Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-07-03
A Notable Session Of Congress-.

ule duJOilrnileNl ol COHSTtSs, lteSudy
Speaker Henderson declared
that at no session since the constitu
ton was adopted has more work been
done than during the one just closed.
This was not altogether an exaggera-
ton, made in the exultaticn and re-
taxation following the release from
was a claim well based upon facts.
The session just closed will go down in
history as one in which great and good
things were accomplished. An almost
unprecedented amount of work WAS
piled up before it and many Things in
evitahly nave been left undone. Had
before it, the session would have con-
tinued all the summer and fall, and
then the end would not have been
reached.
But the session will be memorable
for what it did, not for what it failed
to do. And notable among its achieve
ments was the passage of the Spooner
canal bill which makes certain the
construction of an isthmian water
centuries This measure alone would
give the 57th Congress high place in
American history We're it its only piece
of legislation. The bill wisely leaves
the selection of the route to the Presi-
dent. The American people do not
care whether it is Parama canal or
Nicaraguan canal, so long as it is well
built and at a minimum of time and
expense If the title to the Panama
route is clear, that will probably be
the route, as it is shorter and has
numerous advantages. Otherwise the
Nicaragua route will probably be Sc
lected by the President. In either
case a canal is assured, canal built
and controlled by the United States
for the use of the commerce of the
world It's building will be one of the
greatest achievements of this century
ana one of the deathless glories of the
administration of Theodore Roosevelt.
Many other pieces of far reaching
legislation have come from this session
of Congress. Prominent among them
is the bill for the civil government of
the Philippines, Il masterpiece of
colonial legislation which removes the
last remaining opportunity for the
enemies of the administration to make
any cry of imperialism" 1t deals
with the problem of our new de-
Tendencies in a broad spirit, and gives
| the Philippines all the blessings and
| opportunities which can come with self
| governme mt under the American flag.
To the credit of this Congress also are
the repeal of the war taxes, the re-
| enactment of the Chinese exclusion
bill as a protection to labor, the pas
sage cf the oleomargarine bill to pro-
tect the dairy interests of the country,
| the establishment of q permanent CEN
|
delivery system, the strengthening of
| the navy, the passage of an irrigation
bill to develop the arid regions of the
| West, the continuation of the improve
| ment of our rivers and harbors in the
| interests of trade and commerce, the
erection of numerous public buildings
where the government service demands
| them and other matters of no small
| imnortance and interest. All this
gress may well be satisfied as it ad-
| iourns to give its members a well
earned vacation until December.
There were important measures
which by limitation of time and diff
| ferences of opinion were shelved or
postponed until the next session. And
| it must not be forgotten that it takes
| two sessions to make up the
work Of a Congress. Most prCmi-
nent of these was the bill pro-
vidpg reciprocity measures with the
new republic of Cuba which has
peculiar claims upon the generosity of
| the United States. This was debated
long and warmly. 1t was not a party
question, but was much complicated by
sectional inter ests. The bill finally
passed the House but stopped in the
Senate. All felt that something should
be dore TO help Cuba and it is much to
be regretted tAat an agreement could
not have been reached at this session.
The admission Of the territories of
Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona as
states was another matter left to be
taken up next winter, and it is general
| ly agreed that the postponement is
wiser than immediate action would
have been. The ship subsidy bill
passed the Senate, but was left unset
tied in the House. The bill protecting
| the President was also remanded 10
The next session, not because there was
opposition to such a bill but because
I