The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-28

4 fI,rther force was provided by authoriz-
ing the enlistment OF 1900 men adapted
10 tropical elm ste. since known as I'M
rnunes" Another act added two additional
artillery regiu euts to the regular army.
with z total OF 1.6l0 men. These and many
lesser army measures were speedily Ell
acted.
Acts fer Raising Revenue.
With these war measures were the i'm
rortant acts for raising revenue adequate
% meet the vast war expenditures The
frs; of these vas the war revenue act
designed to raise sl500o0Geo. and In this
connection Congress authorized a bond
issue Of se00oo.00. known as the war
loan" After news OF the Dewey victory
was received resolutions Of thanks TO the
victor were passed, and Congress au-
thorized the presentation of a sword 10
him and medals TO his officers.
Although the second session was ab-
sorbed with the war. there was time for
much important general legislation. The
annexation OF Hawaii was accomplished
by a resolution. the treaty of annexation
not having been ratified by the Senate. \
general bankruptcy law was enacted,
providing for both voluntary and invol-
untary bankruptcy. Other general meas
ures enacted were: Prohibiting the kill
lLB VI sears III kltt -NOA III 1 anu I'LL
portation of sealskins into this country:
appropristing Si75.i51 to settle the Bering
Sea arbitration; relieving suffering mi
ners in Yukon: establishment Of the IN
dustrial Commission.
The total appropriation Of the second,
or war. session footed almost S9O00o0,O0O.
OF which upN ard Of S50,000Oo was for
purely war purposes.
Third session of Congress.
Fffty-ffth Congress dealt with those far
reaching results growing out of the war.
Most important of these was the consid-
Grafton of the peace treaty in the Senate.
The treaty MAS transmitted to the SEN
ate by the President on the 4th of Janu-
ary. 1t was then referred TO the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations and after be-
ing held for just a week by the committee
was reported back to the Senate on the
1lth of January The Senate had the
treaty under consideration for less than a
month. the vote on ratification being
taken on the 6th OF February. There was
intense interest in tho progress of the
question from the beginning of the dis
cussion until the close and this interest
was intensified by the doubt felt as 10
the result OF the vote. When the Senate
went into executive session on the 9th of
February, half an hour before the time
set for the final vote, the friends Of the
treaty were certain of only fifty-five Of
the fifty-siX votes necessary TO insure the
adoption of the resolution Of ratification.
Soon afterward they secured promises
from Senator Jones, of Nevada, and Nc
Emery, of Louisiana, and when the vote
was taken the result stood 81 ayes to z
nays, or one vote more than was neceS-
sary under the requirements of two
thirds ma lOrity.
While the treaty was exclusively before
the Senate, the House had some indirect
participation with subjects covered by
the treaty. As the branch originating all
revenue measures, it provided an apprO-
pTiation of 100000 900 to pay Spain, ac-
c0rding TO the terms of the treaty. This
was first proposed as an amendment to
the sundry civil bill, but was ruled out on
technical grounds. Later IL passed as an
Independent measure Efforts were made
TO add to 1t a declaration of the policy of
the government as to the Philippines, but
this was defeated. The appropriation
passed by the overwhelming vote of 2l3 TO
81. The resolution OF Senator McEnery,
declaring the policy toward the Philip
pines came to the House and was re-
ferred to the Committee on Foreign At
fairs, but no final acton is probable.
Reorganization Of the Army.
Another important measure resulting
a
bill, or the Hull-Hawley bill, for the in
crease and reorganization Of the regular
army. Following the new conditions aris-
ing, two plans of army increase were pre-
sented to Congress The House Military
Committee first took up the subject and,
after elaborate hearings. presented
through Chairman Hull a bill having the
approval of the War Department. 1t IL
creased the army TO approximately 100
coo men. When considered in the House
the grade of Lieutenant General was
struck out discretion was given the Pres
ident to reduce the size Of companies, so
that the total force would be about 60 200
men, and some other amendments were
made, but the bill, substantially as pre-
sented, was passed. In the Senate, the
Committee on Military Affairs DIVIDED
equally on the bill, Gen. Hawley, the
Chairman, and four others reporting a
bill similar to that passed in the House,
while five other Senators made minority
report, opposing the proposed increase,
and suggesting plan of temporary con-
tinuance of the military establishment at
2cOO, with an additional force of 55,uGO TO
he used in outlying lnSuldr possessions.
These several propositions have aroused
wide differences, and it will not be until
the last days of the session, If at all, that
the final form OF the measure can De de-
termined.
The latest phase of the subject is pre-
sented in a compromise planned by the
party leaders in the Senate after confer
ring with the executive authorities. The
compromise proposes only d slight per-
manent increase of the regular army, and
authorizes tne President until July |, 1901,
to maintain the regular army at 5000,
and TO raise a force Of not more than
50, 90 volunteer infantry organized, as
thirty regiments. This plan is now pend
ing before the Senate.
The Nicaragua Canal.
The Nicara qua canal ques ton has also
taken a prominent place in the work Of
this session. At the outset Mr.. Morgan
had the subject made the unfinished busi-
ress of the Senate. and with this right of
way 1t as kept constantly before the
Senate, when not in executive session,
until finally passed. The essential feature
Of the Morgan bill is in providing that the
United States shall participate in the con-
struction of the canal. subscribing for
$4,000 shares at 500 each. out of total of
l,oC9.c0O. and that the work of the Mari
time Canal Company. of Nicaragua In
executing the work shall be practically
Under the direction O. the United States.
Wien this bill reached the House Com
m!ttee on Commerce, all after the enact
ing clause was struck out and what IS
known as the Hepbura plan. drafted by
Representative Hepburn. Of Iowa, Chair