UNITED STATES CONGRESS.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11332, 23 July 1902, Page 10

UNITED STATES CONGRESS.

— WORK OF THE SESSION. (Per s.s. Sonoma, at Auckland.) SAN FRANCISCO, July 3. The work of Congress is now closed, so it possible to sum up a record of what has been accomplished during the past seven .months, which constitutes the first session of the fifty-seventh Congress. The session has been marked by exceptional business activity, many questions of far-reaching general interest engaging attention. Witih the exception of the Cuban Reciprooitv Bill, most of the larger subjects of general legislation have been enacted as laws. Notable among these larger measures is the Isthmian Canal v Bill, which consummates the efforts of half a century to link together the waters of the Atlantio and Pacific. Apart from its mai£©_al amid international importance this Bill probably involves a larger sum of money than that covering any other single matter other than the war expenditure. The Philippines Cml Government Bill is another measure of far-reaching importance, extending to our remote Pacific possessions a system of internal government, together with coinage currency, banking corporation, timber and homestead law. Among other important general laws are those repealing the war revenue tuxes, extending and making more effective the Chinese exclusion laws, establishing a tariff for poods to and. from the Philippines, extending the charter of the national banks to twenty years, establishing a perminent census office, restricting the sale of oleomargarine, by placing a hijjh tax on imitation butter, providing consular aad diplomatic service for Cuba, and* the establishing of an extensive system by which the Government will a;d in the irrigation of arid sections of the Wflst. Tho repeal of th-3 war revenue taxes reduced the taxation 73,350,000 dols, and ii said to be the largest single reduction cf taxation ever made in this country- By this step the last of the taxes imposed at the beginning of our wax with Spain were wiped out. The Philippines Tariff Act imposes 75 per cent, ot the Dingiey Tariff rates on articles coming from the Philippines to the United States, and also imposes, on articles entering the Philippines from the United States, rates of duties established by the Philippines Ckunmissioner. Aside from these important laws, there are a number of measures which have passed one or both Houses, but have not progressed to the final stage. They include the ant i-Anarchy legislation, which grew out of the assassination of the late President McKinley. Bills restricting Anarchy and throwing safeguards about the President have passed both Houses, but it has been impossible to reach an agreement in conference, so that the subject goes over unt*' next December. The Shinpinar Subsidy Bill secured early attention in the Senate, but the end of the session has come without the measure beinc reported to the House. As it passed the Senate, the Bill grants ijraded subsidies to -steam and sailing vessels of --Unerican build. The amount of appropriation for the session will run rxnusuarly high, owing in part to the amount required to build the Isthmian Canal. When Senator Cannon submitted a general estimate of the appropriations a few weeks ago, he made the total up to that time 691,446,000 dollars. Since then the Canal Bill has passed, carrying a present appropriation of 40.000.C00 dollars for franchise, and enough more for the rights of Colombia, and for bes_aning the work, to carry the total np to 50,000,000 dollars. The entire cost of the undertaking is approximateiv 184,000,000 dollars. —i