The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-07-15
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Major Edward Wright Brady,s Interesting
Review of the Work Of Congress.

Major Edward Wright Bradyss Interesting
Review of the Work of Congress.
| WASHINGTON, July "a. The Fifty-ifth
Congress, whose second session fiickered
out suddenly on last Friday. will go into
history as one of the memorable Con-
crosses even though it should add nothing
of note to its record next winter. At its
first session, specially called for the pur-
pose by President Mckinley, it passed
the Dingley tariff act. bringing the tariff
system of the country back to Republican
and therefore prosperous lines. This
was accomplished too in the face of the
fact that the Republicans did not have
majority in the Senate, as they had in
the House. The composition of the
Senate was such that no party had
majority therein, but the Republicans
had a greater number than any other
one party. So they were permitted to
organize the Senate, that is, name the
chairmen of the principal committees,
though in the membership of the COM
mittees they did not have a majority.
Take the Finance Committee, for in
stance, to which the Dingley bill and
afterward the war revenue bill were re-
ferred. This committee has thirteen
members. Mr.. Morrill, of Vermont, who
is So years old, is chairman. There are
six regular Republicans and six regular
Democrats on the committee. Conse-
quently Senator John P. Jones OF
Nevada, who belongs to the Silver party,
held the balance of power. Mr.. Jones
was formerly Republican and is pro-
tectionist. Certain concessions had to
be made to him in order to get the
Dingley bill reported back to the Senate,
and afterward in the Senate concessions
had to be made to other Senators of for
mer Republican proclivities in order to
get the bill through the Senate. 1t is
not therefore as perfect a message as it
would have been had the Republicans
had free hand in its making. How
ever, it is such vast improvement upon
the Wilson act that when the second
session of the Fifty-ffth Congress began
last December it was found that the
revenues of the government were suffici
ent to meet its current ordinary expendi-
lures and surplus was in sight.
So it seemed last December that the
session which has just expired would be
short; that it would contine itself to
routine legislation, making no attempt
to accomplish the impossible, and that it
would adjourn by May /. Such indeed
was the program, and until the explosion
of the Maine it looked as though it would
be carried out without difficulty or
serious friction. The people had begun
to prosper after a long period Of bust
ness depression and they wanted nothing
more then than that matters should be
left as they were without change or
agitation for change until they had had
the time and opportunity fully to recover
from the financial distress and business
depression under which they had labored
and staggered as under heavy burden
for full four years. The troubles in
Cuba would probably have been settled
by diplomacy had it not been for the
explosion Of the Maine. That horror has
changed the current of history. 1t
occurred on the night of February Is
last. On the 21st a Naval Court of In
Iquiry was appointed. After an exhaus-
tive inquiry into all the facts and cir
cumstances, its report was submitted to
Congress on March 2S. 1t confirmed the
general belief of the American people
that the destruction of the ship and 266
officers and men of her crew was due to
Spanish official treachery. War had now
become inevitable, and by the act APP
proved April 25 it was declared to exist
and to have existed since April 81.
Congress had not waited for a formal
declaration before beginning prepare
tons. Congress suddenly awoke to the
fact that it had been dwelling in a FOOLS
paradise for thirty years, dreaming that
1--WE don't want to fight anybody and
nobody wants to fight us: therefore we
will never have war again." During all
these years right down to the day the
first emergency appropriation was made
the army had been wilfully and system
atically neglected. Our coast defense
system had been allowed to become
obsolete and worthless. Our navy in the
past few years had Jared somewhat bet
ter at the hands of Congress Every
body seemed wide awake at the same
time to the fact that we were in no con-
dition to carry on war even with fourth
rate power like Spain. We recognized
that in spite of our boosted intelligence
and i,,nanr,itu md skill rrn cn11ld NOT