The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-07-26
TARIFF BILL A LAW.
Senate Adopts Conference Report
by q Vote Of 40 to 30.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

menC OF currency COMMISSION
Reed Appoints House Committees.
Congress Adjourns Sine Die.
I Washington. July 26.-The Dingley
tariff bill is a law, and the extraordin-
ary session of the fifty-fifth congress
has passed into history. Congress ed-
Journed sine die at o'clock Saturday
night, five hours after the president
signed the tariff bill That measure
passed the senate, according to agree
ment, at 8 O'Clock Saturday afternoon,
by a vote of ayes 40. nays 30. The ma
jority was exactly the same as on the
passage of the bill in the senate the
first time. The affirmative vote was
cast by 81 Republicans, Democrat
(McEnery), Silver Republican Zones,
of Nevada) and one Populist (StewarD.
The negative vote was cast by 2S DEM
ocrats and 2 Populists (Harris and
Turner.
1t was just four minutes after
o'clock when the president wrote his
name and the bill became law. The
exact time at which this was done may
be an important matter in the suits
action of the treasury department in
constituting the law as having been in
force during the entire day of its ap-
proval.
7 Before adjournment Of the house
Speaker Reed announced the committee
assignments of the members, and for
the first time since congress met the
house was fully organized.
The extraordinary session of con-
gress just closed was called by Presi-
dent Mckinley 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 Is. The
special message transmitted by him
10 both houses on the opening day was
brief. 1t explained the deficiencies in
the revenues, reviewed the bond issues
of the last administration and urged
congress promptly to correct the then
existing condition 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 mem
toned in the message, and the tariff
bill has been the all absorbing feature
of the session. The Republican mem-
bers of the ways and means committee
of the ppeceding house had been at
work throughout the short session
which ended March 4, giving hearings
and preparing the bill which was to be
submitted at the extra session. Three
days after the session opened the tariff
bill was reported to the house by the
nd nd
days later, March 81. 1897, 1t passed the
house. 1t went to the senate. referred
to the committee on finance, and the
Republican members of that committee
spent q month and three days in its
consideration and in preparing the
amendments which were submitted to
the senate May 4. Its consideration
was begun in the senate May 7, and ex-
actly two months later, July 7, It
passed the senate with S72 amend
ments. The bill then went to confer
ence, where, after 10 days struggle,
on July II, a complete agreement was
reached by which the senate receded
from lis amendments and the house
from 511. The others, 2t3 In number,
were compromised. The conference re-
port was adopted by the house July 10,
at the conclusion Of II hours of con-
tinuous debate.
Congress did not devote its attention
entirely to the tariff though it did
subordinate everything else to this one
measure. The four appropriation bills
which failed on March 4 last In them
selves would have compelled President
Mckinley to call congress in extra
session even If the necessity for re-
vision of the tariff had not existed
Those appropriation bills were the sun
dry civil, the agricultural, the Indian
and the general de- cheney These bills
were introduced t,id passed by the
house in the form in which they ex-
listed at the time of their failure of en-
actment into law at the preceding con-
gress.