The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1904-04-29
The TWO HOUSES
WHAT THE FIFTY-EIGHTH CON.
GRESS HAS DONE.
The TWO IMPORTANT SUBJECTS
Panama Canal and Cuban Reciprocity
Considered of Greatest interest
Bills of Public Nature and the
Amount of Appropriations

WASHINGTON - The Important
| legislative accomplishments of the
sessions of the fifty-eighth congress
were confined to two subjects-Cuba
and Panama. The reciprocity treaty
between the new island republic and
the United States, initiated by Pres
ident Mckinley, was made operative
by legislative enactment. The ratifi-
cation of treaty by the senate and
the subsequent initiation of legisla-
tion for the government of the canal
zone commit the United States to the
construction of the Panama canal,
connecting the waters of the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans.
The special session, now denominat-
ed the first session, was called for
the purpose of carrying out the pledge
of the nation to Cuba. The Panama
development was one which arose sud-
denly and received decisive and imme-
diate action at the hands of President
Roosevelt and the senate.
The conservatism incident to the
approaching presidential campaign, as
usual, was manifested by those re-
sponsible for the acts of the national
legislative body. The annual supply
bills were, made up with an eye to
economy. incidentally they were pass
ed with greater dispatch than hereto
fore has been the case.
The senate ratified the treaty nego-
tiated with Cuba to carry out the
terms of the Platt amendment.
1t also ratified the Chinese CONNER
cial treaty, which provides for two
open ports in Manchuria.
Chairman Hemenway of the house
committee on appropriations, in a
statement compiled under his direc-
ton, gives the total of all supply bills
(subject to slight changes in pending
bills) as s597, ,8O2,324, to which must
be added $S4,971, 800 for interest on
the public debt. The estimated reve-
nues are s704,472,0 ,06O. By these fig
ures the expenses are $22,000,000 less
than the revenues. The estimates of
the various departments, on which the
appropriation bills were based ex-
ceeded the total estimated revenues
by $42,S45, S62. No river and harbor
bill, making provision for new pro-
jects of Improvement in the rivers and
harbors of the country, was undertak-
en-. Likewise no omnibus measure,
carrying provision for new public
buildings, was allowed to pass.
Several amendments have been
made to facilitate the administration
of the public land laws The allot-
ment in severalty of lands owned col
lectively by Indian tribes in various
sections of the country has been pro-
yided for in a number of acts. A step
in the direction of world peace has
been taken through the formation of
an American group affiliated with the
lnter-Parliamentary union for interna-
t1onal arbitration and the official rec
ognition of this group" by the pass
age of joint resolution extending an
invitation to the union to hold it's next
annual meeting at st. Louis and ap-
$4,000 for the expenses of
The same. A joint resolution was en-
acted providing for the transportation
aboard government vessel of not ex-
eeedlng 800 of the public school teach
ers of forto Rico to the United States
Turing the coming season for the pur-
pose OF broadening their views by
.ravel and course of study in the
summer schools for teachers in this
country.