The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-27

Try history Is cONeTcu ny llle
v Y work of the Fifty-fifth Con-
gress, which is drawing to a
close. 1t has been a period of stirring
and dramatic action, with questions of
vast magnitude constantly engaging at
tention, 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 participated in ratifying
the treaty by which that war was ter
minated. 1t has provided a great vol
unteer army, has enlarged the regular
army and has expanded the navy to
meet war emergencies and new condi-
tions.
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 measures are,
the Congress has had time also to enact
other legislation which under ordinary
circumstances would make its session
memorable. This includes the annexa-
ton of Hawaii; the rejection by the
Senate of the general treaty of arbi-
tration with Great Britain; the enact
ment of a national bankruptcy law;
provision for taking the twelfth CEN
sus; reorganization of the personnel
Of the navy. To this list may yet be
added other important subjects still
pending, including the Nicaragua canal.
the increase Of the regular army, the
anti-scalping measure, the Hawaiian
bill and the proposed encouragement 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 determined definitely.
The present Congress began its work
almost simultaneously with the open
ing of President McKinley's admins
tration. Two days after his inaugura-
ton he issued the call for an extra ses
sion, and in pursuance Of this call Con-
gress assembled on March IS. 1897 The
special message t. Congress was direct
ed to the need of a tariff law that
would provide ample revenue for the
support of the Government. no other
subject 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 Republican
associates had already done much work
on the bill, and three days after the ex--
ira 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 z; be-
came a law July "a. Hardly less i'm
portant was the consideration in the
Senate of the general treaty of arbitra-
ton negotiated by President Cleveland
with Great Britain. The progress of the
treaty in the executive sessions of the
Senate attract worldwide 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 considered as properly charge
able to this Congress. Some general
legislation was enacted, including
the suspension of President Cleve-
lands order setting aside 81
OOO. 900 acres of forest reserves:
of sectarian Indian schools; extend
ing 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 reso-
luton recognizing the Cubans as bel
ligerents, which, however. did not pass
the House.
The second session Of the. present
Congress 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
independent; 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 darkened, ranging from the
submission of the report on the Maine
disaster to the call for declaration
of war The first real war legislation
was when Congress placed at the
disposal of the President. with
out limitation, $5O,OO0 900 as an
emergency fund for national de-
fense On April IL 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 it's
land and naval forces from Cuba and
Cuban waters and directing the use of