The record-union., 1892-12-07

year. The attention, not only u Congress.
but OF tae country, IS ag#ia Invited 10 the
lnt t-ods OF The Administrations y. .llch nave
been pursued ami 10 he results winch nave
been attained. PuGiic rCN~ HGts amounting -
Sl4I4O7S.292 2S have been collected and
disbursed without loss from misapproprIst-
tion, without a single Ge.aleation OF such i'm
portance as to attract public attention, and at
dlm1shed per cent. of cost for collection
The public business has been transacted not
only with t1deLty, but progressively, and with
view TO giving to the people in the fullest
| possible degree the benefits of the service es-
| tablished and maintained for their protection
aad comfort. Our relations with other ma
tons are now undisturbed by any serious
/ controversy. The cOmplicating and threaten
| ing differences with Germany and England re-
| lating to Samoan affairs, with England in re-
lation to the seal fisheries in the Behring Sea,
and with Chile growing out of the Baltimore
affair, have been adjusted. There have been
negotiated ana concluded under Section 3 Of
| the tariff law commercial greements relating
| TO reciprocity trade with the following coun-
/ tries: Brazil, Domingo Republic Spain for
Cuba and Puerto Rico), Guatemala, salvador
the German Empire, Great Britain (for certain
| West Indian Colonies and British Guineal,
Nicaragua, Honduras and Austria-Hungary.
OF these, those with Guatemala, Salvador the
German Empire. Great Britain, Nicaragua,
Honduras, and Austria-Hungary have been
concluded since my last annual message.
Under these treaty arrangements a free,
favored admission has been secured i'll every
case for an important list OF American pro-
/ uuctS. Especial care mas been taken to insure
markets for farm products, in order to relieve
that great underlying industry Of the depres-
sion which the lack OF an adequate foreign
market for our surplus often brings.
| An opening has also been made for manu-
! factured products that will undoubtedly, if
! this policy is maintained, greatly augment
our port trade. The full benefits of these ar
! rangements cannot be realized instantly. New
/ lines OF trade are to be opened. The CONNER
clal traveller must survey the neld. The man
ufacturer must adapt his goods to the new
| lGf h1
| established. This work has been well begun,
| and the immediate results have been most
gratifying. If this policy and the trade ar
| rangements can be continued in force and
| aided by the establishment of American
steamship lines, do not doubt that we SHALL
within short period, secure fully one-third of
| South America, which now amounts to about
$60,O0O,0O0. In 1855 we had only per
cent. of this trade.
! TRADE THROUGH RECIPROCITY AGREEMENTS.
The following statistics show the increase in
! our trade with the countries with which we
| have reciprocal trade agreements from the
| date when such agreements went into effect
| up to September 80, 1892, the increase being
| in some almost wholly and in others in an
| important degree the result of the agreement.
! The domestic exports TO Germany and Aus
/ tria-Hungary have increased in value from
| S47, ,673,10 to S07,993, ,O64-an increase OF
| $1O,319,3OS, or 62l. .O3 per cent. with Ameri-
| can countries. The amount of our exports has
| increased from A, ,160,2o5 to $54, ,613, ,596-
|
! The total increase in the value of exports to
all the countries with which we have reciproc-
| ity agreements has been S20.772,671. This
| increase is chiefly in wheat, flour, meat and
! dairy products and manufactures of iron and
steel and lumber. There has been a large in
crease in the value of imports from all these
countries since the commercial agreements
went into effect, amounting to S74,294, ,525,
| but II has been entirely in imports from the
| American countries consisting mostly of
! sugar. coffee, india-rubber and crude drugs
| The alarmed attention of E,tfrOnean com
petitors for the South American market has
been attracted to this new American policy
and to our acquisition and their loss of South
American trade.
| SEAL QUESTION.
