The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-07-26
Condensed History Of Extraordinary
Session Just Ended.
Tariff Bill Was, Of Course, the
Leading Feature.
SM Many 0thsr Matters Of importance Were
Disposed o.

saaiy sess'oH oi'COnBTeSbs Wntcn uus just
ended, was called by President McKin-
ley two days after he took the oath Of
office. II met In pursuance 10 this
proclamation at noon, March Is. The
special message transmitted by him TO
both houses on the opening day was
brief. 1t explained the deficiencies in
the revenues. reviewed the bond issues
or the last administration and urged
congress promptly to correct the then
existing conditions by passing a tariff
Dill that would supply ample revenues
Tor the support OF the government and
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 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 session.
Three days after the session opened the
tarin Dill was reported to the house by
the ways and means committee, and 13
days later, March 81. 1897. II passed the
house. 1t went to the senate, referred
to the committee on finance and the Re-
publican members Of that committee
spent month and three days In Its con-
sideration and In preparing the amend
ments which were submitted to the SEN
ate May T.
Its consideration was begun In the sen-
ate May 7. and exactly two months later,
July z, II passed the senate with 872
amendments. The bill then went to con-
ference where. after a 10 days struggle,
on July II, a complete agreement was
reached by which the senate receded
from 118 amendments and the house
from 5l1. The others, 243 In number,
were compromised. The conference re-
port was adopted by the house July 10
at the conclusion Of IL hours Of continu-
Gus 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 It's attention
entirely to the tariff. though It did
subordinate everything else to this one
measure Four appropriation bills,
which failed on March last. in them
selves would have compelled President
14CkAiihCy W SkLii COh8iCb6 III cAtId Bcb-
sion even IL the necessity for q revision
OF the tariff had not existed.
The appropriation bills were the SUM-
dry civil, the agricultural. the Indian
and the general deficiency. These bills
were introduced and passed by the house
IN the identical form In which they ex-
listed at the time Of their failure Of en-
octment into law at the preceding con-
hat AaA In
important particulars by the senate,
and when they finally became laws con-
tained more or less legislation of interest
and Importance. The general deficiency
carried n provision accepting the invi-
tation to take part In the Paris exposi
tion In 1900, and appropriated $4,000 to
defray the expenses, and appropriated
$15O,OO0 for a new immigrant station at
New York to replace the one destroyed
by fire.
Price of Armor Plate Fixed.
BY far the most important piece Of
legislation in the bill, however, was that
limiting the cost Of armor plates for the
three new battleships to 5000 per ton.
In case the secretary of the navy should
find 1t 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 executing this authority
he must prepare a 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.
In the Indian bill. after a severe strug-
gle in lighthouses, the question Of secre-
tartan schools was settled by the follow
Ing declaration Of the policy Of the gov
ernment:
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 edu-
cation of Indian pupils during the fiscal
year 1898, but shall only make such con-
tracts at places where non -secretarian
schools cannot be provided for such In
dian children and to an amount not ex-
ceeding 40 per cent Of the amount so
used for the fiscal year 1896.
The question Of opening to entry the
rich gilsonite deposits In the Uncom-
pahgre reservation In Utah was also
compromised by opening such agricul-
tural land as have not been allotted to
tne DncOWpdngTe lnuIdnS on April i,
1898, TO entry, but reserving TO the United
States title in all lands containing gill
sonite, asphalt or other like substances.
In the sundry civil bill the most i'm
portant new provision was that suspend
ing the order OF President Cleveland
getting aside about $1,000, 900 acres "a
forest reservation land. The law also
includes 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 to
pursue n policy of inaction In order to
throw the responsibility for delaying
the tariff bill upon the senate. and there
|fore no committees were announced until
|the close OF the session. and only urgent
|matters were considered.
Fifty thousand dollars were appro-
|priated for the relief OF American citi-
|zens In Cuba at the solicitation OF the
president; 100000 was appropriated for
|the relief OF the Mississippi food suf-
kerers: n resolution was passed author
tzng the secretary Of the navy 20 trans
hort supplies contributed for the relief