Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1894-12-08

imposed by Spain on the vessels an6
commerce of the United States have de
manded from time to time during the
last 20 years an earnest remonstrance
on the part Of our government. In the
! immediate past exorbitant penalties
| have been imposed upon our vessels
/ and goods by the customs authorities
Of Cuba and Porto Rico for clerical err
I rors Of the most trivial character in
| The nanifestS or bills OF lading In
some cases fines amounting to thous-
| ands of dollars have been levied upon
! the cargoes or the carrying vessels when
the goods in question were entitled to
| free entry; fines have been exacted
| even when error has been detected and
| the Spanish authorities notified before
the arrival of the goods in port This
conduct is in strange contrast with the
considerate and liberal treatment ex-
tended TO the Spanish vessels and car
goes in our ports in like cases. No sat
isfactory settlement OF these veXatious
questions has been yet reached.
The Mora case referred to in my last
annual message. remains unsettled
From the diplomatic correspondence on
this subject. which has been laid before
the senate it will be seen that this govern
ment has offered to conclude a conven-
tlon with Spain for disposal by arbitra-
ton Of outstanding claims between the
two countries, except the Mora claim
which, having long ago been adjusted,
now only awaits permits as stipulated,
and of course it could not be included in
the proposed convention. 1t was hoped
that this offer would remove the parlia-
mentary obstacles encountered by the
Spanish government in providing pay
ment Of the Mora indemnity. 1 regret
to say that no definite reply to this offer
has yet been made and all efforts to Sc
cure payment of this unsettled claim
have been unavailing.
ARMENIAN TROUBLES.
In my last annual message adverted |
to the claim on the Fart of Turkey of |
the right to eXpel as persons undesira- !
Die and dangerous, Armenians natural /
lied in the United States and returning |
to Turkish jurisdiction. Numerous |
questions in this relation have arisen.
While this government acquiesces in |
the asserted right of expulsion it would |
n0L consent that Armenians may be |
Imprisoned or otherwise punished for
no other reason than having acquired |
vii ilOUt imperial consent Americas citi- /
zenslip, Three Of the assailants OF Miss
Motion, an American teacher III Mos
sui, have been convicted by the Otto
man courts, and I am advised that an
appeal against the acquittal of the re-
five has been taken by the
Turkish prosecuting officer.
WITH VENEZUELA.
A convention has been concluded with
Y Venezuela for the arbitra ton of long |
disputed claim growing out of the seiz-
ure of certain vessels the property of
Of the United States. Although
signed, the treaty Of extradition with
Venezuela is not yet in force, owing to
the insistence Of that government that,
when surrendered, its citizens shall in
no case be liable to capital punishment.
COLLISIONS AT SEA.
The results for the prevention of COLI
5ions at sea, which We're framed by the
maritime conference, held in this city
n 1899 having been concurrently in
ted in the statutes u the Initet.
States and Great Britain, have been
to take effect March l, 1895,
and invita- tions have been extended to |
al maritime nations to adhere to them. |
Favorable responses have thus far been
received from Austria, France, Portu-
gal Spain and Sweden.