The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-09
PAssINa oF a6TH coNGREss.
Marks Close of First War Congress In
 Third of CentmrY.

Third of Century.
 Washington, July S.-The passing of the second session of the Fifty-ifth congress marks the close of the first war congress in a third of century. Associated with the first hostile con- fiict with a nation of another conti- nent since 1872, the annexation of Ha- wall and contemporaneous with a further movement for territorial ex- pansion, though with few important changes in the domestic scheme the present congress outranks almost any other that has assembled. It began with a widespread clamor for sympa- thetic action for suffering Cuba, but there was apparently then no expecta- tion of armed conflict. But when the trend of events eliminated the emer- gency 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 fairly submerged the two branches of congress.
 Hawaiian annexation, Spain, Cuba, war appropriations and war revenue legislation, organization of the vast volunteer army and expansion of the army, a new bankrupt law-all these were features of the session. Notable speeches and dramatic scenes over foreign issues wer comparatively fre- quent in both legislative chambers Urgent deficiency bills carrying mill lions of dollars, wer rushed through with far less delay than marked the course of ordinary measures of little importance. The total appropriations footed almost $900,000,000 and upwards of S350,000,000 of this was for purely war purposes. It was the largest ag- gregate by any session since the civil war and the general deficiency was the largest separate measure since Si50,- 00O,000 single appropriation in lSbS. The naval appropriation bill provided for three new battleships, four mon1- tors, sixteen torpedo boat destroyers, twelve torpedo boats and one gunboat. The urgent deficiency bills all carried provisions for aggressive work in the prosecution of the war. The general deficiency, enacted in the last days, carried provision 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, which finally passed at the close, was agitated throughout the ses- sion, first in treaty form in executive session by resolutions accepting the Hawaiian governments cession of the island.
 The first real war legislation was when congress placed, without limita- tions, fifty million dollars in the pres ident's hands as an emergency fund for national defense. Party lines were swept away and both houses unani- mously voted it's confidence in the ad- minstration. Soon afterward a bill re- imbursing the survivors of the Maine disaster became a law. On April Il, the president in message left the CuDan issue ID the ndHuS OL COuSIesS' Resolutions were soon enacted and be- came law April l9 declaring that the people of Cuba ought to be and are free and independent and demanding that Spain relinquish it's authority and with draw it's land and naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters and directing the use of our land and naval forces to enforce the resolutions.
 The declaration of war was passed by congress and approved on April 25. Subsequent legislation gave free ad- mission to all military and naval SUD- 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 prohibiting under executive discretion the export of coal or other war ma terial. Three days before the declara- tion of war President Mckinley had approved the volunteer act Under it all the soldiers massed against Spain mustered in the entire volunteer army having been raised, embracing 125,00C ] men under the first and 75,000 under the second call. A month previous leg ;elo hoan i1-