The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-26

was mentioned in the message and the
tariff bill has been the all-aDsorbing fea-
ture of the session. The Republican mem
bers of the ways and means committee of
the preceding House had been at work
Throughout the short session which ended
March 4, 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 thirteen
days later, March 81, 1891 it passed the
House. 1t went to the Senate, was re-
ferred to the committee on finance and
the Republican members of that committee
spent month and three days in its consid-
Grafton and in preparing the amendments
which were submitted to the Senate May
Z, and exactly two months later, July 7,
it passed the Senate with S12 amendments.
The bill then went 10 conference, where,
after ten days struggle. on July II
complete agreement was reached by which
the Senate receded from rs amendments
and the House from 5l1. The others 243
in number, were compromised The confer
ence report was adopted by the House July
l9 at the conclusion of twelve hours con-
tinuOus debate. The report was taken up in
the Senate July 20 and adopted July "a. The
tariff bill was signed by the President the
same day.
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 Con-
gress in extra session, even if the necessity
for a revision of the tariff had not existed
Those appropriation bills were the sundry
civil, the agricultural the Indian and the
general deficiency These bills were intro
duced and passed by the House in the den-
teal 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 Senate. and when they finally became
laws contained more or less new legisla-
ton of interest and Importance
THE ARMOR PLATE PROVISION.
The general deficiency carried a provision
accepting the invitation to take part in
the Paris exposition in 1900 and appro-
priated $4,000 to defray preliminary ex-
penses and appropriated $15OO0O for
a new immigrant station at New York
to replace the one destroyed by fire BY far
the most important piece of new legisla-
tion 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 impos-
Sible to make contracts for armOr within
the price fixed he was authorized by this
provision to take steps to establish a gov
ernment armor factory of sufficient capac-
ity to make the armor. In executing this
authority he must prepare a description
and plans and specifications of the land,
buildings and machinery suitable for the
factory; advertising Tor proposals and re-
port to Congress at its next session.
In the Indian bill, after a severe strug
! gle in both houses the question of sectar-
! ian schools was settled by the following
! declaration of the policy of the govern
! ment: THAT the secretary of the Interior
may make contracts with contract schools
apportioning near as may be the amount
| so contracted for among schools Of various
! denominations for the education of Indian
! pupils during the fiscal year 1885, but shall
! only make such contracts at places where
! nonsectarian schools cannot DE provided for
such Indian children and to an amount not
exceeding 40 per centum of the amount so
used for the fiscal year 1885, The question
of opening to entry the rich gilsonite de-
| posits in the Uncompahgre reservation, in
! Utah, was also compromised by opening
such agricultural lands as have not been
allotted to the Uncompahgre Indians on
! April |, 1885, to entry but reserving to the
|, United States title in all lands containing
| gilsonite asphalt or other like substances.
In the sundry civil bill the most important
new provision was that suspendtng the
order of President Cleveland setting aside
about 2l,0000O0 acres as forest reservations.
The law also includes a general scheme of
legislation for the government and protec-
tion OF the forest reservations of the cOun-
POLICY OF HOUSE LEADERS.
The Republican leaders of the House de-
cided at.the opening OF the session to pur-
sue a policy of inaction in order to throw
the responsibility for delaying the tariff bill
on the Senate, and therefore, the commit
tees We're not announced until the close of
the session and only urgent matters were
considered.
Fifty thousand dollars We're appropriated
1OE lL6 Itll6I Ol AIuGIlCdIl CllAZGLS III CuDd
at the solicitation of the President; $780, 600
was appropriated for the relief of the Mis-
issippi flood sufferers; resolution was
passed authorizing the secretary of the
navy to transport supplies contributed for
the relief OF the poor and famishing in In
dia, and $4,000 We're appropriated for the
entertainment and expenses of the dele
gates to the universal postal convention,
who met in this city. The only extensive
piece Cf general legislation enacted by Con-
greSS except the tariff bill. were the laws
to prevent collisions at sea and to place
in force regulations to prevent collisions on
certain harbors, river and inland waters
of the United States; and the bill author
iZng the President to suspend discrim-
mating duties on foreign vessels and COM
merce.
The Senate, not being confined to the
scope of It's legislation, dealt with 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 on the Sen
ate by religious and commercial bodies
throughout the country, the Senate reject
ed 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 bellgerency res
olution, bankruptcy BILL including both
voluntary ana Involuntary features, ana
the free homes" bill. But none of these
important questions received consideration
in the House.
The following minor bills and resolutions
became laws, managing 10 escape objec-
tion from any member: Authorizing the
secretary of war to receive for instruction
at the military academy at West Point
Carlos Gutierrez, of Salvador to amend
an act entitled IAN act to provide for the
entry of lands in Greer county, Oklahoma
to give preference rights to settlers, and
for other purposes approved Jan. is, 1897
reappropriating $4,000 not expended for the
relief of the Mississippi river food suffer
erS for the flood sufferers at El PasO, Tex;
authorizing for exhibitors at the trans
missfppi and international exposition, to be
held in the city of Omaha, Neb., during the
year 1893 to bring to the United States for
eign laborers from their countries, respect
ively for the purpose of preparing for and
making exhibits; TO provide for the imme-
date repair of dry dock No. at the New
York navy yard; making appropriation for
the Improvement of the Mississippi river
from the head of the passes to the mouth
of the Ohio river, and to supply deficiencies
in appropriation for the fiscal year ending
June 80 1897; and three bills authorizing
the construction of bridges across the Pearl
river, Mississippi, the St. Louis river be-
tween Minnesota and Wisconsin, and across
Church river, Tennessee.
BoIivia's New Minister.
WASHINGTON, July 25.-Senor Luiz Paz,