The Portland daily press., 1897-07-26
WHAT CONGRESS- DID.
Brief Review Of the Late Extra
Session.
THE TARIFF BILL THE ONE ABB
SORBING FEATURE.

Saturday Became the Law of the
in the House Outside of the Appro-
priatfon Bills.
Washington, July 25.-The extraordi-
nary session of Congress which has just
ended, was called by President Mckinley
two days after he took the oath of office
on the steps of the Capitol. 1t met in
pursuance to this proclamation at noon
March Is. The special message transmit
ted by him to both houses on the open
ing day was brief. The tariff bill has
been the all absorbing feature Of the ses-
sion.
Three days after the session opened the
bill was reported to the House, and IS
days later, March 81, 1897, it passed the
House. 1t went to the Senate and the
Republican members of the finance com-
mittee spent month and three days in
preparing amendments which We're sub
mitted to the Senate May 4. Its consid-
GRAFTON was begun in the Senate May
and exactly two months later July 2, it
passed the Senate with 872 amendments.
The bill then went to conference, where
after 10 days struggle, on July II, q
complete agreement was reached by which
the Senate receded from 118 amendments
and the House from sill. The others, "a,
in number, were compromised. The con-
ference report was adopted by the House
July 10 at the conclusion of 10 hours OF
continuous debate. The report was tax
en- up in the Senate July 20, and adopted
Saturday, July "a. The tariff bill was
signed by the President the same day.
Fonr the appropriation bills, the sun
dry civil, the agricultural, the Indian
and the general deficiency, were intro
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 legislation of interest and impor-
tance.
The general deficiency carried provis-
ion accepting the invitation to take part
in the Paris exposition in 1900, and ap-
propriated $25, 900 to defray expenses, and
appropriated $150, 600 for new imIni-
grant building at New York to replace
the one destroyed by fire. By far the
most important piece OF legislation in the
BILL however, was that limiting the cost
of armor plates for the three new BATTLE
ships to $500 per ton. In case the Secre
tary 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 a
government armor factory of sufficient
capacity to make the armor. In exec9t-
ing this authority, he must prepare de-
scription and plans and specifications of
the land, buildings and machinery suita-
BILE for the factory; advertise for proposals
and report to Congress at Its next session.
In the Indian bill, after a severe strug-
gle in both Houses, the question of Sec
tartan schools was settled by the follow
ing declaration of the policy of the gov
ernment: "That the Secretary of the
Interior 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 make such con-
tracts at places where non -sectarian
dian children and to an amount not ex
ceeding 40 per cent of the amount so used
for the fiscal year 1885,
The question of opening to entry the
rich gilsonite deposits in the Uncom-
pahgre reservation in Utah, was also COM
promised by opening such agricultural
land as have not been allotted to the
Uncompahgre Indians on April I, 1883,
to entry, but reserving to the United
States title in all lands containing gil
sonite, asphalt or other like substances.
In the sundry civil bill the most impor-
tant new provision was that suspending
the order of President Cleveland setting
aside about 81 200, 900 acres as forest re-
servation land. The law also includes
fAr W
government and protection of the forest
reservation of the country.
In the House only urgent matters were
considered. Fifty thousand dollars were
appropriated for the relief of American
citizens in Cuba at the solicitation Of the
President; 100000 for the relief Of the
Mississippi flood sufferers; resolution
was passed authorizing the Secretary of
the Navy to transport supplies contributed
for the relief of the poor famishing in
India, and $4,000 was 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, ex-
cept the tariff bill, were the laws to pre-
vent collisions at sea and to place in force
regulations to prevent collisions upon
certain harbors, rivers and inland waters
of the United States and the bill author
izing the President to suspend discrimi-
mating duties on foreign vessels and COM
merce.
The Senate dealt with number of i'm
portant subjects, both in and out of exc
cutive session. The general arbitration
treaty negotiated with Great Britain, the
Senate rejected. The Hawaiian treaty
of annexation is still unacted upon. In
open session the Senate passed the Cuban
belligerency resolution: bankruptcy
bill, including both voluntary and invol-
untary features and the "free homestead