The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-07-29
REVIEW or CONGRESS-.
Tariff the Absorbing Topic Of
the Session.
HOW THE BILL BECAME A LAW.
The Four Appropriation .BiiIs, which
Failed the Previous Session, Were
Pnssed-Amended In Some Important
ParticnIars--Arbitrati Rejected.

WASHINGTON, July 28.-The extra
ordinary session Of congress which has
just closed was called by President Mo
Kinley 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 10. 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 ad-
ministration and urged congress
promptly to correct the then existing
condition by passing tariff bill that
would supply ample revenue 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. The Republican members
of the wuysand means committee of
the preceding house had been at work
throughout the shor session which
ended March giving thCarings and
preparing the bill which was to be sub.
mitted ut the extra session. Three
bill was reported to the house by the
ways and means committee, and I3
days later, March 81, 1891, IL passed
the house.
1t went to the senate, was referred TO
committee Oh finance, and the Repub-
hcan members of that committee spent
month and three days In its consider
alton and in preparing the amendments
which were submitted to the senate
May z, and exactly two months later,
July 7. it passed the senate with S72
amendments. The bill then went to
conference, where, after ten-day
struggle on July II, a complete agree
ment was reached by which the senate
receded from llS amendments and the
house from oil. The others, 243 in
number, were compromised. The con-
ference report was adopted by the
house July 10 at the conclusion of IL
hours continuous debate. The report
was taken up in the senate July 20 and
adopted July "a, The tariff bill was
signed by the presid,% the same day.
Congress did not devote its attention
entirely to the tariff, though il did
subordinate everything else to this one
measure. The four appropriation bills
which failed on March last in them
selves, the sundry civil, the agricul-
tural, the Indian and the general de.
ticienCy, 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 ut 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 import
ance.
The general deficiency carried a pro.
vision accepting the invitation to take
part in the Paris exposition in 1900,
and appropriated $25, 900 to defray pre-.
liminarY expenses and appropriated
$l50,00O FOR new immigrant station at
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 battle
ships to 300 per ton. In case the secre-
taTy of the navy should find it impOssi-
BILE to make contracts for arlnor within
the price fixed he was authorized by
this provision to take steps to establish
government armOr factory of suffi-
Cient capacity to make the armOr. In
executing this authority he must pre-
pare a description, and plans and speci.
| tications of the land, buildings and
machinery suitable for the factory, ad-
vertise for proposals and report to con-
| gress at its next session.
In the Indian bill, after q severe
struggle in both houses, it was decided
| TO not help seCtarian schools after the
| appropriations already made ram out,
except where nOn-seCtarian schools
cannot be provided for and then not
over 40 per cent of the amount appro-
| priated in 1898.
In the sundry civil bill tho most i'm
| pUrtant new provision was that sus.
| pending the order of President Clcve-
land setting aside about ? 900 900 acres
as forest reservations.
The Republican leaders of the house
decided at the opening of the session to
pursue a policy of inaction III order to
throw the responsibility for delaying
the tariff. bill upon the senate, ana,
| 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-
Dropriated for the relief of American
| citizens in Cuba at the solicitation of
the president 100, 900 was appropria-
ted for the relief of the Mississippi
flood sufferers a resolution was passed
authorizing the secretary OF the navy to
transport supplies contributed for the
relief of the poor and famishing in
india, and $4,000 were appropriated
| for the entertainment and expense of
the delegates to the Universal Postal
convention. who met in this city.
An important subject in the senate,
which attracted world wide attention
was the general arbitration treaty ne.
gotiated by President Cleveland with
Great Britain. After exhaustive con.
sideration, despite the great pressure
brought to bear upon the senate by re.
ligious and commercial bodies through.
out the country, the senate rejected the
treaty.
The Hawaiian treaty Of annexation
negotiated by President Mckinley, was
still unacted upon when congress adj
journed.
In open session, after much debate
the senate passed the Cuban belliger
ency resolution, a bankruptcy bill in
Guiding both voluntary and involun
tary features and the free homes bill
But none of these important questions
received consideration in the house.
A number of minor bills and join
resolutions became laws.
! Thanked by Queen Victoria