The record-union., 1899-02-27
An Eyentful Period Covered by Its
Work.
Declared War Against a Foreign Foe and
Made Peace.
It Has Provided a Great Volunteer
Army, Enlarged the Regular
Army and Expanded Our Navy
to Meet the New Conditions
Hawaii Has Been Annexed and
Arbitration Treaty Rejected,
Besides Many Other Acts.

Arbitration Treaty Rejected,
Besides Many Other Acts.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-An event
full period in the country's history is
covered by the work of the fifty-fieth
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 these
other ones of the American republic,
the revolution and the civil war.
This Congress has declared war
against a foreign foe, and the treaty
making branch has participated in the
ratifying of the treaty by which that
war was terminated 1t has provided
a great volunteer army, has enlarged
the regular army and has expanded the
navy to meet war emergencies and new
conditions. 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 pro-
vided. But, far reaching as these war
measures are, the Congress has had
time also to enact other legislation,
which, under ordinary circumstances,
would make it's session memorable.
This includes the annexation Of Ha-
wall; the rejection by the Senate of
the general treaty of arbitration with
Great Britain; the enactment of a ma
tional bankruptcy law; provision for
taking the twelfth census; reorganiza-
ton of the personnel OF the navy. To
f- 1is-+, H. Il 4,
ant subjects still pending, including the
Nicaragua Canal, the increase of the
regular army, the anti-scalping meas
ure. the Hawaii bill and the proposed
encoura cement Of American shipping.
Some of the most important general
measures are in the fnal legislative
states, 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. inaugula-
tion he issued a call FOR an extra ses-
stem. and in pursuance to this calf COY
gress assembled on March 15, 1897. The
special message to 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
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 7th;
became law July oath. Hardly less
important was the consideration in the
Senate of the general treaty of arbi-
tration negotiated by President Cleve-
land with Great Britain. The progress
of the treaty in the executive sessions
of the Senate attracted world wide at
tention, finally resulting in the defeat
of the instrument. The extra session
also brought forth four appropriation
bills, but they were those v hich failed
of passage in the preceding Congress-
and were not considered as properly
chargeable to this Congress. Some
general legislation was enacted, includ-
lands order setting aside 1000. 900
acres of forest reserves; providing for
a gradual abandonment of sectarian
Indian schools; extending relief to Mis-
sissippi flood sufferers and to the desti-
tute in Cuba and in India The Gu
ban problem began to present an acute
phase at this early session and the
Senate passed a resolution recognizing
the Cubans as belligerants, 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 in
declaring war with Spain and enact
ment 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 a declar-
alton of war. The first real war legis-
lation was when Congress placed at the
disposal of the President without limit
alton $5OO00,O00 as an emergency fund
for national defense. On April 18th
the President committed the entire Gu
ban question to Congress and just enc
week later the Congressional resolution
became law declaring Cuba free and
independent, demanding that Spain
withdraw its land and naval forces
from Cuba and Cuban waters and di-
recting the use of our land and naval
forces to enforce the resolutions. With
in another week, viz: April 24th, the
declaration of war was passed by Con-
gress and approved. Then came The
rush of war legislation on stupend-
Gus scale, the work proceeding While
actual hostilities We're 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 10000 men augmenting the
regular forces The latter also had
been expanded and improved by the
Act establishing the Disqualification
formation in time of war. A further
force was provided by authorizing the
enlistment of 10000 men adapted to
tropical climate, since known as i'm
munes.'' Another Act added two addi-
tional artillery regiments to the regular