The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-25
WHAT THE PRESENT
 CONGRESS HAS DONE
IMPORTANT WORK CONFINED TO
 CUBA AND PANAMA.

The Conservatism Incident to the Ap-
 preaching Presidential Campaign, as | UsusuaI, Was Manifested by Those
 Responsible for Acts of the Govern-
 ment-suppIy Bills Made Up With
 Eye to Economy.
 Washington. April 24. The important legislative accomplishments of the first and second sessions of the 1fty-eight congress were confined to two subjects Cuba and Panama. The reciprocity treaty between the new island republic and the United States initiated by President Mckinley, was made operat- i've by a legislative enactment. The ratification of treaty by the senate and the subsequent initiation of legis- lation for the government of the canal zone, commit the United States to the construction of the Panama canal, con- meeting the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The special session, now denominated the first session, was call- Cd for the purpose of carrying out the pledge of the nation to Cuba. The Pan- ana development was one which arose suddenly and received decisive and im- mediate action at the hands of Presi- dent Roosevelt and the senate. The conservatism incident to the ap- ! preaching presidential campaign as us- ual, was manifested by those responsi- ble for the acts of the national legisla- { tive body. The annual supply bills were made up with an eye to economy. In- cidentally, they were passed with great CT dispatch than heretofore has been the case at long session.
 The senate ratified the treaty nego- tiated with Cuba to carry out the terms of the Platt amendment.
 It also ratified the Chinese commer- cial treaty, which provides for two open ports in Manchuria.
 Chairman Hemenway, of the house committee on appropriations, in statement compiled under his direction, gaves the total of all supply bills Nsub- ject to slight changes in pending bills) as $597. .SO2.324, to which must be added < $34,971,S20 for interest on the public debt. The estimated revenues are $S,- I 704, ,472060.
 By these figures the expenses are $22.000000 less than the revenues The estimates of the various government departments on which the appropria- tion bills were based exceeded the to- tai estimated revenues by S42,845, ,362 No river and harbor bill, making pro- vision for new projects of improve ment in the rivers and harbors of the country, was undertaken. Likewise, no omnibus measure carrying provision for new public buildings was allowed to pass.
 \ While 9 total of over 1,400 bills be- came laws during the two sessions, less than 130 Of them were public bills and os this latter number one half simply authorized the bridging of riv- CTS. the damming of streams, the reg ulation Of federal courts and the ordi- nances of the District of Columbia. A step in the direction of world peace" has been taken through the for nation of an American group affiliated with the parliamentary union for international arbitration and the off, cial recognition of this group" by the passage of joint resolution extending an invitation to the union to hold it's next annual meeting at St. Louis, and approDriating $50,0O0 for the expenses of the same.