CONGRESS. (TiiE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



147 



been appointed. Any lessening of the difficulties 

 that our inventors encounter in obtaining patents 

 abroad for their inventions and that our farmers, 

 manufacturers, and merchants may have in the 

 protection of their trade-marks is worthy of care- 

 ful consideration, and your attention will be called 

 to the results of the conference at the proper time. 



In the interest of expanding trade between this 

 country and South America, efforts have been 

 made during the past year to conclude conventions 

 with the southern republics for the enlargement of 

 postal facilities. Two such agreements, signed 

 with Bolivia on April. 24, of which that establish- 

 ing the money-order system is undergoing certain 

 changes suggested by the Post-Office Department, 

 have not yet been ratified by this Government. A 

 treaty of extradition with that country, signed on 

 the same day, is before the Senate. 



A boundary dispute between Brazil and Bolivia 

 over the territory of Acre is in a fair way of 

 friendly adjustment, a protocol signed in Decem- 

 ber, 1899, having agreed on a definite frontier and 

 provided for its demarcation by a joint commis- 

 sion. 



Conditions in Brazil have weighed heavily on 

 our export trade to that country, in marked con- 

 trast to the favorable conditions upon which 

 Brazilian products are admitted into our markets. 

 Urgent representations have been made to that 

 Government on the subject, and some amelioration 

 has been effected. We rely upon the reciprocal 

 justice and good- will of that Government to as- 

 sure to us a further improvement in our commer- 

 cial relations. 



The convention signed May 24, 1897, for the final 

 settlement of claims left in abeyance upon the 

 dissolution of the commission of 1893 was at 

 length ratified by the Chilean Congress, and the 

 supplemental commission has been organized. 



It remains for the Congress to appropriate for 

 the necessary expenses of the commission. 



The insurrectionary movement which disturbed 

 Colombia in the latter part of 1899 has been prac- 

 tically suppressed, although guerrillas still oper- 

 ate in some departments. The executive power 

 of that republic changed hands in August last by 

 the act of Vice-President Marroquin in assuming 

 the reins of government during the absence of 

 President San Clemente from the capital. The 

 change met with no serious opposition, and, fol- 

 lowing the precedents in such cases, the United 

 States minister entered into relations with the 

 new de facto Government on Sept. 17. 



It is gratifying to announce that the residual 

 questions between Costa Rica and Nicaragua 

 growing out of the award of President Cleveland 

 in 1888 have been adjusted through the choice of 

 an American engineer, Gen. E. P. Alexander, as 

 umpire to run the disputed line. His task has 

 been accomplished to the satisfaction of both con- 

 testants. 



A revolution ^in the Dominican Republic toward 

 the close of las*t year resulted in the installation 

 of President Jimenez, whose government was form- 

 ally recognized in January. Since then final 

 payment has been made of the American claim 

 in regard to the Ozama bridge. 



The year of the exposition has been fruitful in 

 occasions for diplaying the good-will that exists 

 between this country and France. This great com- 

 petition brought together from every nation the 

 best in natural productions, industry, science, and 

 the arts, submitted in generous rivalry to a judg- 

 ment made all the more searching because of that 

 rivalry. The extraordinary increase of exporta- 

 tions from this country during the past three 

 years and the activity with which our inventions 



and wares had invaded new markets raiised much 

 interest to center upon the Aineric;iu exhibit, and 

 every encouragement was oll'ere<l in ih ( . \vay of 

 space and facilities to permit oi its l^ing compre- 

 hensive as a whole and complete in every part. 



it was, however, not an easy la.-k !<>' ;<-,-,< mble 

 exhibits that could fitly illustrate our <ii'.-ersifid 

 resources and manufactures. SinguL i !v enough 

 our national prosperity lessened the ineeniive to 

 exhibit. The dealer in raw materials Une\v lhat 

 the user must come to him; the great factories 

 were contented with the phenomenal demand for 

 their output, not alone at home, but also abroad, 

 where merit had already won a profitable trade. 



Appeals had to be made to the patriotism of 

 exhibitors to induce them to incur outlays promis- 

 ing no immediate return. This was especially 

 the case where it became needful to complete an 

 industrial sequence or illustrate a class of pro- 

 cesses. One manufacturer after another had to be 

 visited and importuned, and at times, after a 

 promise to exhibit in a particular section had 

 been obtained, it would be withdrawn, owing to 

 pressure of trade orders, and a new quest would 

 have to be made. 



The installation of exhibits, too, encountered 

 many obstacles and involved unexpected cost. 

 The exposition was far from ready at the date 

 fixed for its opening. The French transportation 

 lines were congested with offered freight. Belated 

 goods had to be hastily installed in unfinished 

 quarters with whatever labor could be obtained 

 in the prevailing confusion. Nor was the task of 

 the commission lightened by the fact that, owing 

 to the scheme of classification adopted, it was 

 impossible to have the entire exhibit of any one 

 country in the same building or more than one 

 group of exhibits in the same part of any build- 

 ing. Our installations were scattered on both 

 sides of the Seine and in widely remote suburbs 

 of Paris, so that additional assistants were needed 

 for the work of supervision and arrangement. 



Despite all these drawbacks the contribution 

 of the United States was not only the largest 

 foreign display, but was among the earliest in 

 place and the most orderly in arrangement. Our 

 exhibits were shown in 101 out of 121 classes, and 

 more completely covered the entire classification 

 than those of any other nation. In total number 

 they ranked next after those of France, and the 

 attractive form in which they were presented se- 

 cured general attention. 



A criterion of the extent and success of our 

 participation and of the thoroughness with which 

 our exhibitors were organized is seen in the 

 awards granted to American exhibitors by the 

 international jury namely, grand prizes, 240; 

 gold medals, 597; silver medals, 776; bronze 

 medals, 541 ; and honorable mentions, 322 

 2,476 in all, being the greatest total number given 

 to the exhibit of any exhibiting nation, as well 

 as the largest number in each grade. This signifi- 

 cant recognition of merit in competition with the 

 chosen exhibits of all other nations and at the 

 hands of juries almost wholly made up of repre- 

 sentatives of France and other competing coun- 

 tries is not only most gratifying, but is espe- 

 cially valuable, since it sets us to the front in 

 international questions of supply and demand, 

 while the large proportion of awards in the classes 

 of art and artistic manufactures afforded unex- 

 pected proof of the stimulation of national cul- 

 ture by the prosperity that flo\vs from natural 

 productiveness joined to industrial excellence. 



Apart from the exposition several occasions for 

 showing international good-will occurre'd. The in- 

 auguration in Paris of the Lafayette monument, 



