The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-07-26
WORK DONE BY CONGRESS
Resume of the Important Acts
of the Last Session.
THE TARIFF STRUGGLE
Four Appropriation Bills Passed Cost of
Armor Limited to $500 Forestry Or
der Suspended Defeat OF the Ar
bitration Treaty Hawaii.

dinary session Of congress which has
just closed was called by President
Mckinley twu days after he Took the
oath of Office On the steps OF the capt
toll II met In pursuance to his proclh-
nation at noon, March Is. Thr slr
cial message transmitted by him q
both houses ON the opening day was
brief IL explained the deficiencies In
the revenues. reviewed the bond is
sues of the last administration and
urged congress promptly To correct the
then existing condition by passing
tarir bill that would supply ample
revenues for the support of the sUv-
ernmVnt and the liquidation 80 the
public debt. No other subject of 'rg-
islation was mentioned in the messag,
and the tariff had been the ali absnrb-
ing feature If the session.
The republican members Of the Nnys
and means committee of the precs l.
ing houses had been at work through
out the short session which ended
March 4. giving hearings and prrpar-
ing the bill which was To be sub
mitted To the extra session. Three
days after the session opened the
tarif hill was reported TO the house
by the ways and means committee and
- days later. March 81. 1897. 1t passed
the house. IL went To the senate. was
referred Ia the committee on ;inanse
and exactly two months later. July !.
IL passed the senate with 81: amend
ments. The bill then went to con-
ference. where. after ten days H,iug-
gle, on July II, a complete agreement
was reached by which the nentte
receded from lis amendments and tie
house from aii, The Others. 2ts In num-
her. were compromised. The confer
ence report was adopted by the house
July ~ AT the conclusion NJ 1: holrs'
continuous debate. The report vas
taken up In the senate July 20 and
adopted July a. The tariff bill was
signed by the president the same day.
Congress did not devote It's session
entirely tn the tariff. although II lid
subordinate everything else To this one
measure. The four appropriation bills
which failed on March last In them
selves would have compelled I'resi-
dent Mckinley to call congress In ex-
ira session. Those appropriation bi's
We're the sundry civil. the agricultural.
the Indian and the general deficiency.
Those bills were amended In some Inn
portant particulars by the senate and
when they finally became laws con-
tained more or less new legislation o!
interest and Importance. The most
important piece ~ new legislation In
the general deficiency bill, was that
limiting the cost of armor plate for
sA Lag f.. raAH IA
In case the secretary Of the navy
should find II impossible 10 make con-
tracts for armor within the price ilx-
ed, he was authorized by this pio-
vision to take steps to establish
government armor plate factory of
sufficient capacity to make .ha prrtor
In the Indian hill, after severe
struggle In both houses. the questions
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 schools apportioning as near as
may be the amounts contracted for
among schools Of various denomlna-
tions for the education OF Indian lu-
pills during the fiscal year 1895. hat
shall only make such contracts at
such places where nonsectarian schools
cannot be provided for such Indian
children and to an amount not exceed
ing 10 per cent of the amount so used
for the fiscal year 1893
The questioning OF opening to entry
the gilsonite deposits In the Cncom-
pahgre reservation In Utah was also
compromised by opening such agricul-
tural lands as have not been allotted
to the tncompahgre Indians on April
/. 1898, to entry. but reserving Ia the
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 provisions was that sus-
pending the order of President Glove
land setting aside about el.O00000 acres
as forest reservations. The law also
includes "A general scheme of legisl0-
tion for the governme Mt and protection
for the forest reservations OF the
country.
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 ths relief of the Ameri-
can citizens In Cuba at the solicitation
uf the president and 500. 900 was ap-
propriated for the relief Of the Missis-
sippi Hood sufferers. A resolution was
passed authorizing the secretary of the
navy To transport supplies contributed
for the relief OF the poor and famishing
natives In India. and $4,000 was appro-
priated for the entertainment and eN-
penses OF the delegates to the United
States postal congress who met In this
city, The only piece Of general legisla-
tion enacted by this congress except
the tariff bill. are the laws To- prevent
collisions upon certain harbors. rivers,
and inland waters of the United States.
and the bill authorizing the president
To- suspend discriminating duties ON
foreign vessels and commerce.
The senate not being confined as 10
the scope OF its legislation. dealt with
a number Of important subjects. both
/ In and out OF executive session. one
| ~ these which attracted world wide
| attention. was the general arbitration
/ treaty, negotiated by ex-President
/ Cleveland with Great Britain. After
/ exhaustive consideration. the senate
/ rejected the treaty. The Hawaiian
/ tf ats OF annexation negotiated by
President Mckinley was still unacted
/ upOu when congress adiourned