The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-09
First War Session For Quarter Of
a &C. ~.
IMPORTANT LEGISLATION
APPROPRIATIONS AGGREGATE
NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS.
Session Just Closed Was One of the
Most Notable In the Country's
History = Hawaiian Annexation,
War Revenue and Army Legisla-
tion-List of Measures Passed.

Washington, July S-The passing of
the second session of the Fffty-hfth
congress marks the close of the hrst
war congress in quarter of a century.
Associated with the first hostile coz
fiict with a nation of another continent
since 1872, and contemporanous with
a move for territorial expansion,
though with few important changes in
the domestic scheme, the present con-
gress outranks almost any other that
| has ever assembled. 1t began with a
widespread clamor for sympathetic ac-
ton for suffering Cuba, but there was
apparently then no expectation OF
armed conflict. But when the trend OF
events eliminated the emergency was
quickly met and necessary legislation
| enacted. The first few but significant
war measures suddenly needed were
framed and made law, but with the
issue made clear there was a flood of
bills and resolutions that 6airly SUD-
merged the two branches of congress.
Hawaiian annexation, war approprla-
lions and war revenue legislation,
organization of the vast volunteer army
and expansion of the navy, new bank
ruptcy laval these were features OF
| the session. Notable speeches and
! dramatic scenes over foreign issues
! were comparatively frequent in both
Legislative chambers. Urgent deficiency
! bills carrying millions of dollars were
rushed through with far less delay
! than marked the course of an ordinary
measure of like Importance. The total
appropriations footed almost S9O0,OOO,-
! 600 and upwards OF $3.50, 600, 900 OF this
was for purely war purposes. 1t was
the largest aggregate by any session
since the civil war and the general de-
! ficiency was the largest separate meas
ure since the S75O, 000 OOO single appro-
priation in 1888.
The naval appropriation bill provided
for three new battleships, four tnonl-
tors, Is torpedo boat destroyers, II tor
! pedo boats and one gunboat. The
urgent deficiency bills all carried pro
visions for aggressive work In the
prosecution of the war. The general
| deficiency bill enacted in the last days,
carried q, provision for refunding the
! Indebtedness of the central and west
ern pacific railroads to the govern
ment.
Cuba and Hawaii were the import
ant matters of debate and provoked the
most widespread interest. HaWallan
annexation, finally passed at the close
! was agitated throughout the sesSlon,
first in treaty form in executive session,
! last in open session by resolutions ca
! cepting the Hawaiian government
cesson of the islands.
There were a number of messages
! from President Mckinley bearing on
| the Cuban situation, ranging from the
submission of report upon the Maine
disaster and the consulate reports, 10
a call for a declaration of war.
WAR LEGISLATION.
The first real war legislation was
when congress placed without limlta-
! o
hands as an emergency fund, for ma
tional defense. Party lines were swept
away and both houses unanimously
voted its confidence in the adminlstra-
ton. Soon afterward a bill reimburS-
! ing the survivors of the Maine disaster
for their losses, not to exceed year
pay, with a similar amount to relatives
of those who persisted, became a law.
On April II, the president in a message
left the Cuban issue in the hands of
| congress.
Resolutions were soon enacted and
became a law April 10, declaring that
the people of Cuba ought to be and are
free and independent and demanding
that Spain relinquish its authority and
withdraw its land and naval forces
from Cuba and Cuban waters, and dl-
! recting the use of our land and naval
forces to enforce the resolutions. The
declaration of war was passed by con-
gress and approved on April 20.
Subsequent legislation gave free adj
mission to all military and naval sup
plies purchased abroad by this govern
ment: allowed temporary Notifications
! TO be constructed on the written con-
! sent of owners of land so taken and
prohibited under executive discretion
! the export of coal or other war ma
| terial and three days before the decla-
ration of war President Mckinley had
| OF mr.
! all the soldiers massed against Spain
mustered in the entire volunteer army
| have been raised, embracing 123,OoO men
under the first and 10000 under the
second call A month previous legisla-
ton had been enacted reorganizing the
/ line CT the army, effecting three mod
ern battalion war formations. 1t deslg-
! mated the peace organization of these
! regiments with two battalions of four
| companies each, or two skeleton or
unnamed companies, and supplied the
! third battalions in war time by man
ming the skeleton companies and or
! ganizing two additional ones, and made
other important requirements. Another
| law amended the present administra-
ton of Justice in the army, accomplish
/ ing reforms in court martial methods.
One feature of the session was the
! enactment of the war revenue law. Its
! trainers expected it to produce $50, OOO,-
600 Other revenue legislation included
] a bill charging in favor of importers
the provisions as to disposition of aban-
doned imported merchandise: and eX-
tending the outage allowance on dis
/ titled spirits in bond from four to six
: years.
MILITARY MEASURES.
Minor war legislation includes the
/ following:
/ Allowing maximum increase of 100
army hospitals; providing for the main
! tenance of volunteers between their
! enrolment and mastering in UniSed
] States servise; adding two assistant ad-
/ jutant generals; organizing volunteer
j army signal corps; organizing yolun-
| teer brigade of engineers; creating two
additional artillery regiments, adding
! go men: adding Is assistant surgeons
to the army permanently and in emer-
gencies as many contract surgeons as
necessary; creating a United States
auxiliary naval force not exceeding
! 1000 enlisted men and appropriating
! So 600 COO therefor; organizing a naval
| hospital corps of 206 army stewards
/ and apprentices; authorizing assistance
, to Cubans and providing them with
! arms and supplies; allowing homestead
/ seekers who volunteered to count their
service in homestead requirements;
resolutions of thanks to Dewey and his
men; the presentation of a sword to
/ him and medals to his officers, and pro-
] viding for increase in the force of in
! spector generals. ordnance and other
i army departments.
i IMPORTANT LEGISLATION.
| Other important legislation, aside
from war, included: Prohibiting the