Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1904 — WHAT CONGRESS DID. [ARTICLE]

WHAT CONGRESS DID.

LONG SESSION DESPITE EARLY ADJOURNMENT. Cuba and Panama Treaties Ratified— Economy Was Practiced—Total Appropriations Are $781,574,627.99—Expected Surplus $35,000,000. Two legislative acts stand out as the principal accomplishment of the two sessions of the Fifty-eighth Congress. The reciprocity treaty with Cuba was changed to a bill having its origin in the House because one ;f its provisions touched the matter of revenue, and therefore it was held that under the constitution the Representatives should take the iniatitive. The pledge of the United States tc Cuba was fulfilled by means of this bill. The House passed the measure during the extraordinary session and sent it to the Senate, where it was debated and passed early in the second session. The treaty with Panama was the second of the chief legislative labors of Congress. The Senate ratified the treaty without though while it was under discussion it gave rise to virulent attack and debate on the part of the Democrats, who declared the President had exceeded his authority in the recognition of the republic of Panama. The Senate ratified the Chinese commercial treaty, by means of which the United States secured two open ports in Manchuria. Congress also undertook legislation for the government of the Panama canal zone, a subject which led to many differences between House and Senate. There was marked conservatism throughout the session in the matter of supply bills. They were handled quickly and with the economy which often marks the methods of Congress prior to a- presidential campaign. All told, th© money appropriated for government uses amounted to nearly $700,000,000. The revenues of the government are estimated at $704,000,000. Appropriations Are $781,574 v <?29.99. Chairman Hemenway of the House committee on appropriations on the closing day issued a statement showing the appropriations made by Congress at this session amount to $781,574,629.90. This amount includes $26,801,843.93 appropriated for deficiencies and $56,500,000 submitted under the estimates of permanent appropriations for application out of surplus revenues to the sinking fund. The whole sum of apparent appropriation is, therefore, $698,272,786.00. The estimated revenue for the fiscal year 1905 is $704,472,060.72, an excess over expenditures of $6,199,274.66. It is further estimated that the usual growth of revenue and the usual expenditures of the government, which average 5 per cent less than the estimates, will further increase this surplus to at least $35,000,000. The expenditure per capita in the United States is shown to be $7.97, the lowest of any of the great powers by a wide margin. The appropriations in the- aggregate this session are more than $20,000,000 less than last session. Estimates Were Cut. Heads of the various government departments sent in estimates of their needs, and these estimates' exceeded the estimated revenues by about $42,000,000. The figures will show what Congress did in the way of cutting down the estimates ns presented. No general measure carrying provisions for new public buildings was allowed to pass. Ordinarily an omnibus bill is put through which provides for postofflees and other government buildings in towns all over the country which have congressional influence enough to get what they ask. The majority refused likewise to consider any river and harbor bill which had for its object new work and the expenditure of large sums of money. There was agitation for a service pension bill for war veterans involving the expenditure of a huge sum. Congress, however, refused to consider it at this session, and the nearest approach to recognition of the one fact of service as being sufficient for a pension was in allowing an appropriation of $1,500,000 for the payment of pensions to men who camsunder the provisions of the general order of the Secretary of the Interior, which made age an evidence of physical disability to perform manual labor. This age pension order was provocative of Democratic assaults, but the Republicans succeeded in showing to the discomfiture of their enemies that a like recognition of age disability and a like order were made by the Secretary of the Interior under the administration of Grovr Cleveland. The postal frauds occupied the attention of Congress and the Overstreet report, which seemed to implicate representatives in pernicious activity on behalf of their district postmasters, caused a row. An investigation ordered by the House cleared every member of the suspicion of improper conduct. A resolution introduced by Representative Martin of South Dakota resulted in an. order for the investigation of the alleged beef trust by the Department of Commerce and Labor. In the House impeachment proceedings against Federal Judge Swayne of the northern district of Florida were begun, but the matter finally went back to committee and.will be taken up again at the next session. The House passed a bill ndmittiin Oklahoma nnd Indian territory as one State and Arizona and New Mexico an another, but the Senate took no action on the matter. As far ns the labor world is concerned the eight-hour bill was shunted by the House to the Department of Commerce aijd Labor for an investigation and the anti-injunction bill introduced by Representative Grosvenor was put over to the next session. ' The right of Reed Smoot, Senator from Utah, to a seat In the United States Schale is still under investigation. Congress passed a bill authorizing the lowering of the government dams two feet at Kampsville and LaGrange. 111. * Illinois Senators and Representative* succeeded ih getting into the postoffice appropriation bill an item of money which will allow the use of the tunnels of the Illinois Telegraph an.l Telephone Company sos the transmission of mails by electric power from station to station and from the mgin postoffice to the railroad stations. *