The age-herald., 1901-02-25
REVIEW OF THE 56THCONCRESS
 AND ITS WORK Has Passed Upon Many Im-
 pOrtant Measures RECORD ABOUT COMPLETED Hardest Subject Has Been Our
 InSuIar Possessions SPANISH WAR CAUSED MUCH WORK Probably the Most Important Act of the Present Congress Was the
 Reorganization of the Unit
 ed States Army. 11Jla
Hardest Subject Has Been Our
 InSuIar Possessions
SPANISH WAR CAUSED MUCH WORK

of the F1fty-sixth Congress is now prac- tically completed, and although few important measures are still in the bal ance, 1t Is possible to take survey or the wide range. Chief among the ques- tions growing out of the Spanish war has been the attitude of the government toward our new insular possessions. While this question is still open to some extent yet the present Congress has passed upon one of its most important phases by enacting a law for a complete form of government for Porto Rico, leg isative, executive and judicial. together with comparative plan of raising reve- nues for the island The status of the Philippines has been an unfailing source of debate in both branches of Congress. particularly in the Senate. At the first session, Senator Spooner proposed brief | measure confirming the Presidents au- | thority to shape the affairs of the island until Congress had passed finally upon questions relating to their political sta- 1 tus. This proposition in an amended | form has now been offered as an amend ment to the army appropriation bill. | An important achievement in insular l legislation the law giving Hewaii a. complete form of territorial Foycr1imant with an fnsular legislature and judiciary, | a governor chosen from Hawaii and n delegate in the House. This law passed l at the first session has become so far l effective that the second session saw the l appearance of the delegate from Hawaii, l MT. Wilcox, who is the first official rep resentative on the floor of Congress from IIau MT. DeGetau. has also been accredited to Washington under the law phssed at the first session.
 Exceptionally Large Returns. In actual work accomplished Congress has an exceptionally large record It has passed a financial law establishing per- manent reserve of about $1b0, 900 600 gold. fixing the ratio between gold and silver. and reorganizing the bonding and the banking systems of the treasury; reor- ganizing the United States army on a basis of 100000 men. reapportioning the representation in Congress on the basis of the twelfth census. giving free homes" on the Indian lands, providing for government participation in the Lou- isiana purchase in 1s0s but some of the most lnDorthnt measures are Still cn doubt and quite likely to expire without final action. including the Nicarasuans canal bill, the ship subsidy bill, the Pa cihc cable bill and the oleomargarine bill .se
 In the Senate the death of Vice-Presi dent Hobart made the duties of presiding officer devolve upon Senator Frye, of Maine. the president pro tenpore
 That the house had to elect a new, speaker meant much, for of late years the power in the hands of the speaker and his influence on legislation havs grown steadily greater. General David B. Henderson's reelection as speaker of the next Congress is foregone conclu- sion.
 The appropriations of the present Con gress will aggregate $1, 457, 4Ss. .457 This is about 110,0OO,o00 less than the aggregate appropriations of the preceding Con- rrass. which, however, covered the period of the spnish war. when the appropria- tions ran in single year up to ssss. .2sf.-, 615 The totals for the fest two sessions of the present Congress, as recently summarized by Chairman Cannon, of ths House committee, are as follows:
 Appropriations.
 Appropriations, first session, including sinking fund. 10,150,S62.
 Appropriations, second session. inciud- ing sinking fund, Si7.1ls,5sS.
 The act recognizing the army Is prob ably the most important act of the pres ent Congress
 Secretary Root devised a measure for a complete reorganization of the army. with a maximum force of 100000 men and a minimum of 6S,Ooo
 A feature of the act which caused much controversy Is the prohibition of the sale of beer, wine or any intoxicating liquors in any post exchange or canteen, trans port or other military property of the United States.
 Financial legislation has been of un- usual importance, the law being passed providing for the redemption and reissue of interest bearing bonded obligations of the United States, establishing perma- nent gold reserve of $l50,000'000 regulat- ing national banks and making numerous provisions respecting circulation and the tax on circulation. After its passage some question arose as to the maintenance of the parity of the metals and bills to rec- tify this feature have been reported snaci6callv reouiring the exchango ~