The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-07-16
THE FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS-
A Resume Of the Work Done by the
Body which Has just Adjourned
Sine Die.

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 va st demonstra
ton and flags were passed about to every
member and were Enthusiastically waved
while the members sang at the close OF the
| Fnty-fifth congress.
Washington, July 9.-The senate ad
journed sine, die at 2:O6 D. m. Before ad-
1ournment the senate in executive session
confirmed all the nominations sent In by
the president.
Washington, July 9IThe passing of thu
second session OF the Fifty-fifth congreso
marks the close of the first war congress
In quarter of century.
Hawaiian annexation. Spain and Cuba
war appropriations and war revenue legis,
lation. organization OF the vast volunteer
army ana expansion of the navy a now,
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 measure Of Iittla
Importance. The total appropriat tons
footed almost $500 00O 900 and UPWARDS NJ
S35O.0O0.OU of this was for purely war pur-
poses 1t was the largest aggrepate Nv
any session since L civil war and the
| general deficiency was the largest sepa rate
measure since the $3.50 0O0, 0OO single appro
priation in 1868. The naval appropriation
bill provided for three new battleships.
| -FOUR monitors. l6 torpe boat destroyers.
! IL 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-
icin for ia
the Central and Western Pacific railroads
to the government. ~
| Cuba ana Hawaii were the important
! matters of debate and provoked the most
widespread interest. Hawaiian annexation,
! hnally 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.
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,
! 000.0 900 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 bill re-
| imbursng the survivors of the Maine dis
| aster for their losses not to exceed years
pay, with similar amount to those who
| persisted, became law. On Ap ril IL the pres
! dent In a message left the Cuban issue in
! the hands OF congress. Resolutions were
soon enacted and became n law April 10,
| declaring that the people of Cuba ought to
be and are free and independent and
demanding that Spain relinquish its au-
thority and withdraw its 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 %. 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
n 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 APP
proved the volunteer act. Under II all
the soldiers massed against Spain mus
tered in the entire volunteer army have
been raised embracing $4,000 men under
the first and 1900 under the second call.
one feature of the session was the enact
ment OF the war revenue law. Its trainers
expected 1t to produce $lJ0.0O0000.
In hhis connection congress also author
lied bond issue OF $500. 0.O0O known as
the war loan.
Other revenue legislation included bill
visions as 10 disposition of abandoned i'm
ported merchandise: and extending the
outage allowance distilled spirits In
bonds from four to six years.
Other important legislation. aside from
war. includcd:
Prohibiting the killing of fur seal an
finals in the North Pacific and importation
of seal skins into this country. prohibit
ing foreign vessels from carrying mer-
chanGisc directly or Indirectly between
m a a "a a "a
and right of way act, encouraging railway
construction; appropriating 100000 for the
relief OF the YUKON miners, suffering from
the fierce winter there; creating nom
partisan industrial commission TO investi-
gate immigration, labor, manufacture and
business; appropriating Nl3.l3l 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
$l6O,512: dispensing with proof of loyalty
during the war as a prerequisite in bounty
land application where proof otherwise
shows title; abolishlng the distinction be-
tween offered and unonered lands; the
reclassihca lion of the patent system; Gre
ating 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
heretofore incurred: allowing
$2SS,0O0 for the relief or the book agents OF
the Methodist Episcopal church south. for
during the war; $33Ol51 for the
heirs OF John Roach, the Philadelphia ship
builder. for work on the cruisers Chicago.
Boston and Atlanta: s2S. 100 likewise for
the dispatch boat Dolphin: SGy5JO TO the
Richmond locomotive and machine works
for damage and losses in the construction
of the battleship Texas
Late In the session general bankruptcy
law was enacted providing for voluntary
and involuntary bankruptcy.
The Teller resolution declaring for pay
ment OF the national bonds In silver as
well as gold was passed by the senate. by
vote OF a to 30. but was defeated In the
house. Statehood bills for New Mexico.
and Oklahoma were killed In COM
mittee An immigration bill requiring abll-
Ity to read and write on the part of those
l6 years old passed the senate, but did not
reach vote In the house. The anti-scalp-
ing BILL prohibiting ticket brokerage, re-
ported In both houses, went over to the
next session. The free homes amendment
to the Indian appropriation bill giving over
20 900 acres of public lands as free
homes for settlers. was finally compro-
missed on a two-years' extension of pay
nent for such lands.