The Commoner.
1
-'-. wi -ifr 42
?,
5$
Hf
t
t
14!
July 11, Eooa
onf'inlavbrilTM "All",
efforts in this direction," says Senator Jones,
havo been smothered and tho session is closed
Without any carrying out of, the promise made
tp. Cuba."
Senator Jones also points out that the trust
Question has also been passed over without con
gressional action. Ho thinks democrats in tho
light of the results of this congressional session
havo opportunities to make gains in the west dur
ing th,e coming election. Ho thinks that thero
inay'bd'also somo surprises in othfcr sections.
- J, ,; - ' t
ft 1 , ,
, , J Immediately prior to the adjournment pt the
senajto;' Senator Allison, chairman of tho commit
tee ,qa. appropriations, submitted a statement pre
tending to show tho total appropriations for tho
.session. This showing points out, however, that
the appropriations were made ''by bills," and the
showing was as follows: -
Agriculture .. $ 5,208,9GO
Army- . 91,530(130
Diplomatic and consular......;...3.-... 1,957,925
District of Columbia : '8,047;526
Fortifications "T . ...... . .-. -..'.. v .' . . 7,298,955
Indian - ."l . '., 9,143,902
Legislative, etc. ... ; y. .... 25398,381
'Military academy ...' 2,627,324
Navy T ' 78,678,963
Pensions -. .' 139,842,230
Postofflce : 138,416,598
. River and harbors (exclusive of con
" 'tracts authorized): 26,726,442
Sundry tiivil ; .-. 60,125,359
Deficiencies 28,039,911
Miscellaneous .;.;....... 2,600,000
Isthmian canal 50,130,000
Permanent annual appropriations 123,921,220
r
' -'Grand total.' T $800,193,837
Congressman Livingstone of Georgia, a demo
cratic member, of the appropriations committee,
points out that to the total fixed by Senator Alli
son must be added $295,373,215 to include the con
tracts authorized to be entered into, making a
t grand total of $1,050,577,052 as the appropriations
tor the' first session of the 57th congress.
.iK A republican "majority of a house committee
"Tr.ecommended favorably the passage of the Fowler
.currency. bil., Itf;as not' Intended even by Mr.
.;! Fowler that this bill should be passed at this ses
sion,' The committee report was simply intended
as a method of breaking the ice. No one doubts
that tho Fowler bill will bo placed upon the
statute books at the very earliest opportunity con-
. sistont with republican chances for success.
Prior to the assembling of congress it was ap
parent that a very large number of republicans be
lieved that there should be revision of the tariff.
, This sentiment was well voiced by Congressman
Babcock of Wisconsin w"ho insisted that the tariff
should be removed from tho products of trusts.
Although in the beginning of the .session we heard
1 much of the Babcock idea, which was in 'fact
" nothing more nor less than the democratic Idea,
'. Mr. 'Babcock subsided at a very early date. Ho
was re-elected as chairman of the republican con
gressional , committee, and it is now incumbent
upon him to defend the very policy which at the
-" -beginning of this congressional session he 'started
out to -antagonize with all possible vigor
The president of the United States favored
. reciprocity with Cuba. The republican memners
of congress seem to have agreed at one time
. upon a mild form of reciprocity, but in spite of the
. president's special message, in spito of the fact
' ' that it was well understood that tho president was
very anxious for some sort of a reciprocity scheme,
the republican cbngress adjourned without giving
to -Cuba oven tho very small measure of reciprocity
- which the republican members arrayed against
.the president's policy had first promised to give.
It is significant that being, forced by public
sentiment to align itself in favor of an isthmian
canal the republican congress adopted the' most
unpopular route. It had been generally agreed
among the people that the Nlcaraguan route viras
,. .the most acceptable, but after a long and tedious
ifight, tho Panama route triumphed. It is true
.ifchat tho real friends of an isthmian canal finally
placed their Influence behind the Panama route.
iWhile they believed that that route had toeen
adopted largely for the purpose of delay, they
thought to circumvent tho schemes of those who
were really opposed to any isthmian canal at all,
iby pushing the enterprise oven along the Panama
route; and it may be that, after all, there will be
no. considerable delay in the construction of ,an
Isthmian canal.
t Although" the , question with relation to 'the
'" anti-anarchist legislation drew out considerable
r debate and 1xth houses passed bills on thisasub-
ject, an agroemont was not reached ana this ques
tion will bo carried ovor until after tho Novemoer
elections.
