708 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



The legislation necessary to extend to the colony 

 of Newfoundland certain articles of the Treaty of 

 Washington of the 8th day of May ; 1871, having been 

 had, a protocol to that effect was signed in behalf of 

 the United States and of Great Britain, on the 28th 

 day of May last, and was duly proclaimed on the fol- 

 lowing day. A copy of the proclamation is submit- 

 ted herewith. 



A copy of the report of the commissioner appointed 

 under the act of March 19, 1872, for surveying and 

 marking the boundary between the United States and 

 the British possessions, from the Lake of the Woods 

 to the summit of the Eocky Mountains, is herewith 

 transmitted. I am happy to announce that the field- 

 work of the commission has been completed, and the 

 entire line, from the northwest corner of the Lake of 

 the Woods to the summit of the Eocky Mountains, 

 has been run and marked upon the surface of the 

 earth. It is believed that the amount remaining un- 

 expended of the appropriation made at the last ses- 

 sion of Congress will be sufficient to complete the 

 office-work. I recommend that the authority of Con- 

 gress be given to the use of the unexpended balance 

 of the appropriation in the completion of the work of 

 the commission in making its report and preparing 

 the necessary maps. 



The court known as the Court of Commissioners of 

 Alabama Claims, created by an act of Congress of the 

 last session, has organized and commenced its work, 

 and it is to be hoped that the claims admissible under 

 the provisions of the act may be speedily ascertained 

 and paid. 



It nas been deemed advisable to exercise the dis- 

 cretion conferred upon the Executive at the last session, 

 by accepting the conditions required by the Govern- 

 ment of Turkey for the privilege of allowing citizens 

 of the United States to hold real estate in the former 

 country, and by assenting to a certain change in the 

 jurisdiction or courts in the latter. A copy of the 

 proclamation upon these subjects is herewith com- 

 municated. 



There has been no material change in our relations 

 with the independent states of this hemisphere which 

 were formerly under the dominion of Spain. Maraud- 

 ing on the frontiers, between Mexico and Texas, still 

 frequently takes place despite the vigilance of the 

 civil and military authorities in that quarter. The 

 difficulty of checking such trespasses along the course 

 of a river of such length as the Eio Grande, and so 

 often fordable, is obvious. It is hoped that the etforts 

 of this Government will be seconded by those of 

 Mexico to the effectual suppression of these acts of 

 wrong. 



From a report upon the condition of the business 

 before the American and Mexican Joint Claims Com- 

 mission, made by the agent on the part of the United 

 States, and dated October 28, 1874, it appears that of 

 the 1,017 claims filed on the part of citizens of the 

 United States, 483 had been finally decided, and 75 

 were in the hands of the umpire, leaving 462 to be 

 disposed of ; and of the 998 claims filed against the 

 United States, 726 had been finally decided ; one was 

 before the umpire, and 271 remained to be disposed 

 of. Since the date of such report other claims have 

 been disposed of, reducing somewhat the number still 

 pending ; and others have been passed upon by the 

 arbitrators. It has become apparent, in view of these 

 figures, and of the fact that the work devolving on 

 the umpire is particularly laborious, that the com- 

 mission will be unable to dispose of the entire number 

 of claims pending prior to the 1st day of February, 

 1875 the date fixed for its expiration. Negotiations 

 are pending looking to the securing of the results of 

 the decisions which have been reached, and to a 

 further extension of the commission for a limited 

 time, which it is confidently hoped will suffice to 

 bring all the business now before it to a final close. 



The strife in the Argentine Eepublic is to be de- 

 plored, both on account of the parties thereto and 

 from the probable effects on the interests of those 



engaged in the trade to that quarter, of whom the 

 United States are among the principal. As yet, so 

 far as I am aware, there has been no violation of our 

 neutrality rights, which, as well as our duties in that 

 respect, it shall be my endeavor to maintain and 

 observe. 



It is with regret I announce that no further pay- 

 ment has been received from the Government of Vene- 

 zuela on account of awards in favor of citizens of the 

 United States. Hopes have been entertained that if 

 that republic could escape both foreign and civil war 

 for a few years its great natural resources would en- 

 able it to honor its obligations. Though it is now 

 understood to be at peace with other countries, a 

 serious insurrection is reported to be in progress in 

 an important region of that republic. This may be 

 taken advantage of as another reason to delay the 

 payment of the dues of our citizens. 



The deplorable strife in Cuba continues without 

 any marked change in the relative advantages of the 

 contending forces. This insurrection continues, but 

 Spain has gained no superiority. Six years of strife 



five to the insurrection a significance which cannot 

 e denied. Its duration and the tenacity of its ad- 

 herence, together with the absence of manifested 

 power of suppression on the part of Spain, cannot be 

 controverted, and may make some positive steps on 

 the part of other powers a matter of self-necessity. 

 I had confidently noped, at this time, to be able to 

 announce the arrangement of some of the important 

 questions between this Government and that ot Spain, 

 but the negotiations have been protracted. The un- 

 happy intestine dissensions of Spain command our 

 proiound sympathy, and must be accepted as perhaps 

 a cause of some delay. An early settlement, in part 

 at least, of the questions between the Governments is 

 hoped. In the mean time, awaiting the results of 

 immediately pending negotiations, I defer a further 

 and fuller communication on the subject of the rela- 

 tions of this country and Spain. 



I have again to call the attention of Congress to the 

 unsatisfactory condition of the existing laws with ref- 

 erence to expatriation and the election of nationality. 

 Formerly, amid conflicting opinions and decisions, it 

 was difficult to exactly determine how far the doctrine 

 of perpetual allegiance was applicable to citizens of 

 the United States. Congress by the act of the 27th 

 of July, 1868, asserted the abstract right of expatria- 

 tion as a fundamental principle of this Government. 

 Notwithstanding such assertion, and the necessity of 

 frequent application of the principle, no legislation 

 has been had defining what acts or formalities shall 

 work expatriation, or when a citizen shall be deemed 

 to have renounced or to have lost his citizenship. 

 The importance of such definition is obvious. The 

 representatives of the United States in foreign coun- 

 tries are continually called upon to lend their aid and 

 the protection of me Unitea States to persons con- 

 cerning the good faith or the reality of whose citizen- 

 ship there is at least great question. In some cases 

 the provisions of the treaties furnish some guide ; iti 

 others, it seems left to the person claiming the bene- 

 fits of citizenship, while living in a foreign country, 

 contributing in no manner to the performance of tne 

 duties of a citizen of the United States, and without 

 intention at any tune to return and undertake those 

 duties, to use the claims to citizenship of the United 

 States simply as a shield from the performance of the 

 obligations of a citizen elsewhere. 



The status of children born of American parents 

 residing in a foreign country, of American women 

 who have married aliens, of American citizens resid- 

 ing abroad where such question is not regulated by 

 treaty, are all sources ot frequent difficulty and dis- 

 cussion. Legislation on these and similar questions, 

 and particularly defining when and under what cir- 

 cumstances expatriation can be accomplished or is 

 to be presumed, is especially needed. In this con- 

 nection I earnestly call the attention of Congress to 

 the difficulties arising from fraudulent naturalization. 



