208 



CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



gives to the sailing vessels such cargoes as are not 

 urgent or perishable, and, indirectly at least, promotes 

 that important adjunct of commerce. There is now, 

 both in this country and in the nations of Central and 

 South America, a state of expectation and confidence 

 as to increased trade that will give a double value to 

 your prompt action upon this question. 



The present situation of our mail communication 

 with Australia illustrates the importance of early 

 action by Congress. The Oceanic Steamship Com 

 pany maintains a line of steamers between San ( Fran- 

 cisco, Sydney, and Auckland, consisting of three ves- 

 sels, two of which are of United States registry and 

 one of foreign registry. For the service done by this 

 line in carrying the mails we pay annually the sum 

 of $46,000, being, as estimated, the full sea and United 

 States inland postage, which is the limit fixed by law. 

 The colonies of New South Wales arid New Zealand 

 have been paying annually to these lines 37,000 for 

 carrying the mails from Sydney and Auckland to San 

 Francisco. The contract under which this payment 

 has been made is now about to expire, and those col- 

 onies have refused to renew the contract unless the 

 United States shall pay a more equitable proportion 

 of the whole sum necessary to maintain the service. 



I am advised by the Postmaster-General that the 

 United States receives for carrying the Australian 

 mails, brought to San Francisco in these steamers, by 

 rail to Vancouver, an estimated annual income of 

 $75,000 ; while, as I have stated, we are paying out for 

 the support of the steamship line that brings this 

 mail to us only $46,000, leaving an annual surplus, 

 resulting from this service, of $29,000. The trade of 

 the United States with Australia, which is in a con- 

 siderable part carried by these steamers, and the 

 whole of which is practically dependent upon the 

 mail communication which they maintain, is largely 

 in our favor. Our total exports of merchandise to 

 Australasian ports during the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1890, were $11,266,484; while the total imports of 

 merchandise from these ports were only $4,277,676. 

 If we are not willing to see this important steamship 

 line withdrawn, or continued with Vancouver substi- 

 tuted for San Francisco as the American terminal, 

 Congress should put it in the power of the Postmas- 

 ter-General to make a liberal increase in the amount 

 now paid for the transportation of this important 

 mail. 



The South Atlantic and Gulf ports occupy a very 

 favored position toward the new and important com- 

 merce which the reciprocity clause of the tarift' act 

 and the postal shipping bill are designed to promote. 

 Steamship lines from these ports to some northern 

 port of South America will almost certainly effect a 

 connection between the railroad systems of the con- 

 tinents long before any continuous line of railroads 

 can be put into operation. The very large appropri- 

 ation made at the last session for the harbor of Gal- 

 veston was justified, as it seemed to me, by these con- 

 siderations. The great Northwest will feel the ad- 

 vantage of trunk lines to the South as well as to the 

 East, and of the new markets opened for their sur- 

 plus food products and for many of their manufact- 

 ured products. 



I had occasion in May last to transmit to Congress 

 a report adopted by the International American Con- 

 ference upon the subject of the incorporation of an 

 international American bank, with a view to facili- 

 tating money exchanges between the states repre- 

 sented in that conference. Such an institution would 

 greatly promote the trade we are seeking to develop. 

 I renew the recommendation that a careful and well- 

 guarded charter be granted. 1 do not think the pow- 

 ers granted should include those ordinarily exercised 

 by trust, guarantee, and safe-deposit companies, or 

 that more branches in the CJ nited States should be 

 authorized than are strictly necessary to accomplish 

 the object primarily in view, namely, conven- 

 ient foreign exchanges. It is quite important that 

 prompt action should be taken in this matter, in or- 

 der that any appropriations for better communica- 



tion with these countries and any agreements that 

 may be made for reciprocal trade may not be hin- 

 dered by the inconvenience of making exchanges 

 c through European money centers or burdened oy 

 the tribute which is an incident of that method of 

 business. 



The bill for the relief of the Supreme Court has, 

 after many years of discussion, reached a position 

 where final action is easily attainable, and it is liojH-d 

 that any differences of opinion maybe so harmonized 

 as to save the essential features of this very important 

 measure. In this connection I earnestly renew my 

 recommendation that the salaries of the judges of the 

 United States district courts be so readjusted that 

 none of them shall receive less than $5,000 per annum. 



The subject of the. unadjusted Spanish and Mexi- 

 can land grants and the urgent necessity for provid- 

 ing some commission or tribunal for the trial of ques- 

 tions of title growing out of them were twice brought 

 by me to the attention of Congress at the last session. 

 Bills have been reported from the proper committees 

 in both Houses upon the subject, and I very earnestly 

 hope that this Congress will put an end to the delay 

 which has attended the settlement of the disputes as 

 to title between the settlers and the claimants under 

 these grants. These disputes retard the prosperity 

 and disturb the peace of large and important com- 

 munities. The Governor of New Mexico, in his last 

 report to the Secretary of the Interior, suggests some 

 modifications of the provisions of the pending bills 

 relating to the small holdings of farm lands. I com- 

 mend to your attention the suggestions of the Secre- 

 tary of the Interior upon this subject. 



The enactment of a national bankrupt law I still 

 regard as very desirable. The Constitution having 



fiven to Congress jurisdiction of this subject, it should 

 c exercised, and uniform rules provided for the ad- 

 ministration of the affairs of insolvent debtors. The 

 inconveniences resulting from the occasional and tem- 

 porary exercise of this power by Congress, and from 

 the conflicting State codes of insolvency which come 

 into force intermediately, should be removed by the 

 enactment of a simple, inexpensive, and permanent 

 national bankrupt law. 



I also renew my recommendation in favor of legis- 

 lation affording just copyright protection to foreign 

 authors, on a footing of reciprocal advantage for our 

 authors abroad. 



It may still be possible for this Congress to inaugu- 

 rate, by suitable legislation, a movement looking to 

 uniformity and increased safety in the use of couplers 

 and brakes upon freight trains engaged in interstate 

 commerce. The chief difficulty in the way is to se- 

 cure agreement as to the best appliances, simplicity, 

 effectiveness, and cost being considered. This diffi- 

 culty will only yield to legislation, which should 

 be b'ased upon full inquiry and impartial tests. The 

 purpose should be to secure the co-operation of all 

 well-disposed managers and owners, but the fearful 

 fact that every year's delay involves the sacrifice of 

 two thousand lives and the maiming of twenty thou- 

 sand young men should plead both with Congress 

 and the managers against any needless delay. 



The subject of the conservation and equal distribu- 

 tion of the water supply of the arid regions has had 

 much attention from Congress, but has not as yet 

 been put upon a permanent and satisfactory basis. 

 The urgency of the subject does not grow out of any 

 large present demand for the use of these lands for 

 agriculture, but out of the danger that the water sup- 

 ply and the sites for the necessary catch basins may 

 fall into the hands of individuals or private corpora- 

 tions and be used to render subservient the large areas 

 dependent upon such supply. The owner of the wa- 

 ter is the owner of the lands, however the titles may 

 run. All unappropriated natural water sources and 

 all necessary reservoir sites should be held by the 

 Government for the equal use, at fair rates, of the 

 homestead settlers who will eventually take up these 

 lands.- 



The United States should not, in my opinion, un- 