In tho face of the solemn pledge made by tho
republican national platform that Arizona, New
Mexico, and Oklahoma would bo admitted to stato
hood, tho bill providing statehood for these terri-
torles was defeated.
Tho bill providing for a Pacific cablo to be
built by tho government wag defeated, evidently
because certain interests believed that this cablo
should bo constructed by individuals for tho sako
of individual pocket.
Tho proposition to elect United States senators
by the people passed tho nouso by practically a
unanimous voto, but it was. put to rest in' th
st-nato.
The house bill relating to immigration laws,
4 codifying and amending these laws relating to im
portant changes was not passed by the senato.
The Philippine civil government bill, whoso
provisions are set forth in. another column of. this
issue, was another important, measure considered
and adopted by this republican congress.
The reduction of tho war revenue taxes was
one act to the credit of this congress.
Likewise was tho irrigation measure.
Congress could have madp some improvement
with respect to its dealings with tho Chinese ex
clusion law and yet American interests did not
seriously suffer because of its attitude with re
spect to this important question.
Tho charters of national banks were extended
for twenty years by a snap judgment voto and for
this tho congress is to be condemned.
The establishment of a permanent census
bureau involves a question of policy concerning
which strong arguments are presented on both
sides.
The congress restricted tho salo of oleomar
garine by placing a high tax oh imitation, .butter.
It provided a consular and diplomatic service
for Cuba.
One of the Important measure's before the
congr.esa that has received much attention '. was
tho .bill defining the meaning of conspiracy, in
injunction cases. .This bill, briefly described, was
intended to prevent-government by injunction.
This bill passed the house, but it failed to pass tho
senate. There were important selfish in
terests at work to see that the measure did not
pass the senato and these interests were success
ful. The senate passed a bill creating a department
of commerce whose head was to be a cabinet offi
cer, but the measure failed in tho house.
The pure food measure, which was drafted by
the pure food congress, and after extended years,
was reported by tho house committee on com
merce, but failed to pass.
The Hill financial bill providing for the coin
age of subsidiary silver and for the retirement of
tho present standard silver dollar, passed the
house, but was not acted upon by the senate.
land furnished but few, and it is stated tbVt Irish'
immigration is almost wholly suspended. Norway
add Sweden fumiphed many Immigrants, who al
most invariably hurried westward to become
iarmers
Among other matters of general legislation by
this congress were the following: To prevent
the sale, of fire arms, opium and intoxicating, liq
uprs to the natives of certain of the Pacific' isl
ands; to promote the efficiency of the revenue cut
ter service and to provide for the retirement of its
officers; to refund the duties paid in Porto Rico
on articles imported from the United States dur
ing the military occupation; appropriating $200,
000 for tho relief of the volcano sufferers at Mar
tinique; authorizing the erection of Young Men's
Christian association buildings on United States
military reservations; regulating tho introduction
of eggs and game birds foi' purposes of propaga
tion; providing for tho protection of game in
Alaska, particularly tho large game, such as
moose, caribou, etc.; extending an invitation to
the French government to participate in the un
veiling in Washington of the state of Marshal de
Rochambeau; refunding the amount of legacy tax
paid by charitable, benevolent and eleemosynary
institutions.
