140 



CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



so as to give legal status to the non-Catholic and 

 civil marriages of aliens within its jurisdiction, 

 and strong hopes are entertained that the Bo- 

 livian law in this regard will be brought, as was 

 that of Peru some years ago, into harmony with 

 the general practice of modern states. 



A convention of extradition with Brazil, signed 

 Mav 14, 1897, has been ratified by the Brazilian 

 Legislature. 



During the past summer two national ships of 

 the I'liiied States have visited Brazilian ports on 

 a friendly mission .and been cordially received. 

 The voyage of the Wilmington up the Anwzon 

 river gave rise to a passing misunderstanding, 

 owing to confusion in obtaining permission to 

 visit tin- interior and make surveys in the gen- 

 cial interest of navigation, but the incident found 

 a ready adjustment in harmony with the close 

 relations of amity which this Government has 

 always sedulously sought to cultivate with the 

 commonwealths of the Western Continent. 



Tiie claim growing out of the seizure of the 

 American-owned newspaper The Panama Star and 

 Herald by the authorities of Colombia has been 

 settled, after a controversy of several years, by 

 an agreement assessing at $30,000 the indemnity 

 to be paid by the Colombian Government, in three 

 installments of $10,000 each. 



The good will of Colombia toward our country 

 lias been testified anew by the cordial extension 

 of facilities to the Nicaraguan Canal Commission 

 in their approaching investigation of the Panama 

 Canal and other projected routes across the Isth- 

 mus of Darien. 



Toward the end of October an insurrectionary 

 disturbance developed in the Colombian Republic. 

 This movement has thus far not attained any de- 

 cisive result and is still in progress. 



Discussion of the questions raised by the action 

 of Denmark in imposing restrictions on the im- 

 portation of American meats has continued with- 

 out substantial result in our favor. 



The neighboring island republic of Santo Do- 

 mingo has lately been the scene of revolution, 

 following a long period of tranquillity. It began 

 with the killing of President Heureaux in July 

 last, and culminated in the relinquishment by the 

 MII -feeding Vice-President of the reins of govern- 

 ment to the insurgents. The first act of the Pro- 

 visional Government was the calling of a presi- 

 dential and constituent election. Juan Isidro 

 Jimenc/. having been elected President, was in- 

 augurated on the 14th of November. Relations 

 have been entered into with the newly established 

 < iovernincnt. 



The experimental association of Nicaragua. Hon- 

 duras, and Salvador, under the title of the Greater 

 Republic of Central America, when apparently on 

 the threshold of a complete federal organization 

 by the adoption of a constitution and the forma- 

 tion of a national legislature, was disrupted in 

 the last days of November, 1898, by the with- 

 drawal of Salvador. Thereupon Nicaragua and 

 Honduras abandoned the joint compact, each re- 

 suming its former independent sovereignty. This 

 was followed by the reception of Minister Merry 

 by the republics of Nicaragua and Salvador, while 

 Minister Hunter in turn presented liis credentials 

 to the Government of Honduras, thus reverting 

 to the old distribution of the diplomatic agencies 

 of the I'nitcd States in Central America for which 

 our exist ing statutes provide. A Nicaraguan en- 

 voy has IM-CII accredited to the United States. 



An Insurrectionary movement, under Gen. 

 Reyes, broke out at Bluefields in February last, 

 and for a time exercised actual control 'in the 

 Mosquito Territory. The Detroit was promptly 



sent thither for the protection of American inter- 

 ests. After a few weeks the Reyes government 

 renounced the conflict, giving place to the restored 

 supremacy of Nicaragua. During the interreg- 

 num certain public dues accruing under Nicara- 

 guan law were collected from American merchants 

 by the authorities for the time being in effective 

 administrative control. Upon the titular govern- 

 ment regaining power a second payment of these 

 dues was demanded. Controversy arose touching 

 the validity of the original payment of the debt 

 to the <le facto regent of the territory. An ar- 

 rangement was effected in April last by the United 

 States minister and the Foreign Secretary of Ni- 

 caragua whereby the amounts of the duplicate 

 payments were deposited with the British consul 

 pending an adjustment of the matter by direct 

 agreement between the governments of the United 

 States and Nicaragua. The controversy is still 

 unsettled. 



The contract of the Maritime Canal Company 

 of Nicaragua was declared forfeited by the Nicara- 

 guan Government on the 10th of October, on the 

 ground of nonfulfillment within the ten years' 

 term stipulated in the contract. The Maritime 

 Canal Company has lodged a protest against tin's 

 action, alleging rights in the premises which ap- 

 pear worthy of consideration. This Government 

 expects that Nicaragua will afford the protestants 

 a full and fair hearing upon the merits of the 

 case. 



The Nicaragua Canal Commission, which had 

 been engaged upon the work of examination and 

 survey for a ship-canal route across Nicaragua, 

 having completed its labors and made its report, 

 was dissolved on May 31, and on June 10 a new 

 commission, known as the Isthmian Canal Com- 

 mission, was organized under the terms of the 

 act approved March 3, 1899, for the purpose of 

 examining the American isthmus with a view to 

 determining the most practicable and feasible 

 route for a ship canal across that isthmus, with 

 its probable cost, and other essential details. 



This commission, under the presidency of Rear- 

 Admiral John G. Walker, U. S. N. (retired), en- 

 tered promptly upon the work intrusted to it, 

 and is now carrying on examinations in Nicaragua 

 along the route of the Panama Canal, and in 

 Darien from the Atlantic, in the neighborhood of 

 the Atrato river, to the Bay of Panama, on the 

 Pacific side. Good progress has been made, but 

 under the law a comprehensive and complete in- 

 vestigation is called for, which will require much 

 labor and considerable time for its accomplish- 

 ment. The work will be prosecuted as expedi- 

 tiously as possible and a report made at the earli- 

 est practicable date. 



The great importance of this work can not be 

 too often or too strongly pressed upon the atten- 

 tion of the Congress. In my message of a year 

 ago I expressed my views of the necessity of a 

 canal which would link the two great oceans, to 

 which . I again invite your consideration. The 

 reasons then presented for early action are even 

 stronger now. 



A pleasing incident in the relations of this Gov- 

 ernment with that of Chili occurred in the gen- 

 erous assistance given to the war ship Newark 

 when in distress in Chilian waters. Not alone in 

 this way has the friendly disposition of Chili 

 found expression. That country has acceded to 

 the convention for the establishment of the Bu- 

 reau of the American Republics, in which organi- 

 zation every independent state of the continent 

 now shares. 



The exchange of ratifications of a convention 

 for the revival of the United States and Chilian 



