The San Francisco call., 1904-04-25
GREAT WORK
OF CONGRESS
Session About to Close Has
Accomplished Much for
the Good of the Country
PLEDGES CARRIED OUT
Cuba and Panama LegiSla-
tion the Most Important
of the Measures Adopted


WASHINGTON. April 24.-The im-
portant legislative accomplishments OF
the session of the Fifty-eighth Con-
gress were confined to two subjects
Cuba and Panama The reciprocity
treaty between the new island republic
und the United States initiated by Pres
sdent Mckinley. was made operative
by a legislative enactment The ratih-
cation Of d treaty by the Senate and
the subsequent initiation Of legislation
OF the Government for the canal zone
commit the United States to the con-
etructiOn OF the Panama canal con-
meeting the waters Of the Atlantic and
the Pacific oceans.
The special session. now denominated
the first session, was called for the eX-
press purpose Of carrying out the
pledge OF the nation 10 Cuba. The Pan
anna development was one which
arose suddenly and received decisive
and immediate action at the hands OF
the President and the Senate. The con-
Eervatism incident TO the approaching
Presidential campaign. as usual, was
manifested by those responsible for The
gets Of the national legislative body
The annual supply bills were made
they were passed with greater dispatch
than heretofore has been the case with
a long session.
The Senate ratified the treaty negO-
Hated with cuba to carry out the terms
of the Platt amendment
j. also ratified the China commercial
treaty which provides for two open
ports in Manchuria.
CONSERVATIVE COURSE.
Chairman Hemenway Of the House
Committee on Appropriations, in a
statement compiled under his direction,
gives the total OF all supply bills Sub
3ect to slight changes in pending bills).
as s597, ,SO2. .324, TO which must be added
sS4.97l, $50 for interest on the public
debt. The estimated revenues are S704,-
z72.060.
BY these figures the expenses are S22.-
OO0. 000 less than the revenues. The es-
Inmates OF the various Government de-
partments on which the appropriation
bills were based exceeded the total es-
timated revenues by S42,S45. $50. No
river and harbor bill was undertaken
and no omnibus measure carrying pro-
vision for new public buildings was al
lowed TO pass.
While a total OF over fourteen hun
ored bills became law during the two
sessions. less than $50 of them were
public bills and Of this latter number
one-half simply authorized the bridging
Of rivers. the damming Of streams, the
regulation Of Federal courts and the or
oinance Of the District OF Columbia
PLAN PEACE PROJECT.
Several amendments have been. made
10 facilitate the administration Of the
public land laws. The allOtments in
scVeralty Of lands owned collectively by
Indian tribes in various sections Of the
country have been provided for in a
number Of acts. A step in the direction
Cf world peace" has been taken
through the formation OF an American
group affiliated with the interparlia-
TNentary union for international arbi-
fratiOn and the official recognition of
this group" by the passage of a joint
resolution extending an invitation to
the union to hold its next annual meet
ing AT St. Louis and appropriating S50,
Geo for the expenses Of the same. A
joint resolution was enacted providing
for the transportation aboard a Gov
eminent vessel OF not exceeding 500 of
the public school teachers Of Porto
Rico 10 the United States during the
coming summer for the purpose OF
broadening their views by travel and
course IL the summer schools for
teachers in this country.
PROTECTION OF SEALS.
by the terms OF joint resolution,
the President is authorized to arrange
q convention with Great Britain, to
which the assent Of Japan and Russia
are to be obtained, if possible to pro-
tect the fur seals Of the North Pacific
Ocean and Bering Sea.
Provisions were made for the eXtea-
sion Of the cOastwise shipping laws of
the United States to the Philippine Is
lands after July l, 1906.
Hawaii was granted the right TO have
q superintendent Of public instruction
and to have statistics compiled by the
United States commission Of labor re-
Rarding commercial, industrial. social,
educational and sanitary conditions, be-
ginning next year and every four years
thereafter.
The only general pension legislation
which became a law makes the pension
Of those who totally lost their sight in
the military or naval service 500 per
month Agitation for a service pen
sion bill resulted in the introduction OF
many such bills. il was decided, how
ever that no such action should be
taken at the present session, after
which the general order making age
an evidence Of physical disability 10
perform manual labor was issued by
the Secretary of the Interior and recog-
nized by Congress in a deficiency ap-
preparation of 81, 100000 to make it ef-
fective.
The Louisiana Exposition Company
received loan Of s4.eOo.OOo from the