The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-04
SIX IMPORTANT MEASURES.
THREE BECAME LAWS AND THREE
FAILED OF PASSAGE.

Ridered were the t1nancfal Bill, |
the Hawaiian Bill and the Porto
ssican BiII-The Failures Were the
ship Subsidy Scheme, the Canal
Measure and the Hay-Pauncefote
Treaty.
Washington. June S.-When the history
of the first session of the Fifty-sixth Con-
gress is written there will stand out SIX
measures as being those most prominent
under considera don-three of them enact
ed into law and three which failed In
reaching the final goal. The three sue
cessful contests have been those over. the
financial bill. the bill providing gov
eminent for the territory of Hawaii, and
the bill to temporarily provide revenues
end civil government for Porto Rico.
The three measures which stand out most
prominently as unfinished business are the
Nicaraguan canal bill, which has passed.
the House, and received favorable re-
port from the committee to which 1t was
referred in the Senate and only lacks en-
actment because of the determination OF
the administration leaders TO prevent it;
the ship subsidy bill, which has received
favorable reports at both sides of Congress
but has passed neither House; and the
Hay-Pauncefote treaty which Is hung up
in the Senate where its ratification, even
IN its amended form, has been made i'm
possible for this session.
The Financial Bill.
While the financial bill was distinctly
an administration measure and received
the support of the Republicans without ex-
ception, the men most active in securing
IA Senator AldriCh, VINO
had charge of the bill in the Senate, ana
Mr.. Overstreet of Indiana, who engineer
ed 1t successfully through the House,
In a sense IL was Mr.. Overstreets debut
sn prominent legislation, although he has
been quite an active member of the House
for more than five years. He is mem
Der of the Committee on Banking ana
Currency, but rather far down on the
qist, and his selection as special custodian
of the measure can only be explained by
the fact that he has made thorough
study of the currency question. Perhaps
this is TO some extent due to the fact
of his residence in Indianapolis which
city has for several years, been something
of storm center in the battle of the
standards Mr. Overstreet is just past
40 years of age, is of medium height,
with a slight brown mustache and dresses
an quiet good taste. He is indeed, one
of the quiet members of the House, not
given to general debate, but during the
financial debate he proved himself mas
ter Of his subject, always capable of meet
ing the attacks of the enemy who were,
OF course, most bitter on this particular
subject.
Senator Aldrich is master of the craft
of legislation, and when he undertakes
10 steer bill through the Senate, he does
it with master hand. Always suave and
with a smile on his face, he parties the
onslaught of his opponents. and where
other cheirmen seem to have faculty
of stirring up opposition through their
aggressive personality, Senator Aldrich
has exactly the opposite effect. In this
game of legislative management he is
easily the strongest man in the Senate,
and to be the strongest man of the Senate
majority means a good deal
The Hawaiian Bill.
Uncle Shelby Cullom, the man who Is
known to the outside world particularly
through the fact of his resemblance to
Abe Lincoln-a resemblance which, II is
needless to say, Uncle Shelby has found
most useful in his campaigning in the
back-woods of Illinois--had charge of the
Hawaiian bill, and through his familiar
ity with the islands, gained while MEM
Der of the Hawaiian Commission, was
able TO put through his highly important
measure with very little friction. In the
House, perhaps, the most prominent fig
ure in the debate over this measure was
Mr.. Hit of Illinois, chairman of the Com
mittee on Foreign Affairs. The bill did
not come from that committee, but Mr..
Hit had also been member of the Ha-
waiian Commission and his knowledge
gained there, combined with his wide ex-
perience in the consideration of foreign
matters, made him power in connection
with the Hawaiian legislation.
The Porto Rican Bill.
Everybody took a hand in the fight over
Porto Rico In the Senate, the tariff
proposition had as its leading champion
Senator Foraker and at no time since he
came 10 Washington has the Sen
aior from Ohio had better oppor-
tunity \ to display his magnif
icent fighting qualities. On the other side
of the question, opposing the tariff prop
ostion to the last were Senator Davis
of Minnesota and his colleague, Senator
Nelson. as well as several other prami-
nent Republican senator's. Senator Bev-
eridge took a strong stand against the
tariff, but when 1t was found impossible
20 knock out that proposition he support-
ed the bill a party measure.
In the House the most notable figures
in the Porto Rico debate were Lite
field of Maine, Mccall of Massachusetts,
and Lorimer of Illlnois-he of the sun
kissed hair-and the other Republicans
who refused to go with their party.
The Canal Bill.
In any mention of the Nicaragua canal
bill it is the figure of John T. Morean
of Alabama that must loom up most
prominent. The fight which other men
have taken up latterly, Senator Morgan
has been making for years. In his present
contention he has most active lieuten-
ant in the person of Senator Harris OF
Kansas, who possesses the unique distinc-
ton of being a Confederate veteran, and
yet representing bleeding Kansas" in
the United States Senate. Col Pete Hep
burn, chairman of the House Conference
Committee, is the author of the present
bill. and was one of its most vigorous
advocates when IL was put through the
House. The principal fight over the meas
ure there was as to the fortifica-
ton proposition. Col. Hepbun's COM
mittee voted TO modify che ORR
ginal bill so as to provide for pro-
lection and defense in general terms
rather than to specify that there should
be fortifcations. and the minority, led by
Adamson of Georgia and Shackleford of
Missouri tried 10 keep the fertilization
provision in.