The Arkansas advocate., 1836-01-08

such of the Spanish American governments of this hemisphere as have availed themselves of the inti nation, given to all of them of the disposition of Spain 10 treat upon the basis of their entire inde pendence. IL is to be regretted that simultaneous appointments, by all, of Ministers 10 negotiate with Spain, had not been made; the negotiation itsel would have been simplihed and this long standing dispute, spreading over large portion off the world would have been brought to . more speedy concluf sion.
 Our political and commercial relations with Ans tria, Prussia, Sweden, and Denmark, stand on the usual favorable basis. One of the articles of our treaty with Russia, in relation to the trade on the northwest coast of America, haviug expired, n- structons have been given to our Minister at St Petersburg to negotiate a renewal of it. The lono and unbroken amty between the two governments gives every reason for supposing the article will be renewed, If stronger motives do not exist to prevent It, than, with our view of the subject can be anci pated here.
 ask your attention to the message of my prede- eessor al the opening of the second session of the nineteenth Congress, relative to our commercial n terceuse with Holland, and to the documents con- nected with that subject, communicated to the House of Representatives on the 10th of January 1895, and 18th of January, 1897. Conciding in the opinion of my predecessor, that Holland is not un- der the regulations of her present syste entitled to have her vessels and their cargoes received into the United States on the footing of American ves- sels and cargoes, as regards duties of tonnage and lmpost, respect for his reference of to the Le gislature, has alone prevented me from acting on the subject. should still have waited, without comment, for the action of Congress but recently claim has been made by Belgian subjects to admis sioa ito cur ports, for their ships and caTgoes, on the same footing as American, with the allegation we could not dspute that our vessels received in their ports the identical treatment shown to them in the ports of Holland, upon whose vessels no dis elimination is made in the ports of the U. States (f1yi0U Rot al the same beneflts-beneits that in fact enjoy ] ed when Belgium and Holland were united under one Government. Satisfied with the justice of their pretension to be placed on the same footing with Holland, could not, nevertheless, without disre- gard to the principle of laws, admit their claim to be treated as Americans; and at the same time, a respect for Congress, to whom the subject had long since been referred, has prevented me from producing just equality by taking from t;e vessels of Holland privileges conditionally granted by acts Of Congress, although the condition upon which the grant was made, has, in my judgment, failed since 1922. l recommend, therefore, a review of the act of 1924, and such modification of 1t will produce an equality, on such terms Congress shall think best comports with settled policy, and the obligations of justice to two friendly powers. l With the Sublime Porte, and all the governments on the coast of Barbary, our relations continue to be friendly. The proper steps have been taken to renew our treaty with Morocco.
 The Argentine Republic has again promised to send within the current year, Minister to the U. | States.
 1 A convention with Mexico for extending the time 1 for tiie appointment oi commissioners to run the boundary line, has been concluded, and will be sub mitted to the Senate. Recent events in that cour-
 try have awakened the liveiest sohcitude in the U. States. Aware of the strong temptations existing, and powerful inducements held out, the citizens of the United States to mingle in the dissensions of 1 our immediate neghbors, instructions have been ] q ot lp where indications warranted ii, to prosecute, witi- out respect to persons, all who might attempt to violate the obligations of neutrality; while at the time, 1t has been thought necessary to apprize the government of Mexico that we should require tine integrity Of territory to be scrupu. lously respected by both parties.
 1 From our diplomatic agents m Brazil, Chile, 1 Peru, Central America, Venezuela, and New-Gra- nada constant assurances received of the coll- 1 tnued good understanding with the governments l to which they severally accredited. With those l governments upon which citizens have valid and accumuating claims, scarcely an advance to- wards se.:eIsic;. Of made, owing, mainly,
 10 their distracted state, to the pressure of lni- | perative domestic questions. Our patience has been and will probably be still farther, severely tried but our fellow-citizens whose interests are 1 involved, may contde in the determination of the 1 government to obtain tor them, eventually, ample retribution.
 Unfortunately, many of the nations of this hem- sphere are still seli-tornented by domestic dlssen- sions. Revolution succeeds revolution, injuries committed upon foreigners engaged in lawful pur- l suits, much time elapses before government sui fciently stable is erected to justify expectation of | redress. Ministers sent and received, and be- fore the discussions of past injuries fairly begun, fresh troubles arise but too frequently injuries added to the old, to be discussed together with 1 the existing government, after 1t has proved its ability to sustain the assaults made upon it. with it's successor, if overthrown. If this unhappy con- dition of things continues much longer other na- tions will be under the painful necessity of deciding whether justice to their suffering citizens does l require prompt redress of injuries by their own power, without waiting for the establishment of a l government competent and enduring enough to dis cuss and to make satisfaction for them.
 Since the last session of Congress, the validity
 of our claims upon France, hquidated by the treaty of 1881, has been acknowledged by both branches of her legislature, and the money has
 been appropriated for their discharge, but the pay I ment is, 1 regret to inform you, still withheld
 A brief recapitulatlon of the most important n- I cidents in this protracted controversy will show how utterly untenable are the grounds upon which
 this course is attempted to be justified.
 On entering upon the duties of my station, I found the United States an unsuccessful applicant
 to the justice of France for the satisfaction ot claims, l the validity of which was never questionable, and
 fas now been most soieniniy admitted by France I herself. The antiquity of these claims, their high justice, and the aggravatag circumstances out of
 which they arose, are too familiar to the American T people to require description. It IS sufficient to
 say that, for period of ten years and upwards,
 our commerce was, with but little interruptions the
 subject of constant aggressons on the part oi
 France-aggressons, the ordinary features oi
 which were condennations of vessels and cargoes