The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-12-09

actment OF any laws relating to Chinese immi.
grafton These classes of the treaties which
forbid the participation Of citizens or vesselt
OF the United States in the opium trade will
doubtless receive your approval, and they will
attest the sincere interest Of our people and
government in the commendable efforts of the
Chinese government to put q stop to this de-
moralizing and destructive traffic.
In relation both to China and Japan, some
changes are desirable IN our present system of
consular jurisdiction. Hope, at some future
time, to lay before you scheme for its i'm
provement in the entire east.
RELATIONS WITH JAPAN
The intimacy between our country and japan,
the most advanced of the eastern nations con-
tinues to be cordial I am advised that the
emperor contemplates the establishment Of
constitutional government, and that he has al
ready summoned parliamentary congress for
the purpose of effecting the change. Such
remarkable step toward complete assimilation
with our western system cannot fail to bring
Japan to closer and more beneficial relation
ship with ourselves as the chief pacific power.
question has arisen in relation to the exer-
else in that country of judicial functions car
ried on by our minister and consnls. Tho
indictments, rial and conviction IN the consul
lar court at Yokohama of John Ross. mer-
chant seaman on board an American vessel,
have made it necessary for the government to
Institute careful examination Of the nature
and methods of this jurisdiction 1t appears
that Ross was regularly shipped under
protection of the United States, but was
by birth British subject My predecessor
felt It his duty tip take the position that by his
service as regular shipped seaman on board
an American merchant vessel Ross was subject
to the laws of the service and to the juris-
diction of tho United States consulate author
ties
renew the recommendation which has been
heretofore urged by the executive upon the at
tention OF congress After the reduction of
such amount as may be found due to America,
the balance Of the indemnity found heretofore
obtained from China and Japan, which are
now to be found in the hands of the state de-
partment, be returned to the governments of
those countries
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
The king of Hawaii, in the course Of his
homeward return after journey around the
world. has lately visited this country. While
our relations with that kingdom are friendly,
this government has viewed with concern the
efforts to seek replenishment of the diminish
ing population of the islands from outward
sources to q degree which may impair the ma
two sovereignty and independence in which
the United States was among the first to testify
lively interest.
UNIMPAIRED AMNESTY.
Relations of unimpaired amnesty have been
maintained throughout the year with the re-
spective governments of Austria, Hungary,
Belgium, Denmark, Hayti, Paraguay and Uru-
this may also be said Of Greece and Ecuador,
although our relations with those states have
for some years been severed by the with
drawal of appropriations for diplomatic rep
resentauves at Athens and Quito. Itseems ex-
pedient to restore those missions, even on q re-
duced scale, and decidedly recommend such
course with respect to Ecuador, which is
likely within the near future to play an i'm
portant part among the nations Of the south
ern Pacific.
INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS WORK
At its last extra session the senate called for
the text of the Geneva convention for the relief
of the wounded in war. l trust that this action
foreshadows such interest in the subject as
will result in the admission to that humane and
commendable engagement
INTERNATIONAL RULES OF THE ROAD.
invite your attention to the propriety of
adopting the new code of international rules
for the prevention of collisions in the high
seas, and of conforming the domestic
legislation of the United States thereto,
20 that no confusion may arise from the
application of conflicting rules in the case of
vessels of different nationalities meeting its
tidal waters. These international rules differ
bnt slightly from our own. They have been
adopted by the navy department for the gov
ornance of the war ships of the United States
on the high seas and in foreign waters. and
IN disseminating the rules and i'll acquainting
the shipmasters with the option of conforming
TO them within the jurisdictional waters of the
United States, they are now very generally
known and obeyed