to this one measure. The four appropriation bills which failed on March 4 last in them selves would have compelled President Mckinley to call congress in extra ses-
 sion even in the necessity for revision
 of the tariff had not existed.
 These appropriation bills were the
 sundry civil, the agricultural, the In- 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 preceding 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 gen.
 eral deficiency carried a provision &C.,
 cepting the invitation to take part in the Paris exposition in 1900 and ap- propriating $25,0O0 to defray the ex- penses and appropriated $15000O for
 new immigrant station at New York to replace the one destroyed by fire.
 By far the most important piece of new legislation In the bill, however,
 was that limiting the cost of armor
 plates for the three new battleships to $500 per ton. In case the secretary of the navy should find it impossible to
 make contracts for arnor within the
 price fixed, he was authorized by this provision to take steps to establish a
 government armor factory of sufficient
 capacity to make the arnor. Tn exc
 cutting this authority he must prepare description and plans and specifica- tions of the land, buildings and ma-
 chinery suitable for the factory, adver- itise for proposals and report to congress at it's next session.
 In the Indian bill, after a severe
 struggle in both houses, the question of sectarian schools was settled by the following declaration of the policy of the government:
 That the secretary of the interior
 may make contracts with contract schools, apportioning as near as may be the amount so contracted for among schools of various denominations for | the education of Indian pupils during the fiscal year 1898, but shall only make such contracts at places where non- sectarian schools cannot be provided | for"
 | The question of opening to entry the rich Gilsonite deposits in the UTncom- pahagre reservation in Utah was also compromised by opening such agricul- tural lands as have not been allotted to the Uncompahagre Indians on April ], 1898, to entry, but reserving to the United States title in all lands contain ing Gilsonite, asphalt or other like sub stances.
 In the sundry civil bill the most im- portant new provision was that sus-
 pending the order of President Cleve- land setting aside about 21 900, 900 acres as forest reservations The law also
 includes general scheme of legislation Tor the government and protection of the forest reservations of the country The republican leaders of the house decided at the opening of the session to pursue policy of inaction in order to throw the responsibility of delaying the tafltf Dill upon the senate and therefore me committees were not announced un- LII the Close of the session and only ur- gent matters were considered. Fifty .iouSan' dollars were appropriated for the relief of American citizens in Cl,ba. tot sN-A