Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 88, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 July 1902 — WORK Of CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

WORK Of CONGRESS.

IMPORTANT LAWS ENACTED IN FIRST SESSION. Scope of Legislation Covers Singular Problems—Philippine Government Engrosses World's Attention—Canal Measure Climax of Fifty Years’ Effort. 1 ■ ■ • , ' ' ■ - , The first session of the Fifty-seventh Congress has been marked by exceptional business activity, with many questions of far-reaching general interest engaging attention. With the exception of the Cuban reciprocity bill most of the larger subjects of general legislation have been enacted as laws. Notable among these is the isthmian canal bill, which consummates the efforts of half a century to link together the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific. Aside from its national and international importance this bill probably involves a larger sum of money than that in any other single undertaking by the government outside of war expenditures. The Philippine civil government bill is another measure of far-reaching importance, extending to our remote Pacific possessions a system of internal civil government, together with coinage, currency, banking, corporation’ timber and homestead laws. Among the other important general laws enacted are the following: Repealing the war revenue taxes. Extending and making more effective the Chinese exclusion law. Establishing a tariff on goods to and from the Philippines. Extending the charter of national banks for twenty years. Establishing a permanent census office. Restricting the sale of oleomargarine by placing a high tax on imitation butter. Providing a diplomatic and consular service for Cuba. Establishing an extensive system by which the government will aid In the irrigation of the arid sections of the West. The repeal of the war revenue taxes reduced taxation $73,250,000 and is said to be the largest single reduction of taxation ever made in this country. By this step the last of the taxes imposed at the beginning of our war with Spain was. wiped out. Philippine Tariff Act. The Philippine tariff act imposes 75 per cent of the Dingley tariff rates on articles coming from the Philippines to the United States and also imposes on articles entering the Philippines from the United States the rates of duty established by the Philippine commission. The oleomargarine act results from several years of agitation. It places a tax of 10 cents a pound on substances colored to imitate butter. The irrigation act is of special importance to the development of the West. It creates an irrigation fund in the Treasury Department into which are to be paid the proceeds of the sales of public lands in the arid States. This fund in turn is to be used in storing water and establishing irrigation systems, the irrigated sections to be open to homesteaders, who are to be charged a proportionate share of the cost-of the improvement. The Chinese exclusion law continues exclusion “until otherwise provided by law,” and also applies the exclusion “to the island territory under the jurisdiction of the United States.”