150 



CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



'! IM longstanding contention with Portugal, 

 -r.M.inir out of the seizure of the Delagoa Bay 

 i;.iiluay, has been at last determined by a favor- 

 able award of the tribunal of arbitration at Berne, 

 to which it was submitted. The amount of the 

 award, which was deposited in London awaiting 

 arrangements by the governments of the United 

 States and Great Britain for its disposal, has re- 

 cently been paid over to the two governments. 



A 'lately signed convention of extradition with 

 Peru as amended by the Senate has been ratified 

 by the Peruvian Congress. 



" Another illustration of the policy of this Gov- 

 ernment to refer international disputes to impar- 

 tial arbitration is seen in the agreement reached 

 with Russia to submit the claims on behalf of 

 American sealing vessels seized in Bering Sea to 

 determination by Mr. T. M. C. Asser, a distin- 

 guished statesman and jurist of the Netherlands. 



Thanks are due to the Imperial Russian Gov- 

 ernment for the kindly aid rendered by its au- 

 thorities in eastern Siberia to American mission- 

 aries fleeing from Manchuria. 



Satisfactory progress has been made toward the 

 conclusion of a general treaty of friendship and 

 intercourse with Spain, in replacement of the old 

 treaty, which passed into abeyance by reason of 

 the late war. A new convention of extradition is 

 completion, and I should be much 



pleased were a commercial arrangement to follow. 

 I feel that we should not suffer to pass any oppor- 

 tunity to reaffirm the cordial ties that existed be- 

 tween us and Spain from the time of our earliest 

 independence, and to enhance the mutual benefits 

 of that commercial intercourse which is natural 

 between the two countries. 



By the terms of the treaty of peace the line 

 bounding the ceded Philippine group in the south- 

 west failed to include several small islands lying 

 westward of the Sulus, which have always been 

 recognized as under Spanish control. The occu- 

 pation of Sibutu and Cagayan Sulu by our naval 

 forces elicited a claim on the part of Spain, the 

 essential equity of which could not be gainsaid. 

 In order to cure the defect of the treaty by re- 

 moving all possible ground of future misunder- 

 standing respecting the interpretation of its third 

 article, I directed the negotiation of a supple- 

 mentary treaty, which will be forthwith laid be- 

 fore the Senate, whereby Spain quits all title and 

 claim of title to the islands named as well as to 

 any and all islands belonging to the Philippine 

 Archipelago lying outside the lines described in 

 said third article, and agrees that all such islands 

 shall be comprehended in the cession of the archi- 

 pelago as fully as if they had been expressly 

 included within those lines. In consideration of 

 this cession the United States is to pay to Spain 

 the sum of $100,000. 



A bill is now pending to effect the recommenda- 

 tion made in my last annual message that appro- 

 priate legislation be had to carry into execution 

 Article VII of the treaty of peace with Spain, by 

 which the United States assumed the payment of 

 certain claims for indemnity of its citizens against 

 Spain. I ask that action be taken to fulfil this 

 obligation. 



The King of Sweden and Norway has accepted 

 the joint invitation of the United States, Ger- 

 many, and Great Britain to arbitrate claims 

 growing out of losses sustained in the Samoan 

 Islands in the course of military operations made 

 necessary by the disturbances in 1899. 



Our claims upon the Government of the Sultan 

 for reparation for injuries suffered by American 

 citizens in Armenia and elsewhere give promise of 

 early and satisfactory settlement. His Majesty's 



good disposition in this regard has been evinced 

 by the issuance of an irade for rebuilding the 

 American college at Harpoot. 



The failure of action by the Senate at its last 

 session upon the commercial conventions then 

 submitted for its consideration and approval, al- 

 though caused by the great pressure of other 

 legislative business, has caused much disappoint- 

 ment to the agricultural and industrial interests 

 of the country, which hoped to profit by their pro- 

 visions. The conventional periods for their rati- 

 fication having expired, it became necessary to 

 sign additional articles extending the time for that 

 purpose. This was requested on our part, and 

 the other governments interested have concurred 

 with the exception of one convention, in respect 

 to which no formal reply has been received. 



Since my last communication to the Congress 

 on this subject special commercial agreements un- 

 der the third section of the tariff act have been 

 proclaimed with Portugal, with Italy, and with 

 Germany. Commercial conventions under the 

 general limitations of the fourth section of the 

 same act have been concluded with Nicaragua, 

 with Ecuador, with the Dominican Republic, with 

 Great Britain on behalf of the island of Trinidad, 

 and with Denmark on behalf of the island of St. 

 Croix. These will be early communicated to the 

 Senate. Negotiations with other governments are 

 in progress for the improvement and security of 

 our commercial relations. 



The policy of reciprocity so manifestly rests 

 upon the principles of international equity and 

 has been so repeatedly approved by the people of 

 the United States that there ought to be no hesi- 

 tation in either branch of the Congress in giving 

 to it full effect. 



This Government desires to preserve the most 

 just and amicable commercial relations with all 

 foreign countries, unmoved by the industrial 

 rivalries necessarily developed in the expansion of 

 international trade. It is believed that the for- 

 eign governments generally entertain the same 

 purpose, although in some instances there are 

 clamorous demands upon them for legislation spe- 

 cifically hostile to American interests. Should 

 these demands prevail I shall communicate with 

 the Congress with the view of advising such 

 legislation as may be necessary to meet the emer- 

 gency. 



The exposition of the resources and products of 

 the Western Hemisphere to be held at Buffalo 

 next year promises important results not only 

 for the United States but for the other partici- 

 pating countries. It is gratifying that the Latin- 

 American states have evinced the liveliest inter- 

 est, and the fact that an international American 

 congress will be held in the city of Mexico while 

 the exposition is in progress encourages the hope 

 of a larger display at Buffalo than might other- 

 wise be practicable. The work of preparing an 

 exhibit of our national resources is making satis-* 

 factory progress under the direction of 'different 

 officials of the Federal Government, and the vari- 

 ous States of the Union have shown a disposition 

 toward the most liberal participation in the enter- 

 prise. 



The Bureau of the American Republics con- 

 tinues to discharge, with the happiest results, the 

 important work of promoting cordial relations 

 between the United States and the Latin-Ameri- 

 can countries, all of which are now active mem- 

 bers of the International Union. The Bureau has 

 been instrumental in bringing about the agree- 

 ment for another international American con- 

 gress, which is to meet in the city of Mexico in 

 October, 1901. The bureau's future for another 



