The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-07-30
CONGRESS- Is CLOSED.
Resume Of the Legislation of the
Extra Session
Called by Mr.. Mckinley to Pass Tariff Bill
that Would supply Ample RevenuSs
for the support OF the Government
and for Debt Liquidation.

WASHINGTON, July a6.-The extra
ordinary 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. 1t met in pursuance to his proc
lamation at noon, March Is, The spe-
cial message, transmitted by him to
both houses on the opening day, was
brief. 1t explained the deficiencies in
the revenue, 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 AMI
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 wavs
and means committee of the preceding
house had been at work throughout
| the short session which ended March T.
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 com
mittee and Is days later, March 81,
1897, it had passed the house.
II 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 May and exactly two
months later, July Z, it passed the SEN
ate with ST2 amendments.
The bill then went to conference,
where, after a ten-days' struggle, on
July IL, a complete agreement was
reached, by which the senate receded
from Ill amendments and the house
from 511. The others, 243 in number,
were compromised.
The conference report was adopted
by the house on July 10 at the conelu-
sion of IL hours continuous debate.
The report was taken up in the senate
on July 30, and adopted July 24. The
tariff bill was signed by the president
the same day.
Congress did not devote its attention
entirely to the tariff, though it did
subordinate everything else to this one
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
appropriation bills were the sundry
civil, the agricultural, the Indian and
general deficiency. Those 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 general deficiency carried pro-
vision accepting the invitation to take
part in the Paris exposition in 1900 and
appropriated S25, 900 to defray prelim-
mary expenses, and appropriated $780,
600 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, how
ever, was that limiting the cost of
armor plate for the three bat
tleships 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 a government armor |
plate factory of sufficient capacity to |
make the armor. In executing this |
authority he must prepare descrip- |
MA 4 foo - hsi
land, buildings and machinery suitable |
for the factory; advertise for proposals, |
and report to congress at its next ses-
sion.
In the Indian bill, after 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, near as may be,
the amounts 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
schools cannot be pro-
vided for such Indian children, and to
an amount not exceeding 40 per cent.
of the amount so used for the fiscal
year 1895"
The question of opening to entry the
rich gilsonite deposits in the UncOm-
pahgre reservation in Utah was also
by opening such agricul-
tural lands as have not been allotted
to the Uncompahgre Indians on
pledge in 1898 to entry, but reserving
to the United States title in all lands
gilsonite. asphalt or other
like substances.
In the sundry civil bill the most i'm
portant provisions was that suspend
ing the order of President Cleveland
setting aside about 81, 900, 900 acres as
forest reservations The law also in
cludes general scheme of legislation
for the government and protection of
the forest reservations of the country.
The republican leaders of the house
decided at the opening of the session
10 pursue policy of inaction in order
TO throw the responsibility for delay
ing the tariff bill upon the senate, and
therefore the committees were not an
until the close Of the session,
and only urgent matters were consid-
cred. Fifty thousand dollars were ap-
for the relief of American
citizens in Cuba at the solicitation of
the president; $500, 600 was appropri-
at8d for the relief of the Mississippi