CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



161 



CONGRESS. The second session of the Fifty- 

 third Congress assembled on Monday, Dec. 4, 

 1893. For a list of the members, see" "Annual 

 Cyclopedia " for 1893, page 222. The President 

 sent in the following message : 

 To the Congress of the United States : 



The constitutional duty which requires the Presi- 

 dent from time to time to give to the Congress infor- 

 mation of the state of the Union and recommend to 

 their consideration such measures as he shall judge 

 necessary and expedient, is fittingly entered upon by 

 com mending to the Congress a careful examination 

 of the detailed statements and well-supported recom- 

 mendations contained in the reports ot the heads of 

 departments, who are chiefly charged with the ex- 

 ecutive work of the Government. In an effort to 

 abridge this communication as much as is consistent 

 with its purpose, I shall supplement a brief reference 

 to the contents of these departmental reports by the 

 mention of such executive business and incidents as 

 are not embraced therein, zind by such recommen- 

 dations as appear to be at this particular time appro- 

 priate. 



While our foreign relations have not at all times 

 during the past year been entirely free from perplex- 

 ity, no embarrassing situations remain that will not 

 yield to the spirit of fairness and love of justice which, 

 joined with consistent firmness, characterize a truly 

 American foreign policy. 



My predecessor having accepted the office of arbi- 

 trator of the long-standing missions boundary dis- 

 pute, tendered to the President by the Argentine Re- 

 public and Brazil, it has been my agreeable duty to 

 receive the special envoys commissioned by those 

 states to lay hefore me evidence and arguments in 

 behalf of their respective governments. 



The outbreak of domestic hostilities in the repub- 

 lic of Brazil found the United States alert to watch 

 the interests of our citizens in that country, with 

 which we carry 011 important commerce. Several 

 vessels of our new navy are now, and for some time 

 have been, stationed at Rio de J aneiro. The strug- 

 gle being between the established Government, which 

 -controls the machinery of administration, and with 

 which we maintain friendly relations, and certain 

 officers of the navy employing the vessels of their 

 command in an attack upon the national capital and 

 chief seaport, and lacking,- as it does, the elements of 

 divided administration, I have failed to see that the 

 insurgents can reasonably claim recognition as bel- 

 ligerents. Thus far the position of our Government 

 has l>een that of an attentive but impartial observer 

 of the unfortunate conflict. Emphasizing our fixed 

 policy of impartial neutrality in such a condition of 

 affairs as now exists, I deemed it necessary to disavow, 

 in a manner not to be misunderstood, the unauthor- 

 ized action of our late naval commander in those 

 waters in saluting the revolted Brazilian admiral, be- 

 ing indisposed to countenance an act calculated to 

 give gratuitous sanction to the local insurrection. 



The convention between our Government and 

 Chili, having for its object the settlement and adjust- 

 ment of the demands' of the two countries against 

 each other, has been made effective by the organiza- 

 tion of the claims commission provided for. The two 

 governments tailing to agree upon the third member 

 of the commission, the good offices of the President 

 of the French republic were invoked, as provided in 

 the treaty, and the selection of the Swiss representa- 

 tive in this country to complete the organization was 

 gratifying alike to the United States and Chili. 



The vexatious question of an asylum for offenders 

 against the state and its laws was presented anew in 

 Chili by the unauthorized action of the late United 

 States minister in receiving into his official residence 

 two persons who had just failed in an attempt at 

 revolution, and against whom criminal charges were 

 pending, growing out of a former abortive disturb- 

 ance. The doctrine of asylum, as applied to this case, 

 is not sanctioned by the best precedents, and, when 



VOL. XXXIV. 11 A 



allowed, tends to encourage sedition and strife. Un- 

 der no circumstances can the representatives of this 

 Government be permitted, under the ill-defined fic- 

 tion of extraterritoriality, to interrupt the administra- 

 tion of criminal justice in the countries to which they 

 are accredited. A temperate demand, having been 

 made by the Chilian Government for the correction 

 of this conduct in the instance mentioned, the minis- 

 ter was instructed no longer to harbor the offenders. 



The legislation of last year, known as the Geary 

 law, requiring the registration of all Chinese laborers 

 entitled to residence in the United States and the 

 deportation of al-1 not complying with the provisions 

 of the act within the time prescribed, met with much 

 opposition from Chinamen in this country. Acting 

 upon the advice of eminent counsel that the law was 

 unconstitutional, the great mass of Chinese laborers, 

 pending judicial inquiry as to its validity, in good 

 faith declined to apply for the certificates required by 

 its provisions. A test proceeding by habeas corpus 

 was brought before the Supreme Court, and on May 

 15, 1892, a decision was made by the tribunal sustain- 

 ing the law. It is believed that under the recent 

 amendment of the act extending the time for regis- 

 tration, the Chinese laborers thereto entitled, who 

 desire to reside in this country, will now avail them- 

 selves of the renewed privilege thus afforded to the 

 establishing by the lawful procedure their right to 

 remain, and thereby necessity of enforced deportation 

 may to a great extent be avoided. 



It has devolved upon the United States minister at 

 Pekin, as dean of the diplomatic body, and in the ab- 

 sence of a representative of Sweden and Norway, to 

 press upon the Chinese Government reparation for 

 the recent murder of Swedish missionaries at Sung 

 Pu.' This question is of vital interest to all countries 

 whose citizens engage in missionary work in the in- 

 terior. 



By Article XII of the general act of Brussels, 

 signed July 2, 1890, for the suppression of the slave 

 trade and the restriction of certain injurious com- 

 merce in the independent state of the Congo and in the 

 adjacent zone of Central Africa, the United States and 

 the other signatory powers agreed to adopt appropri- 

 ate means for the punishment of persons selling arms 

 and ammunition to the natives and for the confisca- 

 tion of the inhibited articles. It being the plain duty 

 of this Government to aid in suppressing the nefari- 

 ous traffic, impairing as it does the praiseworthy and 

 civilizing efforts now in progress in that region, I 

 recommend that an act be passed prohibiting the sale 

 of arms and intoxicants to natives in the regulated 

 zone by our citizens. 



Costa Rica has lately testified its friendliness by 

 surrendering to the United States, in the absence of a 

 convention of extradition, but upon duly submitted 

 evidence of criminality, a noted fugitive from justice. 

 It is trusted that the negotiation of treaty with that 

 country to meet recurring cases of that kind will soon 

 be accomplished. In my opinion treaties for recipro- 

 cal extradition should be concluded with all those 

 countries with which the United States has not al- 

 ready conventional arrangements of that character. 



I have deemed it fitting to express to the govern- 

 ments of Costa Rica and Colombia the kindly desire 

 of the United States to see their pending boundary 

 dispute finally closed by arbitration in conformity 

 with the spirit of the treaty concluded between them 

 some years ago. 



Our relations with the French republic continue to 

 be intimate and cordial. I sincerely hope that the 

 extradition treaty with that country, as amended by 

 the Senate, will soon be operative. 



While occasional requests affecting our naturalized 

 citizens returning to the land of their oirth have arisen 

 in our intercourse with Germany, our relations with 

 that country continue satisfactory. 



The questions affecting our relations with Great 

 Britain have been treated in a spirit of friendliness. 

 Negotiations are in progress between the two govern- 

 ments with a view to such concurrent action as will 



