And State Papers 601 



newspapers and periodicals actually contemplated by 

 the law, no just exception could be taken. That ex- 

 pense would be the recognized and accepted cost of 

 a liberal public policy deliberately adopted for a jus- 

 tifiable end. But much of the matter which enjoys 

 the privileged rate is wholly outside of the intent of 

 the law, and has secured admission only through an 

 evasion of its requirements or through lax construc- 

 tion. The proportion of such wrongly included mat- 

 ter is estimated by postal experts to be one-half of 

 the whole volume of second-class mail. If it be only 

 one-third or one-quarter, the magnitude of the bur- 

 den is apparent. The Post-Office Department has 

 now undertaken to remove the abuses so far as is 

 possible by a stricter application of the law ; and it 

 should be sustained in its effort. 



Owing to the rapid growth of our power and our 

 interests on the Pacific, whatever happens in China 

 must be of the keenest national concern to us. 



The general terms of the settlement of the ques- 

 tions growing out of the anti-foreign uprisings in 

 China of 1900, having been formulated in a joint 

 note addressed to China by the representatives of 

 the injured powers in December last, were promptly 

 accepted by the Chinese Government. After pro- 

 tracted conferences the plenipotentiaries of the 

 several powers were able to sign a final protocol 

 with the Chinese plenipotentiaries on the 7th of last 

 September, setting forth the measures taken by 

 China in compliance with the demands of the joint 



