CONGRESS. (Tux PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



179 



catch by tin- Fur Seal < 'ompany U]><)li tlic island- ! 

 i. iii>. I I'l his airivi mi-lit could have been reached 

 earlier, in response to tin- strenuous endeavors of this 

 inn-lit, it would have been more effective; but, 

 comiii:.' f\i ii as late us it li'nl, it unquestionably re- 

 sulted ill greatly diminishing tlie destruction of the 

 heals by the Canadian sealers. 



In in'y last annual message I stated that the basis of 

 arbitration proposed hy Her Majcstv's (Government 

 for the adjustment of the long-pending controvert^ 



a> I" the seal fisheries was not aeeejituhlc. I am glad 

 IIM\V to he able to aniioiinee that terms satisfactory 

 t<> this (!o\ eminent have been agreed upon and that 

 an agreement as to the arbitrators is all that is neees- 

 s:r\ to tlie eomjiletion of the eonvention. In view of 

 the advanced position which this (iovernmeiit has 

 taken upon the subject of international arbitration, 

 this renewed expression of our adherence to this 

 method for the settlement, of disputes sueh us have 

 arisen in the ISering Sea will, 1 doubt not, meet with 

 the concurrence of Congress. 



I'n 'vision should be made for a joint demarkation 

 of the frontier line between Canada and the United 

 States wherever required by the increasing border 

 settlements, and especially for the exact location of 

 the water boundary in the straits and rivers. 



1 should have been glad to announce some favor- 

 able disposition of the boundary dispute between 

 (Great liritain and Venezuela, touching the western 

 frontier of British Guiana, but the friendly efforts of 

 the United States in that direction have thus far been 

 unavailing. This Government will continue to ex- 

 its concern at any appearance of foreign en- 

 croachment on territories long under the administra- 

 tive control of American states. The determination 

 ot 'a disputed boundary is easily attainable by amicable 

 arbitration where tlie rights of the respective parties 

 rest, as here, on historic facts, readilv ascertainuble. 



The law of the last Congress providing a system of 

 inspection for our meate intended for export, and 

 clothing the President with power to exclude foreign 

 products from our market in case the country send- 

 ing them should perpetuate unjust discriminations 

 iiiraitist any product of the United States, placed this 

 Mincnt in a position to effectively urge the re- 

 moval of such discriminations against our meats. It 

 b gratifying to be able to state that Germany, Den- 

 mark, Italy, Austria, and France, in the order named, 

 have opened their ports to inspected American pork 

 jir.nluets. The removal of these restrictions in every 

 instance was asked for and given solely upon the 

 gnumd that we had now provided a meat inspection 

 that should be accepted as adequate to the complete 

 removal of the dangers, real or fancied, which had 

 been previously ur.rcd. The State Department, our 

 minister* abroad, and the Secretary of Agriculture, 

 have co-operated with unflagging and intelligent xeal 

 for the accomplishment of this great result. The out- 

 lines of an agreement have been reached with Ger- 

 many looking to equitable trade concessions in con- 

 sideration of the continued free importation of her 

 sugars, but the time lias not yet arrived when this 

 correspondence can be submitted to Congress. 



The recent political disturbances in the Republic 

 of Mra/il have excited regret and solicitude. 'Hie in- 

 formation we possessed was too meager to enable us 

 t> form a satisfactory judgment of the causes leading 

 to the temporary assumption of supreme power by 

 nt 1'onsrca; but this Government did not fml 

 to express to him its anxious solicitude for the peace 

 of P.ra/il and for the maintenance of the free politi- 

 cal institutions which had recently been established 

 there, nor to offer our advice that great moderation 

 should be observed in the clash of parties and the 

 contest for leadership. These counsels were received 

 in the most friendly spirit, and tlie latest information 

 is that constitutional government has been re-estab- 

 lished without bloodshed. 



The hnchiiiLr at New Orleans in March last of 

 eleven men of Italian nativity \>\ a mob of citizens 

 was a most deplorable and discreditable incident. It 



did not, however, have its origin in any general ani- 

 mosity to the Italian i-ople, nor in any disres]>ect to 

 tin- Government of Italy, with which* our relation-, 

 were of the most friendly character. The fury of the 

 mob was directed against these men as the supposed 

 participants or accessories in the murder of a city 

 otliccr. I do not allude to this as mitigating in any 

 degree this otleiise against law and humanity, but 

 only as affecting the international questions which 

 grew out of it. It was at once rc-pn-cnted by the 

 Italian minister that several of those whose lives had 

 been taken by the mob were Italian subjects, and a 

 demand was made for the punishmen. of the partici- 

 pants and for an indemnity to the families of those 

 who were killed. It is to be regretted that the man- 

 ner in which these claims were presented was not 

 such as to promote a calm discussion of the questions 

 invoked; but this may well be attributed to the ex- 

 citement and indignation which the crime naturally 

 evoked. The views of this Government as to it* 

 obligations to foreigners domiciled here were fully 

 stated in the correspondence, as well as its purpose to 

 make an investigation of the affair with a view to 

 determine whether there were present any circum- 

 stances that could, under such rules of duty as we 

 had indicated, create an obligation upon the United 

 States. The temporary absence of a minister pleni- 

 potentiary of Italy at this capital has retarded the 

 further correspondence, but it is not doubted that a 

 friendly conclusion is attainable. 



Some suggestions growing out of this unhappy 

 incident are worthy the attention of Congress. It 

 would, I believe, be entirely competent for Congress 

 to make offenses against the treaty rights of foreigners 

 domiciled in the United States cognizable in the 

 Federal courts. This has not, however, been done, 

 and the Federal officers and courts have no power in 

 such cases to intervene either for the protection of a 

 foreign citizen or for the punishment of his slayers. 

 It seems to me to follow, in this state of the law, that 

 the officers of the State charged with police and judi- 

 cial powers in such cases must, in the consideration 

 of international questions growing out of such inci- 

 dents, be regarded in such sense as Federal agents 

 as to make this Government answerable for their acts 

 in cases where it would be answerable if the United 

 States had used its constitutional power to define and 

 punish crimes against treaty rights. 



The civil war in Chili, which began in January 

 last, was continued, but fortunately with infrequent 

 and not important armed collisions, until Aug. '28, 



recogm 



cause was lost, and a provisional government was 

 speedily established by tne victorious party. Our min- 

 ister was promptly directed to recognize and put him- 

 self in communication with this Government so soon 

 as it should have established its de facto character, 

 which was done. During the pendency of this civil 

 contest frequent indirect appeals were made to this 

 Government to extend belligerent rights to the insur- 

 gents and to give audience to their representatives. 

 This was declined, and that policy was pursued 

 throughout, which this Government, when wrenched 

 by civil war, so strenuously insisted upon on the part 

 of European nations. The " Itata," an armed vessel 

 commanded by a naval officer of the insurgent fleet, 

 manned by its* sailors and with soldiers on board, was 

 seized under process of the United States court at 

 San Diego, California, for a violation of our neutrality 

 laws. While in the custody of an officer of the court 

 the vessel was fore i hi v wrested from his control and 

 put to sea. It would have been inconsistent with tin- 

 dignity and self-respect of this Government not to 

 have insisted that the " Itata" should bo returned to 

 San Diego to abide the judgment of the court. This 

 was so clear to the Junta of the Congressional party, 

 established at Iquique, that, before the arrival of the 

 " Itata' at that ]>ort. the Secretary of Foreign Rela- 

 tions of the Provisional Government addressed to 



