Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-03-03
THE 55TH CONGRESS-.
Stirring Events in the Nations
History
ork of the Last Two Years---

This Congress has declared war against
foreign foe, and the treaty making branch
has participated in ratifying the treaty by
which the war was terminated. 1t has
provided a great volunteer army, has en-
iarged the regular army and has expanded
the navy to meet war emergencies and
new conditions The tariff has been re-
vised, first by the Dingley law and then
bv the war revenue act; a bond issue,
known as the war loan, has been provided.
Butfar reaching as these war measures are,
the Congress has had time also to enact
other legislation which under ordinary cir
cumstances woul make its session mtm-
orable. This includes the annexation of
Hawaii; the reiec ion by the Senate OF the
general treaty of arbitration with Great
Britain; the enactment of a national bank
ruptcv law: provision for taking the 10Th
census; Reorganization of the personnel of
the navy. To this list may yet be added
other important subjects still pending, in
Guiding the Nicaragua canal, the increase
of the regular army, the anti-scalpin
measure. the Hawaiian bill and the pro-
posed encouragement of American ship
ping. Some of the most important gener-
al 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 determined definite
ly.
The present Congress began its work al
most simultaneously with the opening of
President McKinley's administration. Two
DAYS after his Inauguration he issued call
for an extra session, and in pursuance to
this call Congress assembled on March 10,
1897. The special message to Congress was
directed to the need of a tariff law that
would provide ample revenue for the sup
port of the government. No other object of
legislation was mentioned and the tariff bill
at once became the all absorbing feature of
the session. Chairman Dingley of the
ways and means committee and his Repub
lican associates had already done much
work on the bill, and three days after the
extra session began the Dingley tariff bill
was reported 1t passed the House
within two weeks of the opening of the
session: passed the Senate May I; became
law July "a. Hardly less important was
the consideration in the Senate of the gen.
eral treaty of arbitration negotiated by
President Cleveland with Great Britain. The
progress of the treaty in the executive ses-
sions of the Senate attracted world wide
attention, finally resulting in the defeat of
the instrument. The extra session also
brought forth four appropriation bills but
they were those which failed of passage in
the preceding Congress, and were not con-
sidered as properly chargeable to this Con
grass. Some general legislation was enact
ed, including the suspension of President
Cleveland's order setting aside 81, 900, 600
acres of forest reserves; providing for a
gradual abandonment of sectarian 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 ses-
sion, and the Senate passed a resolution
recognizing the Cubans as belligerents,
y. ::ch, however, did not pass the House.
,s asss11he second session of the present Con-
gress is remembered as the great war ses-
sion. There were many messages from
the President as the war clouds darkened,
ranging from the submission of the report
on the Maine disaster to the call for dec
laration of war. The first real war legis-
lation was when Congress placed at the
disposal of the President without limita-
ton 500, 1000, 900 as an emergency fund for
national defence. On April II the Presi-
dent committed the entire Cuban question
to Congress and just one week later the
congressional resolution acame a law de-
claring Cuba free and independent. With
in another week, viz. April "a, the declar-
alton of war was passed by Congress and
approved. Then came the rush of war
legislation on a stupendous scale, the work
proceeding while actual hostilites were
under way and the Dewey victory was
achieved.
The act creating the volunteer army had
been approved three days before the dec
laration of war, and under it the Presi-
dent was enabled to call into service the
$50, 900 men augumenting the regular
forces The latter, also, had been expand
ed and improved by the act establishing
the three battalion formation in time of
war. A further force was provided by
authorizing the enlistment Of 10000 men
adapted to tropical climates since known
as ''immunes." Another act added two
additional artillery regimentsto the regu-
lar army, with total of 1910 men. These
and many lesser army measures were
speedily enacted.
With these war measures were the inn
portant acts for raising revenue adequate
to meet the vast war expenditures. The
first of these was the war revenue act, de-
signed to raise $4,000, 000 and in this
connection Congress authorized bond is
sue of 5000, 100000 known as the war
loan"
Although the second session was absorb
ed with the war there was time for much
important general legislation The annex
alton of Hawaii was accomplished by res
olution, the treaty of annexation not hav-
ing been ratified in the Senate. A general
bankruptcy law was enacted, providing for
both voluntary and involuntary bank
ruptcy. Other general measures were:
Prohibiting the killing of seals in the North
Pacific and importation of seal skins into
this country; appropristing $413, l51 to set
tie the Boring Sea arbitration; relieving
suffering miners in Yukon; and establish
ment of Industrial Commission.
The present, or third session, of the 55th
Congress dealt with the far-reachipg re.
suits growing out of the war. Most i'm
portant of these was the consideration of
the peace treaty, which was finally ratified
by the Senate Feb. by a vote of 81 to 21.
While the treaty was exclusively before the
Senate the House had some indirect partici-
patton with subjects covered by the treaty.
AS the breach originating all revenue
measures, it provided an appropriation of
$50, 100000 to pay Spain according TO the
terms of the treaty. This was first pro-
posed as an amendment to the sundry civil
bill. but was ruled out on technical grounds.
Later it passed as au independent measure.
Efforts were made to add to it a declare
ton of the policy of the government as to
the Philippines, but this was defeated by
the overwhelming vote of 213 to "a. The
resolution of Senator McEnery, declaring
the policy toward the Philippines, came to
the House and was referred to the commit
tee on foreign affairs, but no final action is
probable.