..During the fiscal year ending June 30 tho im
migrant record for the port of 'New York was
broken, 493,380 Immigrants arriving. By far tho
greatest proportion of immigrants arrive at tho
port of New York, but those arriving at other
ports and crossing from Canada, will bring the
total for the year up to not less than 550,000. Tho
lust month of the fiscal year, June, showed the
greatest number of arrivals, 81,000- The largest
number came from Italy, and the second largest
number of newcomers are Poles and Slavs. Syria
furnished a-goodly number. Germany and Ire-
r In tlio courso of two or threo conturles Ameri
can people may como to bcllovq what Is oven now
true, that in sclenco, art and music tholr country
leads the world. This truth is onpo moro em
phasized, this tlmo by tho fact that a Chicago
young man, Francis Rea McMillan, has Just won
tho grand prize of the Royal Conservatory of
Music at Brussels. This Is considered the highest
honor that can bo awarded a violinist - A few
years ago a noted Japanese nobleman visited this
country, and when asked what ho consldorel
America's leading industries to be, replied, "Amer
ica excels tho rest of tho world in. three things,
electrical engineering, dentistry and photography."
A Cleveland, O., grocer, Henry Socdor, claims
to have discovered a process whereby illuminating
gas may be manufactured directly from tho at
mosphero without tho aid of machinery or fuel.
The gas is made by dissolving certain chemicals
a tank filled with compressed air, and Soeder
crcclarea that the chemicals are as common as
grass, and that an ocean steamship can carry
enough in a barrel to mako fuel gas for a trip
across the oc6an, With gas generated directly
from tho atmosphere, and electricity drawn di
rectly from tho other, it would seem that tho
lighting and heating problems have been solved.
An instructlyo feature of tho contention over
tho Philippine bill was provided in tho discussion
of the. senato. When tho conference roport ot the
Philippine bill was submitted to tho senate, Mr.
Culberson of Texas, one of tho senato conferees,
had declined to .sign tho conference report and, ho
said that ho had declined because he could not
conscientiously vote for tho measure, as agreed,
upon, nor could he recommend its passage to ths
senate.
Mn Culberson said tho report of tho secretary
of war indicated that from May 1, 1898, to April
30, 1902, tho expenditures for tho army were $600,
000,000 in round numbers, while of this sum only;
$170,000,000 were expended . in tho Philippines.
This statement Mr. Culberson questioned, and. fig
ured "up an expenditure by tho United States of
$222,436,406 on account of tho Philippines, and
even these figures, he said, did not include somo of
the expenditures made for tho Philippines.
Mr. Patterson (Colo.) declared that from every
standpoint wherever tho senato bill has been
changed tho bill as agreed to by tho conference
has been mado worse than it was as passed by tho
senate.
Referring to tho provision for a legislative
assembly in the Philippines, Senator Patterson de-
clared that it would require at least four years
for tho taking and publication of the census. How
long the president of tho United States would re
quire to proclaim tho result of the census and
call lor an election of an assembly nobody now
could tell. He said ono might as well stand with
a lighted torch in d, powder magazine as to create
a popular assemblage in a subjugated country.
Those who made- tho bill knew full well, he said,
that with free speech in the islands th,ere would fco
turbulence and disorder which would have to be
restrained by a large army.
Mr. Patterson referred to Admiral Dewoy's
testimony concerning the agreement for the sur
render of Manila before the attack of August 13,
1898. He said this understanding provided that
no American soldier should bo killed, but thai:
notwithstanding this agreement General Merritt
permitted tho soldiers to mako an assault without
any knowledge of the agreement. Ho asserted
that this revelation calls for a court-martial or a
board of inquiry. Tho lives of American soldiers
. wero too precious to bo sacrificed to serve the pur
poses of any one. I.
Tho first session of tho 57th congress haa
j been a most important one. -Judgment concern
ing this congress cannot bo accurately formed
without taking into consideration tho things which
it has failed to do without effort and tho things
which it has attempted to do and yet failed to do,
together with the things which it has actually,
done. -
The senate passed tho ship subsidy bill and,
every ono who knows apything whatever about
politics understands that the samo influence which
pushed the subsidy bill through the senate could.
' have forced, the subsidy bill through tho house.
Tho fact is that tho republican party did not
care to go before the people bearing the responsi
bility for the ship subsidy bill and therefore thi
passage of this measure was postponed until aftec
tho November election., . ,
vt
,3. i
A' --,..., jK
