The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1897-07-26
Done by Congress in Spe-
Cial Session
MANY MATTERS CONSIDERED
SOME IMPORTANT MEASURES
PASSED
The Otherwise Admirable Tariff Bill
Fails to Settle the Zante Cur
rant Question
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
WASHINGTON, July 25-The extra
ordinary session of congress, which has
just closed, was called by President Nc
Kinley two days after he took oath Of
office on the steps of the capitol It
met in pursuance to his proclamation at
noon on 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 is
sues of the last administration and
urged congress promptly to correct the
then existing condition by passing =
tariff bill that would supply ample reve-
nue., support the government and the
liquidation of the public debt.
No other subject of legislation was
mentioned in the message, and the
tariff has been the all-absorbing feature
of the session. The Republican mem
bers of the ways and means committee
of the preceding houses had been at work
throughout the short session which ended
on March 4th, giving hearings and pre-
pairing the bill which was to be submit
ted to the extra session.
Three days after the session opened
the tariff bill was reported to the house
by the ways and means committee, and
thirteen days later, March 81 it passed
the house. 1t went to the senate, was
referred to the committee on finance, and
the Republican members of that commit
tee spent month and three days in its
consideration and preparing the amend
ments which were submitted, to the
senate on May T. Exactly two months
later, July 7, it passed the senate with
S72 amendments.
The bill then went to conference.
whAnA-a ftA- ten days struggle, on July
ltn, complete agreement was reached
by which the senate receded from IL
amendments and the house from 511. The
other 243 were compromised. The con-
ference report was adopted by the house
on July 18th at the conclusion of 12
hours continuous debate.
The report was taken up in the sonata
on July 20 and adopted on July oath. The
tariff bill was signed by the president
the same day.
congress did not devote its session en-.
tlrely to the tariff, although it did SUBJ
orolnate everything else to this ona
measure. The four appropriation bills
whlch rallied on March 4th last, would. in
themselves, have compelled President
mckinley to call congress in extra ses-
sion even If necessity for a revision
or the tariff had not existed. The an
general deficiency. Those bills were
introduced and passed by the house in
.hree new battleships to $500 a ton. and
in case of the secretary of the navy find
ing it impossible to make contracts for
armor within the price fixed he was an
thorlzed by this provision to take stems
o establish government armor-pIata
and machinery suitable for the factory
In the Indian bill, after a severe stru1
gle in both houses, the question of SEQ
tartan schools ives settled bv the fo1,o,,,
ing declaration of the policy of the gov
That the secretary of the interior NAV
MAKE contracts with contract schools.
apporlloHlhg as near as may be the
'ilouhts contracted for among schools
u various denominations for the educa-
Ion OF indian pupils during the fiscal
year 1888, put shall only make such con-
racts at such places as non-sectarian
cannot be provided for such
indian children, and to an amount NOT
exceeding 40 per cent of the amount so
lsed for the fiscal year of 1885,"
The question of opening to entry the
deposits in the Uncompahgre
eserVation was also compromised bv
opening such agricultural lands as have
lot been allotted to the Uncompahgre
indians, on April l, 1898, to entry. but
eserving to the United States title to
III lands containing gilsonite, asphalt or
ike substances.
In the sundry civil bill the most inn
ortant new provision was that sus-
ending the order of President Cleye-
and setting aside about q, ,0O0, 900 acres
3 forest reservations The law also in
ludes a general scheme of legislation
or the government and protection for
he forest reservations of the country,
he Republican leaders of the house de-
ided at the opening of the session to
ursue a policy of inaction in order to
nrow the responsibility for delaying
ne tariff bill upon the senate and there
)re the committees were not announced
ntil the close of the session and only
rgent measures were considered Fifty
lousand dollars were appropriated for
lie relief of American citizens in Cuba
the suggestion of the president; $780,
o was appropriated for the relief Of
e Mississippi flood sufferers. A reso-
tion was passed authorizing the Sec
tary Of the navy to transport supplies
attributed for the relief of the starving
India and $50, 900 was appropriated for