The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-12-08

new government.
Under the present treatise Of extradi-
ton with Italy, miscarriages of justice
have occurred owing to the refusal
of that government to surrender it's
own subjects. Thus far our efforts to
negotiate an amended convention obvi-
ating this difficulty have been unavail-
ing.
Apart from the war In which the ISL
and empire is engaged, Japan attracts
increasing attention in this country
by her evident desire to cultivate more
liberal intercourse with us and to seek
our kindly aid in furtherance of her
domestic affairs and full equality in
the family of nations The japanese
empire of today is no longer the Japan
of the past and our relations with this
progressive nation should be no less
broad and liberal than those with other
powers.
WITH MEXICO.
Good will, fostered by many interests
in common, has marked our relations
with our nearest southern neighbors
Peace being restored along her north
ern frontier. Mexico has asked the pun
ishment of the late disturbers of her
| tranquility. There ought to be a new
! treaty of commerce and navigation
with that country to take the place of
| the one which terminated thirteen
! years ago. The friendliness Of the in
/ tercourse between the two countries
| is attested by the fact that during this
! long period the commerce of each has
| steadily increased under the rule of
| mutual consideration, neither being
! stimulated by conventional arrange
ments or retarded by jealous rivalries
or selfish distrust.
An indemnity rendered by Mexico as
a gracious act for the murder in 1887
! of Leon Baldwin, an American citizen,
! by band of marauders in Durango,
| has been accepted and is being paid in
! installments.
! The problem of the storage and use
| of the waters of the Rio Grande for
! irrigation should be solved by appro-
! pirate concurrent action of the two
| interested nations. Rising in the Col
| orado heights, the stream flows inter
mittently, yielding little water during
the dry months to the irrigating chan
! nels already constructed along it's
! course. This scarcity is often felt in
! the regions where the river forms a
common boundary. Moreover the fire.
/ quent changes in its course through
! level lands often raise embarrassing
questions of territorial jurisdiction.
BLUEFIELDS INCIDENT.
Prominent among the questions Of
the year was the Bluefields incident, in
4 what is known as the Mosquito Indian
strip, bordering on the Atlantic ocean
and within the jurisdiction of Near
aqua. BY the treaty of 1860 between
Great Britain and Nicaragua, the form
er government recognized the sover-
eighty of the latter over the strip and a
limited form Of self government was
guaranteed to the Mosquito Indians to
be exercised according to their custom
for themselves and other jewellers with
in it's limits. The so-called native gov
eminent, which grew to be largely
made up of aliens for many years dis
puted the sovereignty of Nicaragua
over the strip and claimed the right to
maintain therein a practically indie
4 pendent municipal government. Early
1 in the past year the efforts of Nicaragua
to maintain sovereignty over the Mos
! quito territory led to serious disturb
/ ances, eliminating in the suppression
/ of the native government and the at
tempted substitution of an impractical
! BILE composite administration, in which
/ Nicaragua and the alien residents
were to participate. Failure was fol-
! lowed by an Instruction, which for
time subverted Nicaraguas rule, ex-
| Polling her officers, and restoring the
| old organization. This in turn gave
! place to the existing local government,
| established and upheld by Nicaragua.
Although the alien interests arraigned
against Nicaragua in these transactions
have been largely American, and the
! commerce of that region for some time
has been and still is chiefly controlled
| by our citizens, we cannot for that rea-
son challenge the rightful sovereignty
Of Nicaragua over this important part
| Of her domain. For some months be-
fore and during part of the time two of
our naval ships have been stationed at
Bluefields for the protection Of all legit-
innate interests of our citizens.
In September last the government at
Managua expelled from it's territory II
or more foreigners including two Amer
leans, for alleged participation in the
seditious or revolutionary movements
against the republic at Bluefields al
ready mentioned, but through the earn
est remonstrance of this government,
the Americans have been permitted to
return to the peaceful management of
their business Our naval commanders
at the scene of these disturbances, by
their constant exhibition of firmness
and good judgment, contributed large
/ fo r.f,