The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-04-26
FIFTY-ElGHTH CONGRESS ACCOM-
PLiSHED SOME LEGISLA-
TION OF NOTE.
RESUME OF THE WORK DONE
CUBA AND PANAMA WE'RE THE
MOST WElGHTY MATTERS
DISPOSED OF.

Washington, April 25.-The i'm
portant legislative accomplishments
of the first and second sessions of the
Fifty-eighth congress were confined to
two subiects-Cnba and Panama. The
reciprocity treaty between the new is
land republic and the United States
initiated by President Mckinley was
made operative by legislative enact
ment. The ratification of a treaty by
the senate and the subsequent initia-
ton of legislation for the government
of the canal o n commit TIE United
States to the construction of the Pana-
ma canal.
The special session, now denominat-
ed the first session, was called for the
express purpose of carrying out the
pledge Of the nation to Cuba. The
Panama development was one which
arose suddenly and received decisive
n immediate action at the hands Of
President Roosevelt and the senate.
The annual supply bills were made
up with an eye to economy. They
were passed with greater dispatch
than heretofore.
The senate ratified the treaty nego-
tiated with Cuba to carry out the
terms of the Plat 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, gives the
total of all supply bills, subject to
slight changes in pending bills, as
1897. 1902, 1924, to which must be added
1874, 81 500, for interest on the public
debt. The estimated revenues are
$7O4, 472 ,060. The expenses are $22,-
900. 900 less than the The
estimates of the various government
departments. on which the a%ppropria-
tion bills were based, exceeded the to-
tai estimated revenues by $~42,S45,S62.
No River and Harbor Bill Passed.
No river and harbor bill was passed.
Several amendments have been made
to facilitate the administration Of the
public land laws. The allotment in
severalty of lands owned collectively
by Indian tribes in various sections
OF the country has been provided for
shipping laws of the United States
will be extended to the Philippine is
lands after July 1, 1906.
The only general pension legislation
which became a law, makes the pen
sions of those who totally lost their
sight in the military or naval service
800 per month, but congress appro-
priated 81, 900 to make the old age
pension order effective.
The Louisiana Purchase exposition
company received a'loan of 1900, 900.
The Lewis and Clark exposition, at
Portland, Ore, in 1905, gets $450,000.
An investigation cleared every house
member from any improper conduct in
the matter Of the postal scandal"
The house directed ar investigation
of the alleged "beef trust" by the de-
partment of m and labor. The
attorney general was given $475,0OC
to use in prosecuting trusts.
The creation of two additional
states in the Union, Oklahoma and
Arizona, was provided for in a bill
which passed the house, but not the
senate.
The right of Senator Reed Smoot
of Utah to his seat in the senate led
to an investigation, still in progress,
involving the Mormon religion and
practices.
In the house there We're 15,349 reso-
buttons. 1862 Joint resolutions and 81
concurrent resolutions introduced. Of
these 1888 passed the house. In the
senate there were 5,465 bills intro