CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



147 



were considered by the first International Ameri- 

 can Conference, but not finally settled, and others 

 which have since then grown to importance, it 

 would seem expedient that the various republics 

 constituting the Union should be invited to hold 

 at an early date another conference in the capital 

 of one of the countries other than the United 

 States, which has already enjoyed this honor. 



The purely international character of the work 

 I 'dug done by the bureau and the appreciation of 

 it> value are further emphasized by the active 

 co-operation which the various governments of 

 the Latin-American republics and their diplo- 

 matic representatives in this capital are now ex- 

 hibiting and the zealous endeavors they are mak- 

 ing to extend its field of usefulness, to promote 

 through it commercial intercourse, and strengthen 

 the bonds of amity and confidence between its 

 various members and the nations of this conti- 

 nent. 



The act to encourage the holding of the Pan- 

 American Exposition on the Niagara frontier, 

 within the county of Erie or Niagara, in the State 

 of Xew York, in the year 1901, was approved on 

 .March 3, 1899. 



This exposition, which will be held in the city 

 of Buffalo, in the near vicinity of the great Ni- 

 agara cataract, and within a day's journey of 

 which reside 40,000,000 of our people, will be con- 

 fined entirely to the Western Hemisphere. Satis- 

 factory assurances have already been given by 

 the diplomatic representatives of Great Britain, 

 Mexico, the Central and South American repub- 

 lics, and most of the States of the United States 

 that these countries and States will make an 

 unique, interesting, and instructive exhibit, pe- 

 culiarly illustrative of their material progress 

 during the century which is about to close. 



The law provides an appropriation of $500,000 

 for the purpose of making an exhibit at the expo- 

 sition by the Government of the United States 

 from its executive departments and from the 

 Smithsonian Institution and National Museum, 

 the United States Commission of Fish and Fish- 

 cries, the Department of Labor, and the Bureau 

 of the American Republics. To secure a complete 

 and harmonious arrangement of this Government 

 exhibit a board of management has already been 

 created, and charged with the selection, purchase, 

 preparation, transportation, arrangement, and 

 safe-keeping of the articles and materials to be 

 exhibited. This board has been organized and 

 lias already entered upon the performance of its 

 duties, as provided for by the law. 



I have every reason to hope and believe that 

 this exposition will tend more firmly to cement 

 ' ' e cordial relations between the nations on this 



ntinent. 



In accordance Avith an act of Congress approved 



c. 21, 1898, and under the auspices of the Phila- 

 delphia Commercial Museum, a most interesting 

 and valuable exposition of products and manu- 

 factures especially adapted to export trade was 

 held in Philadelphia from the 14th of September 

 to the 1st of December, 1899. The representative 

 character of the exhibits and the widespread in- 

 terest manifested in the special objects of the un : 

 dei taking afford renewed encouragement to those 

 who look confidently to the steady growth of our 

 enlarged exportation of manufactured goods, 

 which has been the most remarkable fact in the 

 economic development of the United States in 

 recent years. A feature of this exposition which 

 is likely to become of permanent and increasing 

 utility to our industries is the collection of sam- 

 ples of merchandise produced in various countries 

 wivli special reference to particular markets, pro- 



viding practical object lessons to United States 

 manufacturers as to qualities, styles, and prices 

 of goods such as meet the special demands of con- 

 sumers and may be exported with advantage. 



In connection with the exposition an Interna- 

 tional Commercial Congress was held, upon the 

 invitation of the Philadelphia Commercial Mu- 

 seum, transmitted by the Department of State to 

 the various foreign governments, for an exchange 

 of information and opinions with the view to the 

 promotion of international trade. This invitation 

 met with general and cordial acceptance, and the 

 Congress, which began its sessions at the exposi- 

 tion on the 13th of October, proved to be of great 

 practical importance, from the fact that it devel- 

 oped a general recognition of the interdependence 

 of nations in trade and a most gratifying spirit 

 of accommodation with reference to the gradual 

 removal of existing impediments to reciprocal re- 

 lations, without injury to the industrial interests 

 of either party. 



In response to the invitation of his Majesty the 

 Emperor of Russia, delegates from 26 countries 

 were assembled at The Hague on the 18th of May, 

 as members of a conference in the interest of 

 peace. The commission from the United States 

 consisted of the Hon. Andrew D. White, the Hon. 

 Seth Low, the Hon. Stanford Newel, Capt. Alfred 

 T. Mahan, of the United States navy, Capt. Wil- 

 liam Crozier, of the United States army, and the 

 Hon. Frederick W. Holls, secretary. The occasion 

 seemed to be opportune for the serious considera- 

 tion of a plan for the pacific adjustment of inter- 

 national differences, a subject in which the Amer- 

 ican people have been deeply interested for many 

 years, and a definite project for a permanent inter- 

 national tribunal was included in the instructions 

 to the delegates of the United States. 



The final act of the conference includes conven- 

 tions upon the amelioration of the laws and cus- 

 toms of war on land, the adaptation to maritime 

 warfare of the principles of the Geneva Conven- 

 tion of 1864, and the extension of judicial methods 

 to international cases. The Convention for the 

 Pacific Settlement of International Conflicts em- 

 bodies the leading features of the American plan, 

 with such modifications as were rendered necessary 

 by the great diversity of views and interests rep- 

 resented by the delegates. The four titles of the 

 convention provide for the maintenance of general 

 peace, the exercise of good offices and mediation, 

 the formation of commissions of inquiry, and in- 

 ternational arbitration. 



The mediation provided for by the convention 

 is purely voluntary and advisory, and is intended 

 to avoid any invasion or limitation of the sovereign 

 rights of the adhering states. The commissions 

 of inquiry proposed consist of delegations to be 

 specifically constituted for particular purposes by 

 means of conventions between the contesting par- 

 ties, having for their object the clear understand- 

 ing of international differences before resorting to 

 the use of force. The provision for arbitration 

 contemplates the formation of a permanent tri- 

 bunal before which disputed cases may be brought 

 for settlement by the mutual consent of the liti- 

 gants in each separate case. The advantages of 

 such a permanent tribunal over impromptu com- 

 missions of arbitration are conceived to be the 

 actual existence of a competent court, prepared 

 to administer justice, the greater economy result- 

 ing from a well-devised system, and the accumu- 

 lated judicial skill and experience which such a 

 tribunal would soon possess. 



While earnestly promoting the idea of establish- 

 ing a permanent international tribunal, the dele- 

 gation of the United States was not unmindful of 



