The evening times., 1898-12-05

brought to realize that modern civiliza-
ton, which owes so much of its progress
10 the annihilation of space by the cleo
trie force, demands that this all-impor-
tant means of communication be a herit-
age of all peoples. to be administered and
regulated in their common behoof step
| in this direction was taken when
the international Convention of 1884
for the protection of subma-
rine cables was signed. and the
day is, trust, not far distant when this
medium for the transmission of thought
| from land to land may be brought within
! the domain of International concert as
completely as is thesmaterial carriage OF
| commerce and correspondence upon the
! face of the waters that divide them.
| The claim of Thomas Jefferson Page
! against Argentina which has been pend
ing many years, has been adjusted. The
sum awarded by the Congress of Arger-
tina was Si2f235
The sympathy of the American people
! has justly been offered to the ruler and
! the people of Austria-Hungary by rea-
! son of the affliction that has lately b.
fallen them in the assassination OF the
/ Empress-Queen OF that historic realm
THE LATTIMER STRIKE.
On the 10th of September, 1887. a C n
! fiict took place at Lattimer, Pa, between
body uf striking miners and the sheriff
Of Luzerne County and his deputies, in
which twenty-five miners We're Killed ana
! forty-four wounded. of whom ten of the
! the killed and twelve of the wounded
| We're Austrian and Hungarian subjects.
! This deplorabie event naturally aroused
the solicitude of the Austro Hungarian
government. which, on the assumption
. ann
the unjustihable misuse of authority.
claimed reparation for the sufferers
Apart from the searching invs .igation
and peremptory action of the authorities
of Pennsylvania, the Federal Exc cutive
took appropriate steps to learn the merits
OF the case, in order to be in a positio to
meet The urgent complaint of a friendly
power. Phe sheriff and his de -u:ies
having been indicted for murder, were
tried, and acquitted after prot acted pro.
cccdings and the hearing of hundreds OF
witnesses on the ground that the killing
was in the line of their official duty TO
uphold law and preserve public order in
the State. a representative of the De-
partment of Justice attended the trial
and reported its course fully. With all
the facts in its possession, this Govern
ment expects TO reach a harmoni lus un-
derstanding on the subject with that of
AustTia-Hungary, notwithstanding the
renewed claim of the latter after learn
ing the result OF the trial 70. indemnity
for IFS Injured subjects
BRU SsELS EXPOSITION AWARDS.
Despite the brief time allotted for prep
aration, the exhibits of this country at the
Universal Exposition at Brussels in 1897
enjoyed the singular distinction of a lar
ger proportion of awards, having regard
TO the number and classes of articles en-
tered, than those of other countries. The
worth of such result in making known
our national capacity 10 supply the word
markets is obvious.
Exhibitions of this international charac-
ter are becoming more frequent as the ex-
changes of commercial countries grow
more intimate and varied. Hardly year
passes that this Government is not inVit-
ed 10 national participation al some i'm
portant foreign cenIer, bur often on too
short notice TO permit of recourse TO Con-
gress for the power and means TO do so.
My predecessors have suggested the ad-
visibility of providing by a general en-
actment and standing appropriation 70:
accepting such Invitations and for repre-
sentatiou of this country by a commits
sion. This plan has my cordial approval
j trust that The Belgian restrictions on
the importation Of cattle from the United
States. originally adopted as sanitSry
precaution, will at an early day be relax
ed To their present features of hard
ship and discrimination. so as to admit
live cattle under due regula ton of their
slaughter after landing. ! am hopeful,
too, of favorable change in the Belgian
treatment of our preserved and sailed
meats. The growth of direct trade be
tween the two countries, not alone for
Belgian consumption and Belgian prod
ucts but by way of transit from and 10
other continental states, has been both en-
couraging and beneficial. No effort will be
spared to enlarge its advantages by seek
ing the removal of needless impediments
and by arrangements for increased COM
mercisl exchanges.
EVENTS IN CENTRAL AMERICA.
The years events in Central America
deserve more than passing mention.
A menacing rupture between Costa Rica
and Nicaragua was happily composed by
/ the signature of a convention between
the parties with the concurrence of the
! Guatemalan representative as a mediator,
the act being negotiated and signed on
4 board the United States steamer Alert,
then lying in Central American waters.
/ 1t is believed that the good offices of our
/ envoy and of the commander of that Ves-
! sci contributed toward this gratifying
1 outcome.
in my last annual message the situation
/ was presented with respect to the diplo-
matte representation of this Government
1 In Central America, created by the asSo-
citation Of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Sal
yador under the title of the Greater Re
public of Central America and the delega-
tion of their international functions to
the Diet thereof. While the representa-
tive character Of the Diet was recognized
by my predecessor and has been confirm
ed during my Administration by receiving
its accredited envoy and granting exc
| quaturs to consuls commissioned under
its authority, that recognition was quail
| fed by the distinct understanding that
| the responsibility of each of the compo-
nent sovereign Republics toward the
| United States remained wholly unaf-
! fected
This proViso was needful inasmuch as
1 the compact of the three Republics was
/ at the outset an association whereby GER
! tain representative functions were dele
| gated to a tripartite commission, rather
| than a federation possessing centralized
powers of government and administra-
! tion. In this view of their relation, and of
! the relation of the United States to the
several Republics, change in the repre-
| Sentation of this country in Centra!
America was neither recommended by the
Executive nor initiated by Congress:
thus leaving one of our ENJOYS accredited
! as heretofore separately to two States of
the Greater Republic Nicaragua and Sal
vador, and to third State, Costa Rica,
which was not "A party to the compact,