PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



659 



its dread horrors and all its injuries to the interests 

 of the United States and of other nations. Each 

 party seems quite capable of working great injury 

 and damage to the other, as well as to all the rela- 

 tions and interests dependent on the existence of 

 peace in the island ; but they seem incapable of 

 reaching any adjustment, and both have thus far 

 failed oi achieving any success whereby one party 

 shall possess and control the island to trie exclusion 

 of the other. Under these circumstances, the agen- 

 cy of others, either by mediation or by intervention, 

 seems to be the only alternative which must, sooner 

 or later, be invoked for the termination of the strife. 

 At the same time, while thus impressed, I do not at 

 this time recommend the adoption of any measure 

 of intervention. I shall be ready at all times, and 

 as the equal friend of both parties, to respond to a 

 suggestion that the good offices of the United States 

 will be acceptable to aid in bringing about a peace 

 honorable to both. It is due to Spain, so far as this 

 Government is concerned, that the agency of a third 

 power, to which I have adverted, shall be adopted 

 only as a last expedient. Had it been the desire of 

 the United States to interfere in the affairs of Cuba, 

 repeated opportunities for so doing have been pre- 

 sented within the last few years ; but we have re- 

 mained passive, and have performed our whole duty 

 and all international obligations to Spain with friend- 



sibie suggest 



the difficulties with which she has been surrounded. 



The Government of Spain has recently submitted 

 to our minister at Madrid certain proposals which it 

 is hoped may be found to be the basis, if not the 

 actual submission, of terms to meet the requirements 

 of the particular griefs of which this Government 

 has felt itself entitled to complain. These propo- 

 sal^ have not yet reached me in their full text. On 

 their arrival they will be taken into careful exami- 

 nation, and may, I hope, lead to a satisfactory adjust- 

 ment of the questions to which they refer, and re- 

 move the possibility of future occurrences, such as 

 have given rise to our just complaints. 



It is understood also that renewed efforts are being 

 made to introduce reforms in the internal adminis- 

 tration of the island. Persuaded, however, that a 

 proper regard for the interests of the United States 

 and of its citizens entitles it to relief from the strain 

 to which it has been subjected by the difficulties of 

 the questions, and the wrongs and losses which 

 arise from the contest in Cuba, and that the inter- 

 ests of humanity itself demand the cessation of the 

 strife before the whole island shall be laid waste 

 and larger sacrifices of life be made, I shall feel it 

 my duty, should my hopes of a satisfactory adjust- 

 ment and of the early restoration of peace and the 

 removal of future causes of complaint be, unhappily, 

 disappointed, to make a further communication to 

 Congress at some period not far remote, and during 

 the present session, recommending what may then 

 seem to me to be necessary. 



The Free Zone, so called, several years since es- 

 tablished by the Mexican Government in certain of 

 the States of that republic adjacent to our frontier, 

 remains in full operation. It has always been ma- 

 terially injurious to honest traffic, for it operates as 

 an incentive to traders in Mexico to supply without 

 customs charges the wants of inhabitants on this 

 side of the line, and prevents the same wants from 

 being supplied by merchants of the United States, 

 thereby, to a considerable extent, defrauding our 

 revenue and checking honest commercial enterprises. 



Depredations by armed bands from Mexico on the 

 people of Te^as near the frontier continue. Though 

 the main object of these incursions is robbery, they 

 frequently result in the murder of unarmed and 

 peaceably-disposed persons ; and in some instances 

 even the United States post-roffices and mail com- 

 munications have been attacked. Renewed remon- 



strances upon this subject have been addressed to 

 the Mexican Government, but without much appar- 

 ent effect. The military force of this Government, 

 disposable for service in that quarter, is quite inade- 

 quate to effectually guard the line, even at those 

 points where the incursions are usually made. An 

 experiment of an armed vessel on the Kio Grande 

 for that purpose is on trial, and it is hoped that, if 

 not thwarted by the shallowness of the river and 

 other natural obstacles, it may materially contribute 

 to the protection of the herdsmen of Texas. 



The proceedings of the joint commission under 

 the convention between the United States and Mex- 

 ico of July 4, 1868, on the subject of claims, will 

 soon be brought to a close. The result of those 

 proceedings will then be communicated to Congress. 



I am happy to announce that the Government of 

 Venezuela has, upon further consideration, practi- 

 cally abandoned its objection to pay to the United 

 States that share of its revenue which some years 

 since it allotted toward the extinguishment of the 

 claims of foreigners generally. In thus reconsider- 

 ing its determination that Government has shown a 

 just sense of self-respect which cannot fail to reflect 

 credit upon it in the eyes of all disinterested per- 

 sons elsewhere. It is to be regretted, however, that 

 its payments on account of claims of citizens of the 

 United States are still so meagre in amount, and that 

 the stipulations of the treaty in regard to the sums 

 to be paid and the periods when those payments 

 were to take place should have been so signally dis- 

 regarded. 



Since my last annual message the exchange has 

 been made of the ratification of a treaty of com- 

 merce and navigation with Belgium, and of conven- 

 tions with the Mexican Republic for the further ex- 

 tension of the joint commission respecting claims ; 

 with the Hawaiian Islands for commercial recipro- 

 city, and with the Ottoman Empire for extradition ; 

 all of which have been duly proclaimed. 



The Court of Commissioners of Alabama Claims 

 has prosecuted its important duties very assiduously 

 and very satisfactorily. It convened and was or- 

 ganized on July 22, 1874, and, by the terms of the 

 act under which it was created, was to exist for one 

 year from that date. The act provided, however, 

 that, should it be found impracticable to complete 

 the work of the court before the expiration of the 

 year, the President might, by proclamation, extend 

 the time of its duration to a period not more than 

 six months beyond the expiration of the one year. 



Having received satisfactory evidence that it would 

 be impracticable to complete the work within the 

 time originally fixed, I issued a proclamation (a 

 copy of which is presented herewith) extending the 

 time of duration of the court for a period of six 

 months from and after the twenty-second day of 

 July last. 



A report made through the clerk of the court 

 (communicated here with) shows the condition of the 

 calendar on the 1st of November last, and the large 

 amount of work which has been accomplished. 

 Thirteen hundred and eighty-two claims have been 



Presented, of which six hundred and eighty-two had 

 een disposed of at the date of the report. I am in- 

 formed that one hundred and seventy cases were de- 

 cided during the month of November. Arguments 

 are being made and decisions given in the remaining 

 cases with all the dispatch consistent with the prop- 

 er consideration of the questions submitted. Many 

 of these claims are in behalf of mariners, or depend 

 on the evidence of mariners, whose absence has de- 

 layed the taking or the return of the necessary evi- 

 dence. 



It is represented to me that it will be impracti- 

 cable for the court to finally dispose of all the cases 

 before it within the present limit of its duration. 

 Justice to the parties ..claimant, who have been^ at 

 large expense in preparing their claims and obtain- 

 ing the evidence in their support, suggests a short 



