New-York tribune., 1899-02-27

QUESTIONS or VAST IMPORTANCE con
SIDERED.
AN EPOCH-MAKGNG PERIOD ~ AMERICAN
Y-LEGIsLATION IN DETAIL.


Washington. Feo 2s-An eventful period in the
| country's history is covered by the work Of the
/ LNth Congress which is drawing 70 close. II
has been a period OF stirring and dramatic action.
with questions Of vast magnitude constantly on
gaEing attention. forming epoch alongside those
/ other American epochs. the Revolution and the
/ civil War. This Congress has declared aga inst
foreign fee and the rcaty-making branch has
participated in ratifying the treaty by which that
war terminnted. Il has provided great vol
untcer army. has enlarged the Regular Army and
has expanded the Navy meet war emergencies
and now conditions. The tariff has been revised.
first by the Dingley law and then by the War Reve-
nue. act. n bond issuc. known as the war .oan.
has been provided
/ But. far-reaching these war measures are. the
/ Congress has had time also to enact other legis-
laton which under ordinary circumstances would
make Is session memorable. This includes the
annexation of Hawaii. the rejection by ,he Senate
Of the general treaty OF arbitration with Great
Britain. the enactment Of National Bankruptcy
/ law provision for taking the Twelfth Census and
the reorganization OF the personnel OF the Nav.
TO this list may yet be added other important sub
jects SIN pending. Iacludag the Nicaragua Canal
tho increase Of the Regular Army the an;i-scalp-
ne measure. the Hawaiian bill and the proposed
ENCOURAGEMENT Of American shipping. Some Of the
most important general measures I'm the final
legislative stages. and Il will not be until tho last
hours arrive that the Success or failure OF these
measures will be determined definitely
CALL FOR AN EXTRA SESSION
The present Congress began It's work almost ST.
multaneousiy with the opehing OF Presiden, Nc
K'nieys administration. Two days after his in
auguration ne issued the call for extra session
and IN pursuance Of this call Congress assembled
on March II. 1897 The special message TO Con-
gress was directed to the need Of n tariff law that
would provide ample revenue for tho support Of
the Government. No other subject OF legislation
was mentioned and the tariff bin at became
the all-absorbing feature Of tho session Chairman
Dingley OF the Ways and Means Committee and
his Republican associates had already done much
work on tho bill and three days after the extra Sos
sion began the Dngley Tariff bill was reported
Il passed the House within two weeks Of the open
ing OF the session passed the Senate May : and be-
came law July ~
Hardly 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
ecutve sessions of tho Senate. attracted world
wide attention finally resulting in the defeat OF the
instrument. The extra session also brought forth
four appropriation bills but they those which
failed Of passage in the preceding Congress. and
were not considered properly chargeabe to this
Congress Some general legislation was enacted.
including the suspension OF President Cleveands
order setting aside 100000 acres OF forest re-
serves providing for gradual abandonment OF
Mississippi food sufferers and the destitute in
Cuba and in India The Cuban problem began 20
present phase at this carly session. and
the Senate passed a resolution recognizing the Gu
bans "a belligerents which however, did not pass
the House.
LEGISLATION IN THE WAR.
The second session OF the present Congress IS
remembered as tho great session II the
elimination Of the pent-up sympathy for suffering
Cuba the declaration that the people Of Cuba
ought 20 be and are free and independent the
declaration OF war against Spain, and the enact
ment Of those vast emergency measures for prose-
cutting the war There were many messages from
the President as the war-clOuds darkened ranging
from the submission OF the report the Maine
disaster 20 the call for declaration ~ war The
frs, real var legislation when Congress
placed az tho DISPOSAL Of the President. without
limitation. SOG0cD as an emergency fund for
National defence. on April II the President com
mtted the entire Cuban question 10 Congress and
Jus, one week later the Congressional resolution
became .aw declaring cuba free and indcpend-
ent demanding tha; Spain withdraw IT'S land and
naval forces from cuba and Cuban waters. and
directing the use Of our land and naval forces 10
enforce the resolutions. Within another Week.
April a. the declaration of war was passed py
Congress and approved. Then came the rush oi
war legislation on a stupendous scale. the WORK
proceeding while actual hostities were under way
and the Dewey victory was achieved
ARMY MEASURES ENACTED
The act creating The volunteer army had been ap-
proved three days before The declaration OF "ar'
and under lt the President was enabled 70 call INTO
se-,.,,e the 200 men augmenting the Regular
forces The latter also had been expanded and I'M
nrovcd bv the act establishing the three battalion
formation in riu1c O. war \ further force was
provided bv authorizing the enlistment OF lp'"
men adapted 10 tropical climate. since known as
irauunes Another act added two add1toha' at-
tnlery regiments 20 the Regular Army. with total
OF 1910 men. These and many lesser ARMY meas
ures we've speedily enacted
v-i,h ,hoso war measures were the important acts
for raising revenue adequate 20 meet the vast "ar
expenditures The first o. these was the way /
Revenue act designed 90 raise {ly'"F'" ana J"
this connection Congress authorized bond issue !
o. s2l0eN d. known as the war loan After news
" the Dewey victory was received resolutions 'i /
thanks 10 the victor were pa sed. and Congress +
authorized the presentation ~ q sword 10 him ana /
medals 20 his officers
Although the second session was ABSORBED WIN /
the Oo- there wta time for much important gen I
erql legislation The annexation of Hawai- was /
accomplished by resolution the treaty oi an
nexation not having been ratified ln me Senate /
4 general bankruptcy law was enacted providlhs /
for both voluntary and involuntary hankrup'cy' /
Other general measures enacted were those pro /
btbrtrq the killing Of seals in the North Pacific |
and Importation Of sealskns into this country /
o,,onr,a,ing s.3l5l 20 settle the Behrirg Sea ar
btr,tlon. relieving suffering miners IN the Yukon .
region and the establishment OF an Industrial Com
mission
The total appropriation OF the second sSsion
ro5r.d almost SOoCcoo oco of which upward OF
,s70 go co0 was for purely purposes
ACTION ON THE PEACE TREATY.
The present. or third session OF the Lv;h Con
gre=s dealt with those far-reecnng results gr'"
tho o,t ~ the war Most important Of these was
tho consideration Of the Peace Treaty In the
senate Tho treaty was transmitted 10 the Senate
bv ,he President on January {. II was tnen re-
rerred 10 the Committee on Foreign relations
orf ofter being held for a week was reported back