The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-27
A MEMORABLE SESSION
Work of Vast Magnitude Accom-
plished by the 55th Congress.
1T WILL LIVE IN HISTORY
Began and Ended the War With Spain.
Many Other Measures of Far
Reaching Importance
Were Passed.

period in the country's history is COW
cred by the work of the Fifty-ffth
congress. which is drawing to a close
1t has been a period of stirring and
dramatic action with questions of vast
magnitude constantly engaging atten-
ton, forming an epoch alongside those
other American epochs. the revolution
and the civil war. This congress has
declared war against a foreign foe and
the treaty making branch has partici-
pated in ratifying the treaty by which
that war was terminated 1t has pro-
vided a great volunteer army, has en-
larged the regular army, and has eX-
panded the navy to meet war emergen-
cies and new conditions The tariff has
been revised, first by the Dingley law
and then by the war revenue act. A
bond issue known as the war loan has
been provided.
But far reaching as these war meas
ures are, the congress has had time
also to enact other legislation which I'M
der ordinary circums tances would make
it's session memorable This includes
the annexation of Hawaii, the rejec-
ton by the senate of the general
treaty of arbitration with Great Brit
ain, the enactment of a national bank
ruptcy law; provision for taking the
twelfth census; reorganization of the
personnel of the navy. To this last
may yet be added other important sub
jects still pending, including the Mic
aragua canal. the increase of the reg
ular army. the anti-sca ping measure,
the Hawaiian bill and the proposed en-
couragement of American shipping.
Some of the most Important general
measures are in the final legislative
stages, and it will not be until the
last hours arrive that the success or
failure Of these measures will be de-
termined definitely.
The present congress began its work
almost simultaneously with the OPEN
ing of President McKinIey's admins
tration. Two days after his inaugur-
alton he issued tn. call for an extra
session and in pursuance to this call
congress assembled on March Is, 1897.
The special message to congress was
directed to the need of a tariff law
that would provide ample revenue for
the support of the government. No
other subject of legislation, was men
toned and the tariff bill at once be-
came the all-absOrbing feature of the
session. Chairman Dingley of the
ways and means committee and his re-
publican associates had already done
much work on the bill and three days
after the extra session began the Ding
ley tariff bill was reported. 1t passed
the house within two weeks of the
opening of the session: passed the sem
ate May 7, became a law July "a. Hard
ly less important was the consideration
in the senate of the general treaty of
arbitration negotiated by President
Cleveland with Great Britain. The
progress of the treaty in the executive
sessions of the senate attracted world
wide attention, finally resulting in the
defeat of the instrument The extra
session also brought forth four apprO-
priation bills. but they were those
which failed of passage in the preced-
ing congress and We're not considered
as properly chargeable to this congress.
Some general legislation was enacted,
including the suspension of President
Cleveland's order setting aside 21.000,-
900 acres of forest reserves: providing
for a gradual abandonment of secta-
rian Indian schools: extending relief to
Mississippi flood sufferers and to the
destitute in Cuba and in India. The
Cuban problem began to present an
acute phase at this early session and
the senate passed a resolution recog-
nizing the Cubans as belligerents,
which, however, did not pass the
house.
The second Session.
The second session of the present con-
gress is remembered as the great war
session. 1t saw the elimination of the
pent-up sympathy for suffering Cuba :;
the declaration that the people of Cuba
ought to be and are free and independ-
ent; the declaration of war against
Spain and the enactment of those vast
emergency measures for prosecuting The
war. There were many messages from
the president as the war clouds dark
ened, ranging from the submission of
the report on the Maine diaster to the
call for a declaration of war. The first
real war legislation was when congress
placed at the disposal of the president,
without limitation. $50,000,000 as an
emergency fund for national defense.
On April II the president committed the
entire Cuban question to congress and
Just one week later the congressional
resolution became a law declaring Cuba
free and independent; demanding that
Spain withdraw its land and naval
forces from Cuba and Cuban waters
and directing the use of our land and
naval forces to enforce the resolution.
With another week, viz. April "a, the
declaration of war was passed by con-
gress and approved. Then came the
rush of war legislation on stupendous
scale, the work proceeding while actual
hostilities were under way and the
Dewey victory was achieved.
The act creating the volunteer army
had been approved three days before
the declaration of war, and under it the
president was enabled to call into serv-
ice the 25O,O0O men augmentng the reg
ular forces. The latter also, had been
expanded and improved by the act es-
tablishing the three battalion formation
in time of war After further force was
provided by authorizing the enlistment
of 10000 men adapted to tropical eli
mate, since known as 'immunes." An
other act added two additional artillery
regiments to the regular army with a
total of 11G0 men. These and many
lesser army measures We're speedily
enacted.
With these war measures were the
important acts for raising revenue ade-
quate 20 meet the vast war eXpend.-
lures. The first of these was the war
revenue act, designed to raise $3.50, 900, ,039
and in this connection congress author
lied a bond issue of 5000, 900, 900, known
as the wal loan After news of the