Griggs courier., 1898-07-15
THE SESSION ENDS.
The Fifty-Fifth Congress Adjourna
Sine Die-A Resume Of. the
Work 1t Has Done.

Washington, July 9.CCongress ad-
journed sine die yesterday.
In the senate resolutions were
adopted thanking Vice President Ho-
bart and Senator Frye, president pro
tempore, for the able and courteous
manner in which they had presided
over the deliberations of the senate
and then final adjournment was an
nounced. With waving flags and sing
ing by members and spectators of pa
triotic songs the house adjourned sine
die after adopting resolution thank
ing Speaker Reed for his services. The
following is resume of the work done
during the session: ~.
Hawaiian annexation, Spain and Cuba.
war appropriations and war revenue legis-
latton. organization of the vast volunteer
army ana expansion OF the navy. new
Of the session. Notable speeches and dra-
matic scenes. over foreign issues were
comparatively frequent in both legislatiye
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 little
Importance. The total appropriations
footed almost 100000. 600 and upwards Of
$35O. 600 Of this was for purely war pur-
poses. 1t was the largest aggregate by
| any session since t. !, civil war and the
measure since the $3.50, ,000 900 single appro-
priation in 1862 The naval appropriation
| bill provided for three new battleships,
four monitors. 16 torp edo boat destroyers.
| 12 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
l. 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
The first real war legislation was when
congress placed. without limitations. $780,
600. 600 in the presidents hands as an emer-
lines were swept away. and both houses
| unanimously voted their confidence In the
administration. Soon afterward bill re-
| imbursing the survivors Of the Maine dis
aster for their losses not to exceed years
pay. with similar amount to those who
perished. became law On April II the pres
ident in message left the Cuban issue in
l the hands OF congress. Resolutions were
| soon enacted and became 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 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 25. 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
| written consent of the owners Of land so
| taken and prohibited under executive dis
| cretion 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 all
the soldiers massed against Spain mus
been raised. embracing 125,000 men under
| the first and 5000 under the second call.
One feature of the session was the enact
ment of the war revenue law. Its trainers
expected 1t to produce $15O.O0O.O0O.
ixed a bond Issue Of t2oe.ooo, 900. known % as
the war loan.
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 nom
partisan Industrial commission to investi-
| gate immigration. labor. manufacture and
| business; appropriating $473.1S1 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 payment from the latter of
slGo. .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
reclassitication Of the patent system; cre-
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
| constitution heretofore incurred,
Late in the session a general bankruptcy
| law was enacted providing for voluntary
and Involuntary bankruptcy.
1 The Teller resolution declaring for pay.
ment of the national bonds in silver as
| well as gold was passed by the senate, by
| u vote Of Il to 81, but was defeated in the
house. Statehood bills for New Mexico.
| Arizona and Oklahoma were killed in COM
mittec. An immigration bill requiring abil-
ity to read and write on the part OF those
| 16 years old passed the senate. but did not
4 reach q 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
Eto the Indian appropriation bill giving over
J q. .00O. 600 acres Of public lands as free
IShnEnQ4- vnY,r~