Evening journal., 1897-07-26
REVIEW OF CONGRESS-
Doings 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.

Others Considered.
Washington, July 26.-The extraordi-
nary session Of congress which has just
closed was called by President McKin-
ley 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 To- 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 1S days later,
March 81. 1t 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 it's considera-
tion 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. 1t passed the SEN
ate, with S72 amendments. The bill
then went to conference. where after
10 days struggle, on July IL a 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 10 at the
conclusion of II hours of continuous
debate. The report was taken up in
the senate July 20 and adopted Sat
urday. July "a. The tariff bill was
signed by the president the same day.
other Work Besides the Tariff.
Congress did not devote its attention
entirely to the tariff. though it did sub
ordinate 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 revision
of the tariff had not existed. Those ap-
preparation bills were the sundry civil,
the agricultural, the Indian and the
general deficiency. These bills were in
troduced and passed by the house In the
identical form in which they existed al
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 wher
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-
tion in 1900 and appropriated $4,000 tc
defray preliminary expenses and ap-
propriated $3.50 900 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
10 $500 per ton. In case the secretary
of the navy should find Il impossible e
make contracts for armor within the
price fixed he was authorized by this
provision to take steps to establish 9
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 fol
proposals and report to congress at it!
next session.
The Indian Bill.
In the Indian bill, after a severe
struggle In both houses, the question o
neutrality-suspicious. was settled by the fol
lowing declaration Of the policy of th'
government:
"That the secretary of the interior
may make contracts with contrac
schools, apportioning as near as MAJ
be the amount so contracted for among
schools of various denominations foi
the education of Indian pupils during
the fiscal year 1885, but shall only maxi
such contracts at places where nonsec
tartan schools cannot be provided fo
such Indian children and to an amour
not exceeding 40 per centum of th'
amount so used for the fiscal yea
1895"
The question Of opening TO entry tn
rich gilsonite deposits in the Uncom
pahgre reservation in Utah was ais
tural lands as have not been allotted I
the Uncompahgre Indians on April ]
1898 to entry, but reserving to tn
United States title in all lands contain
ing gilsonite asphalt,or other like sub
stances.
In the sundry civil bill the most i'm
portant new provision was that sus
pending the order of President Cleye
land setting aside about 21,O00,O0O acre
as forest reservations. The law ais
includes a general scheme of Legislation
for the government and protection O
the forest reservations Of the country.
The Republican leaders Of the hous
decided at the opening Of the sessio
TO pursue a policy of inaction in orde
TO throw the responsibility for delayin
the tariff bill upon the senate, an
therefore the committees were not an
nounced until the close OF the session
and only urgent matters were consii
cred. Fifty thousand dollars were ar
propriated for the relief OF America
citizens in Cuba at the solicitation {
the president $1,000 was appropriate
for the relief of the Mississippi foo
eufferers a resolution was passed al