Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-07-14
THE FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
A Resume of the Work Done by the
Body Which Has just Adjourned
- Sine Die.

Washington, July e.-The house adjourned
sine die precisely at two Friday. Immense
cheers were followed by singing of patriotic
songs. Representative Bromwell, of Ohio,
proposed three cheers for President Nc
Kinley, which were given twice over by
the republicans. Then followed cheers
joined in by the entire house for Admiral
Dewey and Gen. Joe Wheeler.
The whole house was one vast demonstra-
ton and flags were passed about to every
member and were enthusiastically waved
while the members sang at the close of the
Fifty-tfth congress.
Washington, July 9-The senate adj
journed sine die at 2:06 p. nj. Before adj
journment the senate in executive session
confirmed all the nominations sent in by
the president. ..
Washington, July 9.-The passing of the
second session of the Fifty-fifth congress
marks the close of the first war congress
in quarter of century. -
Hawaiian annexation, Spain and Cuba,
war apprOprii tiOns and war revenue legis-
lation. organization of the vast volunteer
army and expansion of the navy, a new
bankruptcy laval these were features
of the session. Notable speeches and dra-
matte scenes over foreign issues were
comparatively frequent in both legislative
chambers. Urgent deficiency bills, car
rying millions of dollars, were rushed
through with far less delay than marked
the course of an ordinary mea sure of little
Importance. The total appropria tons
footed almost $500, 600 and upwards of
$35O000,000 of this was for purely war pur-
poses. 1t was the largest aggregate by
any session since t. civil war and the
general deficiency was the largest separate
measure since the $3.50 900 single appro-
priation in 1868. The naval appropriation
bill provided for three new batteships
four monitors, 16 torp edo boat destroyers,
II torpedo boats and one gunboat. The
urgent deficiency bills all carried pro-
visions for aggressive work in the prose-
cution of the war. The general deficiency,
enacted in the last days, carried a pro-
vision for refunding the Indebtedness Of
the Central and Western Pacific railroads
to the government.
Cuba and Hawaii were the important
matters of debate and provoked the most
widespread interest. Hawaiian annexation
finally passed at the close, was agitated
throughout the session, first in treaty form,
in executive session, last in open session
by resolutions accepting the Hawaiian
governments cession of the islands, 81
There were number of messages from
President Mckinley bearing on the Cuban
situation, ranging from the submission Of
a report upon the Maine disaster and the
consular reports to the call for a declara-
ton of war.
The first real war legislation was when
congress placed, without limitations, $780,
600, 600 in the presidents hands as an emer-
gency fund for national defense: Party
lines were swept away. and both houses
unanimously voted their confidence in the
administration. Soon afterward a bill re-
irnbursng the survivors OF the Maine dis
aster for their losses not to exceed a years
pay, with a similar amount to those who
persisted, became law. On pril II the pres
ident in 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 it's au-
thority and withdraw it's land and naval
| forces from Cuba and Cuban waters, and
directing the use of our land and navaf
forces to enforce the resolutions, r.
The declaration of war was passed by
congress and approved on April rs. Sub
sequent legislation gave free admission TO-
all military and naval supplies purchased
abroad by this government: allowed tenn
porary Notifications to be constructed on
| a written consent of the owners of land SO
| taken and prohibited under executive dis
erection the export of coal or other war ma
terial, and three days before the declara-
ton of var President Mckinley had ap-
| proved the volunteer act. Under it ALI
the soldiers maSsed against Spain mus
tered in the entire volunteer army have
been raised. embracing 125,00O men under
the first and $4,000 under the second call.
| One feature of the session was the enact
| ment of the war revenue law. It's trainers
expected it to produce $15O.000.0G0.
| In hhis connection congress also author
| ICED bond issue of 5000. 900. known as
the war loan.
| Other revenue legislation included a bib
| en1arging in favor of importers the pro-
| visions as to disposition OF abandoned i'm
| ported merchandise; and extending the
| outage allowance on distilled spirits In
| bonds from four to six years.
Other important legislation. aside from
| war; included:
| Prohibiting the killing of fur seal an
| imals in the North Pacific and importation
| of seal skins into this country: prohibit
| ing foreign vessels from carrying mer-
| chandise directly or indirectly between
United States ports; an Alaskan homestead
| and right of way act, encouraging railway
constructions; appropriating 100000 for the
| relief Of the Yukon miners, suffering from
| the fierce winter there; creating a non
partisan industrial commission to lnVest-
gate immigration, labor, manufacture and
| business; appropriating $473,l5l to pay the
| Behring sea awards; creating commits
| sion to allot lands on the Uintah Indian
reservation in Utah: adjusting the old
| land dispute between the United States and
the state of Arkansas, the compromise
! calling for a payment from the latter OF
| $160,572; dispensing with proof of loyalty
| during the war as prerequisite in bounty
| land application where proof otherwise
| shows title; abOliShing the distinction be-
| tween offered and unoffered lands; the
| Redistribution of the patent system; Gre
Eating a commission to revise the statutes,
| relating to patents and trade marks; re-
| moving the disability imposed by section
| 3 of the Fourteenth amendment to the
| constitution heretofore incurred; allowing
| 28S0OO for the relief of the book agents Of
| the Methodist Episcopal church south. for
damages during the war; S33O.l51 for the
| heirs of John Roach, the Philadelphia ship.
| builder, for work on the cruisers Chicago,
| al 500 1f0 likewise for
the dispatch boat Dolphin; $50 to the
Richmond locomotive and machine works