A treaty providing for the arbitration Of the
dispute between Great Britain and the United
| States, as to the killing of seals IN Behring
! Sea- was concluded on the 29th of February
last. This treaty was accompanied by an
agreement prohibiting pelagic sealing pend
| ing the arbitration, and "a vigorous effort was
made during this season to drive out all
| pOaching steamers from Behrng Sea. Six
naval vessels, three revenue cutters and one
vessel from the Fish Commission, all under
| the command OF Commander Evans of the
| navy, were sent into the sea, all of which were
| Systematically patrolled. Six seizures were
made, and il is believed the catch in Behring
Sea by poachers amounted 10 less than 500
seals. 1t is true, however, that in the North
| ern Pacific, while the seal herds were on their
way to their passes between the Aleutian
Islands, a very large number-probably 35,-
| 00O-Were taken.
The existing statutes of the United States
do not restrain our citizens from taking seals
in the Pacific Ocean, and perhaps should not
until the prohibition can be extended TO the
citizens OF other nations. l recommend that
power be given to the President by proclama-
ton TO prohibit the taking of seals in the
| North Pacific by American vessels in the
case of others as to the result of the findings
of the tribunal OF arbitration: or otherwise
the restraints can be applied to the vessels OF
all countries. The case of the United States
for the tribunal of arbitration has been pre-
pared with great care and industry by the
Hon. John W. Foster, and the counsel who
represent this Government express confidence
that result substantially establishing our
claims and preserving this great industry to
the benefit of all nations will be attained.
CONFERENCE WITH CANADA
During the past year a suggestion was re-
ceived through the British Minister that the
! Canadian Government would like to confer
as to the possibility OF enlarging upon terms
of mutual advantage as to the commercial ex-
changes of Canada and of the United States,
! ana conference was held at Washington
with Mr.. Blaine, acting for this Government
and the British Minister at this capital, and
| three members of the dominion Cabinet, act
ing as Commissioners on the part of Great
Britain. The conference developed the fact
that the Canadian Government was only pre-
pared to offer the United States in exchange
| for the concessions asked the admission OF
natural products The statements they made
was that favored rates could not be given to
the United States as against the mother coun-
| try. This admission, as fOreseen, necessarily
| terminated the conference upon this question.
! The benefits of an exchange OF the natural
products would be almost wholly with the
people of Canada.
other topics of interest were considered in
the conference, and have resulted in the max
ing of a convention for the examination OF the
Alaskan boundary, the waters of Passama-
quody Bay, adjacent to the east port of Maine
and on the initiation of an arrangement foI
| the protection of fish lite in the coterminous
and neighborlng waters of our north bound
| AIRY.
CANAL TOLLS.
The controversy as to the tolls upon the
| Welland Canal, which was presented to Con
| gress at the last session by special message
having failed of adjustment, felt constrained
| to exercise the authority conferred by the Act
of July 2G, 1892, and 10 proclaim q suspen-
sion of the free use of the ST. Marys Falls
| Canal to cargoes in transit TO ports in Canada.
| The Secretary of the Treasury established such
tolls as were thought to be equivalent to the
exactions unjustly levied upon our commerce
in the Canadian canals. IT, as we must sup
| pose, the political relations OF Canada and the
| disposition OF the Canadian Government are
to remain unchanged, somewhat radical re-
vision of our trade relations should, think
| be made. Our relations must continue to be
intimate, and they should be friendly / re-
| gret TO say, however, that in many OF the con.
| troveTsies, notably those as to the fisheries on
the Atlantic, the sealing interests on the Pa.
cltic, and the canal tolls, your negotiations
| with Great Britain have continuously been
thwarted by unreasonable and unfriendly OBJ
jections and protests from Canada. In the
| matter Of the canal tolls, our treaty rights
were tagrantty disregarded.
| CANADIAN RAILWAYS
1t is hardly too much to say that the Cana
dian Pacific and other railway lines which
parallel our northern boundary are sustained
bV commerce having either its origin or tba
originators or both in the United States. The
Canadian railways compete with those of the
United States for our traffic and without the
| restraint of our Interstate Commerce Act
Their cars pass almost without mention in
| and out of our territory. The Canadian Pa
cific Railway brought into the United states
from China and Japan via British Columbia
during the year ended June 30. 1892. % :