The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-07-30
REVIEW OF CONGRESS
poings of the Extraordinary Ses-
sion Just Closed.
TARIFF THE ABSORBING FEATURE.
Its Consideration Lasted Exactly Two
Months In the Senate, Other Bills
Being Taken Up Between Times.
Others Considered.


washington, July 27-The extraordi-
nary session of congress which has Just
closed was called by President McKin-
lev two days after he took the oath of
office on the steps of the capitol. 1t
met in pursuance to his proclamation
at noon March Is. The special mes
sage transmitted by him to both houses
on the opening day was brief. 1t ex-
planned the deficiencies in the revenues
reviewed the bond issues of the last
administration and urged congress to
promptly correct the then existing con-
dition by passing a 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 mentioned in the mes
sage, 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 been at work throughout the
short session which ended March 4, CIV
ing hearings and preparing the bill
which was to be submitted at the ex-
ira session. Three days after the
session opened the tariff bill was
reported to the house by the ways and
means committee, and 13 days later,
March 81, it passed the house. 1t went
to the senate, was referred to the COM
mittee on finance, and the Republican
members of that committee spent a
month and three days in Its considera-
ton and in preparing the amendments,
which were submitted to the senate
May 4. Its consideration was begun in
the senate May Z, and exactly two
months later, July Z, it passed the sem
ate, with 872 amendments. The bill
then went to conference, where, after
a 10 days struggle, on July II COM
plete agreement was reached, by which
the senate receded from 11S amend
ments and the house from 511. The
others, 243 in number, were compro-
missed. The conference report was
adopted by the house July 19 at the
conclusion of IL hours of continuous
debate. The report was taken up in
the senate July 20 and adopted Sat
urday, July "a, by a vote of 40 to 80.
The tariff bill was signed by the presi-
dent the same day.
Appropriation Bills.
Congress did not devote its attention
entirely to the tariff, though it did sub
measure. The four appropriation bills
which failed on March last in them
selves would have compelled President
Mckinley to call congress in extra ses-
sion even if the necessity for a revision
of the tariff had not existed. Those ap-
propriation bills were the sundry civil,
the agricultural, the Indian and the
general deficiency. These bills were in
4 Al fv,f Ia
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 senate, and when
they finally became laws contained more
or less new legislation of interest and
Importance. The general deficiency
carried a provision accepting the invi-
tation to take part in the Paris exposi-
ton in 1900 and appropriated $4,000 to
defray preliminary expenses and ap-
propriated $1500OO for a new immigrant
station at New York to replace the one
destroyed by fire. By far the most i'm
pOrtant piece of new legislation in the
bill, however, was that limiting the cost
of armor plate for the new battleships
to 5000 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 exc
cutting this authority he must prepare
description and plans and specifications
of the land, buildings and machinery
suitable for the factory, advertise for
proposals and report to congress at its
next session.
The Policy of the House.
The Republican leaders of the house
decided at the opening of the session
to pursue a policy of inaction in order
TO throw the responsibility for delaying
the tariff bill upon the senate, and
therefore the committees were not an
nounced until the close of the session,
and only urgent matters were consid-
cred. Fifty thousand dollars were ap-
propriated for the relief of American
citizens in Cuba at the solicitation of
The president, $20O,000 was appropriated
for the relief of the Mississippi flood
sufferers, a resolution was passed au-
thorizing the secretary of the navy to
transport supplies contributed for the
relief of the poor and famishing in In
aia, and $4,000 were appropriated for
The entertainment and expenses of the
delegates to the universal postal con-
vention, who met in this city. 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 harbors rivers and inland wa
ters of the United States and the bill
authorizing the president to suspend
discriminating duties on foreign ves-
Sells and commerce.
The senate not being confined as to
the scope of it's legislation dealt with
number of important subjects both IN
and out of executive session. One OF
these, which attracted worldwide atten-
tion, was the general arbitration treaty
with Great Britain. After exhaustive
consideration, despite the great pressure
brought to bear upon the senate by re-
hgious and commercial bodies through
out the country. the senate rejected the
treaty. The Hawaiian treaty of annex
ton, negotiated by President Mckinley,
was still unacted upon when congress
adjourned. In open session, after much
debate, the Senate passed the Cuban bel
ligerency resolution, a bankruptcy bill
including both voluntary and involun-
tary features. and the free homes bill.''
But none of those important questions
received consideration in the house
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Fight at Meeting House.
Louisville, July PA special from
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