Gilpin observer., 1902-07-03
WORK OFCONGREsS
IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF
THE PRESENT SESSION..

pine Civil Government ELL Head the
Llst-ocvernmen to Aid in lrriga
ton of Arid Section.
Washington. June S0.-The work OF
congress is now practically closed 50
that it is possible to sum up the rec,
ord of what has been accomplished
during the past seven months, which
constitute the first session Of the Fir.
ty-seventh congress.
The session has been marked by eS-
ceptional business activity with many
questions of far-reaching interest.
With the exception of the Cuban
reciprocity BILL most of the larger
subjects of general legislation have
been enacted as laws or will becom.
such before the session closes. Nota.
BILE among these larger measures Is
the isthmian canal bill, which con.
summaries the efforts of half q cen.
tury to link together the waters OF
the Atlantic and the Pacific. Aside
from its national and International
Importance, this bill probably involves
larger sum of money than that GOV.
ering any other single undertaking
by the government outside of war ex.
penditures.
The Philippine civil government
bill is another measure of far-reaching
Importance, extending to our remote
Pacific possessions a system of inter.
nal government, together with coin.
age, currency. banking. corporation,
timber and homestead laws. Among
the other important general laws en-.
acted are those repeating the war rev.
enue taxes; extending and making
more effective the Chinese exclusion
laws; establishing a tariff for goods
to and from the Philippines; extend.
ing the charter of national banks for
twenty years; establishing a perma.
nent census office; restricting the
sale of oleomargarine by placing a
high tax on imitation butter; provid.
ing consular and diplomatic service
for Cuba; establishing an extensive
system by which the government will
aid in the >rigation of the arid sec.
tions of the west.
Aside from these important laws
there are number OF other measures
OF general importance, which have
passed one or both houses. but have
not yet progressed to the final stage.
These include the anti-anarchist
legislation which grew out of the as
sassination of President Mckinley
Bills restricting anarchy and throwing
safeguards about the president have
passed both branches of congress, but
it has been impossible to reach an
agreement in conference, so that the
subject goes over until December.
The amount of appropriations fol
She session will run unusually high
owing in part to the amount required
to build the isthmian canal. When
Cannon submitted a general estimate
of appropriations few weeks ago he
made the total up to that time S69l..
445.000. Since then the canal bill has
passed. carrying a present appropria-
ton of S4O.0O0.000 for the franchise
and enough more for the rights of Co
lombia and for beginning the work to
carry the total up to S50,000.000. The
entire cost of the undertaking is ap.
proximately Sls4.000,000. Cannon's es-
innate also omitted contracts for fut.
ure expenditures included in the ON.
nibus public building bills. aggregating
large amount. This will carry the
total for the session, figuring in these
future amounts, almost, II not quite
up, to the billion dollar mark.