San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-12-08
HIS LAST MESSAGE.
CLEVELAND SUBMITS HIS LAST CON-
GRESSIONAL COMMUNICATION.
A Lengthy But Weak Document Touching
On the Affairs of the Nation
Carefulness Advised.

| 10 congress yesterday, as announced
in the Light, and a synopsis of hi
views as to Cuba were laid before tn,
sage rs printed in the morning paper,
occupies some fifteen columns of tn,
usual sized morning sheet and il
windy and wordy, requiring more
time to wade through its details than
the ordinary reader has at command
| \ resume of the contents of the mes
sage are herewith given.
| The message congIatulateS the cOun.
| try on having passed safely through
the trials of another national election,
and then plungeS at once into foreign
| affairs. 1t states that in Turkey and
III Cuba affairs are in an unsatisfac-
tory condition, piOusly condemns the
Turk for his barbarities to our mis-
slonarles. recites the, efforts that the
United States has made for their pro-
lection, points to the presence of our
war ships at the gates of the Turkish
capital, but has no word of condemna-
ton for the cruelties practiced upon
American citizens in Cuba. not one
sentence favOring Intervening on be-
half of the Cuban patriots whom il
regards as uncivilized. and maraud
ers. ReciteS that attenders. or SIG
gestlons, were made to Spain some
time since as to the desira bility of es
tablishing some kind of home rlle
among the Cubans, but the whole is
lndlstinct, indefinite. wishy-washy
and contains nothing that the country
was not fully apprized of. All that
it does show is that the president has
no intention of expressing anv such
disapprOval of Spain'S acts as he does
those of Turkey.
The status of the Venezuelan boun-
dairy question is stated and the part
that the United States has taken in
that settlement shown. as well as the
progress toward an international ar
bitration agreement with Great Brit
ain already made in this country. In
with this matter the mes
sage considers the consular service of
the country, the new departure in the
way of tests for consular positions
and the benefits that have resulted,
the beneficial results of consular in
Spection: also the need of the coun-
try providing suitable residences for
is ambassadors abroad. Behring sea
comes in for its share Of remark. but
If course there is no recommendation
Is to any course to be adopted to stop
there. This closes the mes
sage, as to foreign affairs, without
me reference to the pretensiOns set
up on our Alaskan border by Great
Britain to a very valuable tract of our
there.
Turning to domestic matters the con-
litiOn of the treasury is shown and
he receipts and expenditures of the
government for the year given. Re-
.eipts $409,475, 400. Expenditures
;434 $50 ,654. Increase of the public
lebt for the year of over $50, 000, 900. l
There follows this announcement a
statement of the sources of revenue,
,ost of collection, movement Of the
various metals, total stock of money
n the United States $599, 597 ,962 in
gold and $62S,73S,071 in silver. I'm
ports for the year were in excess Of
s776, 100000, but duty was not paid
IN half this amount, the free importa-
lions amounting to more than $409,- |
10000.
Immigration statistics are given
any note or comment. The
total number was 343, 267 immigrants
arrived, and it Is estimated that they
brought with them about S5,O00.0OO
4 sum equal to about S15 a head.
These immigrants came from the fol-
lowing sources, and their conditions
as to illiteracy are shown:
Including all the immigrants arriv-
ing who were over IA years Of age,
1858 per cent were illiterate. as
against 2037 of those of that age ar
irving during the preceding fiscal
year. The number Of immigrants over
IA years old, the countries from which
they came and the percentage Of illit-
crates among them were as follows:
Italy, 57,515, with 54.59 per cent; Ire.
land. 37,496. with per cent; Russia,
81, 1SS, with ALA per cent; Austria
Hungary and provinces, 57,053. with
1892 per cent; Germany, 25,334, with
2.96 per cent; Sweden. 1881, with
l.16 per cent; while from Portugal
there came 2,067, OF whom 77.69 per
cent were illiterate.
There arrived from Japan during the
year only LILO immigrants. and it is
the opinion Of the immigration au-
thorities that the apprehension here
tofore existing to some extent of a
large immigration from Japan to the
United States is without any substan-
tial foundation.
The operations Of the life saving
service of the country is shown in the
accompanying figures, and when it is
stated that 81 Of the vessels were to-
tai wrecks the efficiency Of the service
and the heroism Of it's members speak
for themselves. "The number Of dis
asters to documented vessels within
the limits of it's operations during the
year was 437. These vessels had on
board 4,60S persons Of which 4.595
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