148 



CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



presented by the school children of the United 

 States, and the designing of a commemorative 

 coin by our mint and the presentation of the 

 first piece struck to the President of the republic, 

 were marked by appropriate ceremonies, and the 

 Fourth of July was especially observed in the 

 French capital. 



Good-will prevails in our relations with the 

 German Empire. An amicable adjustment of the 

 long-pending question of the admission of our life- 

 insurance companies to do business in Prussia 

 has been reached. One of the principal com- 

 panies has already been readmitted and the way is 

 opened for the others to share the privilege. 



The settlement of the Samoan problem, to which 

 I adverted in my last message, has accomplished 

 good results. Peace and contentment prevail in 

 the islands, especially in Tutuila, where a con- 

 venient administration that has won the confi- 

 dence and esteem of the kindly disposed natives 

 has been organized under the direction of the 

 commander of the United States naval station at 

 Pago-Pago. 



An imperial meat-inspection law has been en- 

 acted for Germany. While it may simplify the in- 

 spections, it prohibits certain products heretofore 

 admitted. There is still great uncertainty as to 

 whether our well-nigh extinguished German trade 

 in meat products can revive under its new bur- 

 dens. Much will depend upon regulations not yet 

 promulgated, which we confidently hope Avill be 

 free from the discriminations which attended the 

 enforcement of the old statutes. 



The remaining link in the new lines of direct 

 telegraphic communication between the United 

 States and the German Empire has recently been 

 completed, affording a gratifying occasion for ex- 

 change of friendly congratulations with the Ger- 

 man Emperor. 



Our friendly relations with Great Britain con- 

 tinue. The war in southern Africa introduced 

 important questions. A condition unusual in in- 

 ternational wars was presented in that while one 

 belligerent had control of the seas, the other had 

 no ports, shipping, or direct trade, but was only 

 accessible through the territory of a neutral. 

 Vexatious questions arose through Great Britain's 

 action in respect to neutral cargoes, not contra- 

 band in their own nature, shipped to Portuguese 

 South Africa, on the score of probable or sus- 

 pected ultimate destination to the Boer states. 



Such consignments in British ships, by which 

 alone direct trade is kept up between our ports 

 and southern Africa, were seized in application of 

 a municipal law prohibiting British vessels from 

 trading with the enemy without regard to any 

 contraband character of the goods, while cargoes 

 shipped to Delagoa Bay in neutral bottoms were 

 arrested on the ground of alleged destination to 

 the enemy's country. Appropriate representations 

 on our part resulted in the British Government 

 agreeing to purchase outright all such 'goods 

 shown to be the actual property of American citi- 

 zens, thus closing the incident to the satisfaction 

 of the immediately interested parties, although, 

 unfortunately, without a broad settlement of the 

 question of a neutral's right to send goods not 

 contraband per se to a neutral port adjacent to a 

 belligerent area. 



The \york of making certain provisional bound- 

 ary points, for convenience of administration, 

 around the head of Lynn Canal, in accordance 

 with the temporary arrangement of October, 1899, 

 was completed by a joint survey in July last. 

 The modus vivendi has so far worked without 

 friction, and the Dominion Government has pro- 

 vided rules and regulations for securing to our 



citizens the benefit of the reciprocal stipulation 

 that the citizens or subjects of either power found 

 by that arrangement within the temporary juris- 

 diction of the other shall suffer no diminution 

 of the rights and privileges they have hitherto en- 

 joyed. But however necessary such an expedient 

 may have been to tide over the grave emergencies 

 of the situation, it is at best but an unsatisfactory 

 makeshift which should not be suffered to delay 

 the speedy and complete establishment of the fron- 

 tier line to which we are entitled under the Russo- 

 American treaty for the. cession of Alaska. 



In this relation I may refer again to the need 

 of delicately marking the Alaskan boundary 

 where it follows the one hundred and forty-first 

 meridian. A convention to that end has been be- 

 fore the Senate for some two years, but as no 

 action has been taken I contemplate negotiating 

 a new convention for a joint determination of the 

 meridian by telegraphic observations. These, it 

 is believed, will give more accurate and unques- 

 tionable results than the sidereal methods here- 

 tofore independently followed, which, as is known, 

 proved discrepant at several points on the line, 

 although not varying at any place more than 

 700 feet. 



The pending claim of R. H. May against the 

 Guatemalan Government has been settled by arbi- 

 tration, Mr. George F. B. Jenner, British minister 

 at Guatemala, who was chosen as sole arbitrator, 

 having awarded $143,750.73 in gold to the claim- 

 ant. 



Various American claims against Haiti have 

 been or are being advanced to the resort of arbi- 

 tration. 



As the result of negotiations with the Govern- 

 ment of Honduras in regard to the indemnity de- 

 manded for the murder of Frank H. Pears in Hon- 

 duras, that Government has paid $10,000 in set- 

 tlement of the claim of the heirs. 



The assassination of King Humbert called forth 

 sincere expressions of sorrow from this Govern- 

 ment and people, and occasion was fitly taken to 

 testify to the Italian nation the high regard here 

 felt for the memory of the lamented ruler. 



In my last message I referred at considerable 

 length to the lynching of five Italians at Tallulah. 

 Notwithstanding the efforts of the Federal Gov- 

 ernment, the production of evidence tending to in- 

 culpate the authors of this grievous offense 

 against our civilization, and the repeated inquests 

 set on foot by the authorities of the State of 

 Louisiana, no punishments have followed. Suc- 

 cessive grand juries have failed to indict. The 

 representations of the Italian Government in the 

 face of this miscarriage have been most temperate 

 and just. 



Setting the principle at issue high above all con- 

 sideration of merely pecuniary indemnification, 

 such as this Government made in the three pre- 

 vious cases, Italy has solemnly invoked the 

 pledges of existing treaty and asked that the jus- 

 tice to which she is entitled shall be meted in 

 regard to her unfortunate countrymen in our ter- 

 ritory with the same full measure she herself 

 would give to any American were his reciprocal 

 treaty rights contemned. 



I renew the urgent recommendations I made 

 last year that the Congress appropriately confer 

 upon the Federal courts jurisdiction in this class 

 of international cases where the ultimate respon- 

 sibility of the Federal Government may be in- 

 volved, and I invite action upon the bills to ac- 

 complish this which were introduced in the Senate 

 and House. It is incumbent upon us to remedy 

 the statutory omission which had led, and may 

 again lead, to such untoward results. I have 



