Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-07-29
Done a. Washington.

The Senate saturday, Dy vote or ~
to 80, accepted the conference report on
the tariff bill. Within an hour President
Mckinley hid signed it, and the measure
was law. The President sent a message
to the House recommending q currency
commission, but no action was taken. At
10 o'clocl Saturday night, the extra ses-
sion took final adjournment.
The extraordinary session Of Congress
which has just closed was called by Pres
iden Mckinley two days after he took
the oath Of office.
1t met at noon March Is. The special
message transmitted by him on the open
ing day explained the deficiencies in the
revenues, reviewed the bond issues Of the
last administration, and urged Congress
promptly to correct the then existing con-
dition by passing 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 men
toned in the message. and the tariff bill
has been the all-absorbing feature Of the
session. Three days after the session
opened the tariff bill was reported to the
House By the Ways and Means Commit
tee, and thirteen days later, March 81, it
passed the House.
1t went to the Senate. and was referred
to the Committee on Finance. The Re
publican members spent month and
| three days in preparing amendments sub
| mitted to the Senate May 7, and exactly
two months later, July Z, it passed the
| Senate with S72 amendments.
The bill then went to conference,
| where, after ten days struggle, on July
II, complete agreement was reached by
which the Senate receded from 11S
amendments and the House from 511.
The others, Dab in number, were COM
promised. The conference report was
adopted by the House July 10 at the con-
clusion Of twelve hours continuous de-
bate. Yhe report was 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 attention en-
tirely to the tariff, though it did subordi-
nate everything else to this one measure.
The four appropriation bills which failed
on March 4 last in themselves would have
compelled President Mckinley to call
Congress in extra session even If the
necessity for a revision of the tariff had
l
were the sundry 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 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 new legislation Of interest
and Importance.
Some New Appropriations.
| The general deficiency carried pro-
vision accepting the invitation to take
part in the Paris exposition in 1900. and
appropriated $4,000 to defray prelimin-
airy expenses. and appropriated $15O.OOO
for new immigrant station ut New York
to replace the one destroyed by fire.
| BY far the most important piece of new
Legislation in the bill. however, was that
limiting the cost of armor plate for the
three new kattleships 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 au-
thorized by this provision to take steps to
establish a Government armor plate fac
tory of sufficient capacity to make the
armor.
In the sundry civil bill the most import
ant new provision was that suspending
the order OF President Cleveland setting
aside about -. 100000 acres as forest res
ervations. The law also includes gem
eral scheme Of legislation for the Govern
ment and protection of the forest reser-
vations of the country.
| Fifty thousand dollars was appropria-
ted for the relief OF American citizens in
| Cuba ut the solicitation of the President:
100000 was appropriated for the relief
Of the Mississippi food sufferers; a reeo-
luton was passed authorizing the Secre-
tary Of the Navy to transport supplies
contributed for the relief OF the poor and
famishcd in India: and $4,000 was APP
prOpria:ed for the entertainment and ex-
penses of the delegates to the universal
postal convention. which met in Wash
ington.
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 Ger.
tain harbors. rivers and inland waters OF
the United States, and the bill authoriz-
ing the President to suspend discrimina-
ting duties on foreign vessels and COM
lmerce.
The Senate, not being confined as to the
scope of it's legislation, dealt with a num-
Der of important subjects both in and out
Of executive session. One Of these, which
attracted worldwide attention, was the
general arbitration treaty negotiated by
President Cleveland with Great Britain.
After exhaustive consideration, despite
the great pressure brought to bear upon
the Senate by religious and commercial
bodies throughout the country, the Senate
rejected the treaty.
The Hawaiian treaty OF annexation me-
lgotiated by President Mckinley was still
Enacted upon when Congress adjourned.
In open session after much debate the
Senate passed the Cuban belligerency RES
olution. Il bankruptcy bill. including both
voluntary and involuntary features. and
the free homes" bill. But none of these
important questions received considera-
ton in the House.
Ill !