The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-03-06
EXIT FIFTY-SEVEN.

~ L u
The Fifty seventh Congress will have
no existence after tomorrow. The Presi
dent, however, will still have some of our
statesmen on his hands after March 4. The
Senate will convene in extra session next
Thursday. Mr. Roosevelt is determined
that the treaty with Colombia for 18th
milan canal concessions, and the reciproc
ity treaty with Cuba shall be ratified. The
Administration regards these conventions
as of the very highest Importance. Ac
ton would have been taken at the regular
session on the canal treaty but for Sena-
tor Quay persistent advocacy of the
Statehood bill and Senator Morgan's op-
position to that treaty in its present form
1t is estimated that the Alabama Senator's
speeches against the canal convention ag
gregate fully 100000 words. Yet, if all
reports be true, Mr.. Morgan has a number
of speeches in reserve, and will resume
his discourse when the Senate meets in
extra session.
The most important measures passed by
the Fifty seventh Congress were enacted
at the first session, when the 1sthmian
Canal bill and the Irrigation bill became
laws. At that session the expiring Con-
gress also passed acts establishing civil
government in the Philippines and Great
ing permanent Census Bureau in tie
United States If the Fifty-seventh Con-
gress had only the Isthmian Canal act and
the irrigation law to its credit, its record
of legislation would have been a memoir
able one The construction of canal
across the Isthmus Of Panama may have
far.reacbing effect on the relations of tie
United States with South American c"un-
tries. not only commercially tut POLITICAL
ly as we'll In addition, it will be very
costly undertaking. Congress has author
lied the expenditure of $180,0O0,0C0 on
this gigantic work. The people of the
United States will be fortunate if the ex-
penditure does not txcted that sum. The
irrigation la set ms to be a harmless meas
ure on its face, but there are not few
members of Congress who assert that it
will be far more expensive and burden
some than it appears.
The second session of the Fifty seventh
Congress was not notable one in point
OF achievements At this session another
executive department was createG-tte
Department Of Commerce and Labor.
The legislation for the regulation of
trusts enacted al the present session will
Bills were passed to expedite prosecutions
under the Sherman act. A law was also
enacted to strengthen the Interstate Com
merce act and to prevent railroads from
granting rebates and corporations from
soliciting or accepting such favors. The
Bureau of Corporations of the Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor has power
to investigate the conduct and manage
ment of corporations engaged in inter-
state commerce and to report the results
of its Investigations to the President for
his guidance in submitting recommends
tons to Congress. This is the sum of the
duti-tTuSI lcSlSlatlOu VI tuc lily -SCFcuIu
Co ,gress. The measure which was most
dreaded by the corporations-the Little
fl Id bill-was passed unanimously by the
House of Representatives, but defeated
in the Senate. Its prohibitory features
we've regarded as too drastic. The en-
actment of the bill would have given the
Government weapon which unlawful
trusts would have had substantial reasons
to fear.
A Washington dispatch published in
the Sun" Monday stated that the ap-
preparations of the Fifty seventh Congress
aggregate the stupendous to tai of s., OOO,-
100000. There was time, only a few
years ago, when the expenditure by a
single Congress of half that amount was
viewed with alarm. Now, as Represen
tative Livingston, of Georgia, states in
an interview printed in the "Snn.' 1--WE
have billion dollar Congress every year,
instead of every two years." We were a