Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-27
NEAR ITS END.
The Work Of the 55th Con-
gress Reviewed.
Has Covered a Most EventfuI Period Of
History.
Many matters Of Great magnitude Handled.
and Many Exciting Scenes.

hVentIut peTlOu III the Country > ulSloIy
is covered by the work of the Fifty
fifth Congress which is drawing to a
close. 1t has been a period of stirring
and dramatic action, with questions
of vast magnitude constantly engag-
ing attention, forming an epoch along
side those other American epochs. the
Revolution and the Civil War. This
Congress has declared war against
foreign foe, and the treaty making
branch has participated in ratifylng
the treaty by which that war was ter
minated. 1t has provided great VOL
unteer army, has enlarged the regular
army, and has expanded the navy to
meet war emergencies and new condl-
tons. The tariff has been revised. first
by the Dingley law and then by the
war revenue act: 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
under ordinary circumstances would
make it's session memorable. This in
cludes the annexation of Hawaii; the
rejection by the Senate of the general
treaty of arbitration with Great
bankruptcy law; provision for taking
the 18th census; reorganization of the
personnel of the navy. To this list
NAV vet be added other important
subjects still pending. including the
Nicaragua canal. the increase of the
regular army, the anti-scalping meas
ure. the Hawaiian bill, and the pro-
posed encouragement Of American
- cot tv,Hy> mt
general measures are in the ara legis-
Iative stages, and it will not until
the last hours arrive that tBxspccess
or failure of these measures NNl be
determined definitely. NJ,
The present Congress began its Work
almost simultaneous with the, opening
of President McKinley's adniirf4tra-
ton. Two days after his inauEuf6tion
he issued the call for an extrAs ses-
sion, and in pursuance to this caM Con
gress assembled IN March IN 1897.
The special message to CongreS4 was
directed to the need of a tarfns law
that would provide ample reveiyne for
the support of the government. No
other subject of legislation was men,
aioned, 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
Republican 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 Z; became a law July "a
Hardly less important was the consid-
Grafton 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 instru-
ment. 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 chargeable to
this Congress. Some general legisla-
tion was enacted, including the sus-
pension of President Cleveland's order
setting aside 21,OO0O00 acres of forest
reserves; providing for gradual
abandonment of sectarian Indian
schools; extending relief to Mississippi
flood sufferers. and to the destitute in
Cuba and in India. The Cuban prob
lem began to present an acute phase at
this early session, and the Senate
passed a resolution recognizing the
Cubans as belligerents. which, how
ever, 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
independents: 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 Nar-clouds darkened, ranging from
the submission of the report on the
Maine disaster to the call for declara-
ton of war The first real war legis-
lation was when Congress placed at
the disposal of the President. without
limitation, $50, 900, 900 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 reso-
luton 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 our land and
naval forces to enforce the resolu-
tons. Within another week. viz. April
"a. the declaration Of war was passed
by Congress and approved. Then
came the rush of war legislation on a
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
service the 100000 men augmenting the
regular forces. The latter, also, had
been expanded 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 climate, since known as FIN
Tnunes." Another act added two addi-
tional artillery. regiments to the regu-
lar army. with a total of 1910 men
These and many lesser army measures
were Snpedi1v enacted