144 



CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



directed by me in the conviction that the ends 

 of justice would be thereby subserved. Similar 

 action, on appropriate occasion, by the Mexican 

 Executive will not only tend to accomplish the 

 desire of both governments that grave crimes go 

 not unpunished, but also to repress lawlessness 

 along the border of the two countries. The new 

 treaty stipulates that neither government shall 

 assume jurisdiction in the punishment of crimes 

 committed exclusively within the territory of the 

 other. This will obviate in future the embarrass- 

 ing controversies which have heretofore arisen 

 through Mexico's assertion of a claim to try and 

 punish an American citizen for an offense com- 

 mitted within the jurisdiction of the United 

 States. 



The International Water Boundary Commis- 

 sion, organized by the convention of March 1, 

 1889, for the adjustment of questions affecting the 

 Rio Grande frontier, has not yet completed its 

 labors. A further extension of its term for one 

 year, until Dec. 24, 1899, was effected by a con- 

 vention signed Dec. 2, 1898, and exchanged and 

 proclaimed in February last. 



An invitation extended to the President of 

 Mexico to visit Chicago in October, on the occa- 

 sion of laying the corner stone of the United 

 States Government building in that city, was cor- 

 dially accepted by him, with the necessary con- 

 sent of the Mexican Congress, but the illness of a 

 member of his family prevented his attendance. 

 The Minister of Foreign Relations, however, came 

 as the personal representative of President Diaz, 

 and in that high character was duly honored. 



Claims growing out of the seizure of American 

 sealing vessels in Bering Sea have been under dis- 

 cussion with the Government of Russia for sev- 

 eral years, with the recent happy result of an agree- 

 ment to submit them to the decision of a single 

 arbitrator. By this act Russia affords proof of 

 her adherence to the beneficent principle of arbi- 

 tration which her plenipotentiaries conspicuously 

 favored at The Hague Disarmament Conference 

 when it was advocated by the representatives of 

 the United States. 



A suggestion for a permanent exposition of our 

 products and manufactures in Russia, although 

 not yet fully shaped, has been so cordially wel- 

 comed by the Imperial Government that it may 

 not inaptly take a fitting place in whatever legis- 

 lation the Congress may adopt looking to enlarge- 

 ment of our commercial opportunities abroad. 



Important events have occurred in the Samoan 

 Islands. The election, according to the laws and 

 customs of Samoa, of a successor to the late King, 

 Malietoa Laupepa, developed a contest as to the 

 validity of the result, which issue, by the terms of 

 the general act, was to be decided by the Chief 

 Justice. Upon his rendering a judgment in favor 

 of Malietoa Tanu, the rival chief, Mataafa, took 

 up arms. The active intervention of American 

 and British war ships l>ecame imperative to re- 

 store order, at the cost of sanguinary encounters. 

 In this eniergency a point commission of repre- 

 -ntatives of the United States, Germany, and 

 Great Britain was sent to Samoa to investigate 

 (lie >it nation and provide a temporary remedy. 

 My its active efforts a peaceful solution was 

 reached for the time being, the kingship being 

 abolished and a provisional government estab- 

 lished. IteroimiieiHlations unanimously made by 

 the eoiimiiion for a permanent adjustment of 

 the Sainoaii question were taken under consid- 

 eration by the three powers parties to the general 

 act. I '.lit tlic more they were examined the more 

 evident it bcaino that a radical change wax neces- 

 sary in the relations of the powers to Samoa. 



The inconveniences and possible perils of the 

 tripartite scheme of supervision and control in the 

 Samoan group by powers having little interest in 

 common in that* quarter beyond commercial ri- 

 valry had been once more emphasized by the re- 

 cent events. The suggested remedy of the joint 

 commission, like the scheme it aimed to replace, 

 amounted to what has been styled a tridominiinn, 

 being the exercise of the functions of sovereignty 

 by a unanimous agreement of three powers. The 

 situation had become far more intricate and em- 

 barrassing from every point of view than it was 

 when my predecessor, in 1894, summed up its 

 perplexities and condemned the participation in it 

 of the United States. 



The arrangement under which Samoa was ad- 

 ministered had proved impracticable and unac- 

 ceptable to all the powers concerned. To with- 

 draw from the agreement and abandon the islands 

 to Germany and Great Britain would not be com- 

 patible with our interests in the archipelago. To 

 relinquish our rights in the harbor of Pago Pago, 

 the best anchorage in the Pacific, the occupancy 

 of which had been leased to the 'United States in 

 1878 by the first foreign treaty ever concluded by 

 Samoa, was not to be thought of either as regards 

 the needs of our navy or the interests of our grow- 

 ing commerce with the East. We could not have 

 considered any proposition for the abrogation of 

 the tripartite control which did not confirm us in 

 all our rights and safeguard all our national in- 

 terests in the islands. 



Our views commended themselves to the other 

 powers. A satisfactory arrangement was con- 

 cluded between the governments of Germany and 

 of England, by virtue of which England retired 

 from Samoa in view of compensations in other 

 directions, and both powers renounced in favor of 

 the United States all their rights and claims over 

 and in respect to that portion of the group lying 

 to the east of the one hundred and seventy-first 

 degree of west longitude, embracing the islands 

 of Tutuila. Ofoo, Olosenga, and Manua. I trans- 

 mit to the Senate, for its constitutional actior 

 thereon, a convention, which besides the provi- 

 sions above mentioned also guarantees us the 

 same privileges and conditions in respect to com- 

 merce and commercial vessels in all of the islanc 

 of Samoa as those possessed by Germany. 



Claims have been preferred by white resident 

 of Samoa on account of injuries alleged to have 

 been suffered through the acts of the treaty gov- 

 ernments in putting down the late disturbances. 

 A convention has been made between the thre 

 powers for the investigation and settlement ot 

 these claims by a neutral arbitrator, to which the 

 attention of the Senate will be invited. 



My annual message of last year was necessarily 

 devoted in great part to a consideration of the 

 Spanish war and of the results it wrought and the 

 conditions it imposed for the future. I am grati- 

 fied to announce that the treaty of peace has re- 

 stored friendly relations between the two powers. 

 Effect has been given to its most important pro- 

 visions. The evacuation of Porto Rico having al- 

 ready been accomplished on the 18th of October. 

 1898, nothing remained necessary there but to 

 continue the provisional military control of the 

 island until the Congress should enact a suitable 

 government for the ceded territory. Of the char- 

 acter ami -cope of the measures to that end 1 

 shall treat in another part of this message. 



The withdrawal of the authority of Spain from 

 the island of Cuba was effected by the 1st of 

 January, so that the full re-establishment of peace 

 found the relinquished territory held by us in 

 trust for the inhabitants, maintaining, under the 



