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CHAP. the progress of the industrial and commercial interests of the country often call for a modification of some items of the tariff. Again, sometimes changed conditions in the industries of the countries with which we have commercial intercourse have influence also on the same lines. For the above reasons the revision of the tariff became an important item of legislation in Mr. Harrison's administration, as the tariff of July 1, 1883, the most judicious one up to that time, had not been revised for seven years, though attempts had been made to do so during the four years of Mr. Cleveland's first administration. (See pp. 1122-1124.)

The required revision of the tariff of 1883 was now entered upon and the outcome was the so-called McKinley Bill, thus named from the Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means who presented it in the CongressWilliam McKinley of Ohio. In this revision the few objectionable features of the tariff of 1883 were eliminated, as they had in some respects retarded the indus 1890. trial progress of the country. The tariff now enacted

was up to that time the most comprehensive and symmetrical in its various provisions, on the basis of encouraging the material interests of every portion of the country, the gratifying result being an unusual increase in all our industries-mechanical, agricultural and commercial. This universal progress culminated in 1892by far the most prosperous year in every respect that the American people had ever enjoyed.

A bill was passed (1890) which claimed, as forfeited to the United States, lands which had been granted by a previous Congress to corporations on well-defined conditions in aid of the construction of certain railroads; some of these roads had either not even been entered upon, or not completed according to the contract. This act restored to the public domain, it is estimated, about 12,500 square miles of territory. Portions of these lands

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in the meantime had been taken up and occupied in good CHAP. faith by a large number of settlers. Provision was made in the bill by which the Secretary of the Interior was directed to secure to these settlers, under the Homestead Law, their rights to the farms which they occupied. A just and proper provision was also made that, when these lands should come into the market, no one could purchase more than 320 acres in one block. This law was designed to prevent combinations of capitalists securing large districts of land which might be held for specu lative purposes, to the great detriment of genuine settlers of more limited means.

In 1890 two States, Idaho and Wyoming, were admitted to the Union. In the case of Wyoming it was enacted that: "Exclusive legislation over the Yellowstone National Park shall be exercised by the United States, which shall have exclusive control and jurisdiction over the same, except that civil and criminal processes, lawfully signed by the State of Wyoming, may be served within the Park."

July

It was enacted that: "from and after the date of the passage of this act the unit of value in the United States. shall be the dollar, and the same may be coined of 412 1890. grains of standard silver, or of 25.8 grains of standard gold; and the said coins shall be legal tender for all debts, public and private.”

For many years a fraudulent concern known as the Louisiana Lottery, as its headquarters were in that State, had hitherto evaded the State laws against that class of swindlers. A law, minute in detail and so framed as to cover every loophole of escape, including that of sending deceptive advertisements through the mails, passed both Houses of Congress almost unanimously. The dread of the penalties for violating this law had the effect of driv ing out of existence that blatant form of swindling.

The Apportionment Bill of the Second Session of the

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CHAP. Fifty-first Congress provided that after March 3, 1893, LXXIV. the number of the members of the House of Represen

1890.

July

14.

tatives should be 357; according to the census of 1890, each member had 173,901 constituents. (Each member of the House of Representatives in 1789 had 30,000 constituents.)

Two Acts of Congress, March 2 and 3, 1891, directed the Secretary of the Treasury to pay certain debts that had been neglected for years. One was to refund to the loyal States about $13,000,000, that being the amount of a direct tax paid by them to aid the Government during the war to save the Union. The other was known as the "French Spoliation Claims," which had been due for a number of years-$1,304,095.

In another law, the Secretary of the Treasury was directed to purchase silver bullion each month to the amount of 4,500,000 ounces of legal fineness, or as much thereof as may be offered at the market price." The Secretary was also directed "to issue in payment for such purchase Treasury notes of the United States, in value not less than one dollar nor more than one thousand." These Treasury notes passed into general circulation, thus, if needed, relieving the money market. They were redeemable on demand in coin, and could be reissued. The Secretary was also directed to coin each month 2,000,000 ounces of this silver bullion into standard silver dollars.

The Harrison administration paid $365,493,170 of the national debt, and thus saved an annual interest of more than $11,000,000. The latter was done as a matter of business, as it was found cheaper for the Government to buy certain bonds that were not yet due, and pay the premium on them, than to let them remain unpaid and draw interest. The Administration also left. in the Treasury $85,000,000 on March 4, 1893.

The Fifty-second Congress passed a law restricting to

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1892.

eight hours the working-day of all the laborers and CHAP. mechanics employed by the Government of the United States; and also providing that every officer or contractor who shall intentionally violate this law shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

Aug. 1.

Aug.

In order to aid in defraying the cost of completing in a suitable manner the work of preparation for inaugurating the World's Columbian Exposition (at Chicago, 1892. 1893), Congress ordained that there should be coined at 5. the mints of the United States silver half-dollars of the legal weight and fineness, not to exceed five million pieces, to be known as the Columbian half-dollar, because they were coined in commemoration of that Exposition. These half-dollars soon after became much enhanced in value as souvenirs of the Exposition. Congress also directed the Secretary of the Treasury to have prepared fifty thousand bronze medals with appropriate emblems, celebrating the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America.

As already stated, owing to the influence of the McKinley Bill-approved October 6, 1890-the various industries of the entire country began to advance rapidly. We will illustrate on only one line, that of imports and exports. According to the records of the United States Treasury, on June 30, 1891, the balance of trade against us was $435,386; in contrast, on June 30, 1892, the balance of trade in our favor was $201,875,686. That is, the value of our exports was to that amount greater than the value of our imports.

The election of a President was now impending, and the political parties used the ordinary measures in making their nominations. The Republican National Convention met in Minneapolis, June 7, 1892. After the preliminary measures were gone through, on the 10th the Convention nominated President Harrison for a second term, on the first ballot; then Mr. Whitelaw

CHAP. Reid of New York for the Vice-presidency, by a unani

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mous vote.

The Democratic National Convention met in Chicago, June 22, 1892, and on the first ballot nominated Grover Cleveland of New York for the Presidency. A ballot was taken for the Vice-presidency, when Mr. Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois received a plurality of the votes, and on the second ballot was unanimously chosen.

The platforms of the two parties viewed the affairs of the Nation from different standpoints. The Republican recognized the great progress the industries of the Nation were making under the general principle and policy then in vogue. The Democratic platform viewed with alarm the general policy and measures of their rival, especially as to the high protective tariff and the effect of the silver-purchase law, and ignored completely the then present great industrial progress of the whole land. The Republican platform said: "We sympathize with all wise and legitimate efforts to lessen and prevent the evils of intemperance and promote morality." The Democratic said: "We are opposed to all sumptuary laws as an interference with the individual rights of the citizen."

The Convention of the People's Party met in Omaha, July 2, 1892, and nominated for the Presidency James B. Weaver of Iowa, and for the Vice-presidency James G. Field of Virginia.

The Prohibition Convention met in Cincinnati, June 29, 1892, and nominated for the office of President John Bidwell of California, and for that of the Vice-president the Rev. Dr. J. B. Cranfell of Texas.

In the election, held on November 8, 1892, exPresident Grover Cleveland was elected President.