The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-06-27
CONGRESS HAS BEEN BUSY.
Present Session will Result In Leeisla.
tiOn That Benefits the People.

WASHINGTON, June 2l.-Sena ator
Hale, who, in the absence OF Senator
Allison, is acting as chairman of the
senate committee on appropriations,
expresses confidence in the final
adjournment Of congress before the
close Of the present week. His pro.
gram will be to urge the considerable
OF appropriation bills and conference
to the exclusion Of pr actic ally
all other matters, aud with the supply
bills finally passed, there is no meas.
ure, unless 1t be the railroad rate bill,
that can hold congress together. The
Maine senator is OF the opinion that
the work can all be concluded BY Fri.
day, but says that, in no event, will II
go beyond Saturday.
Important measures, extending fed.
eral regulation and control, have been
enacted At the first session Of the 59th
congress. The railroad rate and
meat'inspection bills will soon become
laws and before adjournment both
houses will have passed pure food
bills, which. though dissimilar in
terms, are both based on the same
principle Of federal control. 1t is the
present intention to try to adjust these
differences before adjournment.
There has been no marked division
on party lines in etfectingl the above
results. the differences beingl only as
to ways and means, rather than as to
policy.
Besides branching off into this new
held OF Legislative endeavor, the pres.
ent session has made itself important
in other ways. 1t has added one, and
perhaps two, new states to the union
and by so doing has disposed of four
territories.
Great results to the people are ex.
pcc.ed from the removal of the tax on
denatured alcohol, and ii predictions
are fulfilled, heat, light and power are
to be supplied by alcohol. made from
the cornfelds Of the country, from
sugar beets aud sugar cane, from
fruits and other vegetation.
BY turn Of legislative points OF
view, the questions that have per.
picked congress for some time;regard-
ing the Panama canal have been set.
tied. The president mayi dig q lock
canal as fast as he pleases. A :joint
reso ution was agreed to, requiring
canal supplies to be of American
Congress has not dealt with the for.
eign situa to any extent. An act
making much.needed reorganization
of the consular service was passed.
Nothing was done in the San Domingo
although: tariff revision
for the Philippines received the atten.
tion aud approval Of the house and an
act was passed revising thejtariff col.
lected by the Philippine government.
A coinage act for the islands also was
passed.
But congress talked about our own
tariff law. 1t broke the record for
words. Thousands and hundreds OF
more than have been uttered
at any other session were compiled in
the Congressional Record. Not only
on the floors of the two houseslhas the
word record been heavy, but the pub
locations resulting from committee
sessions on the subject are larger and
more numerous than ut any previous
session. A large number OF bills were
introduced In the two houses. The
records that the number has
reached nearly 2O,500 more than were
introduced during the entire three
sessions Of the laat conuraCS