The age-herald., 1898-12-06

congress consider the advisability of au- l thorizing and inviting conference of rep 1 resentatives of the treasury departments l of the United States and Mexico to consider
 the subject in all It's complex bearings and
 make report with pertinent recommenda- 1 tions to the respective governments for the
 information and consideration of their con- 1 gresses. The Mexican water boundary com | mission has adjusted all matters submit | ted to 1t to the satisfaction of both gov 1 ernments save in three important cases:
 That of the Chamizal at El Paso, Tex, | where the two commissions failed to agree
 and wherein, for this case only, the gov- | ernment has proposed to Mexico the add-
 ton of a third member; the proposal elim-
 ination of what are known as "Bances," | small isolated islands formed by the cutting | off of bends in the Rio Grande, from the | operation of the treaties of 1884 and 1889, , recommended by the commissioners and
 approved by this government, but still un- | der consideration by Mexico; and the sub | ject of the equitable distribution of the | waters of the Rio Grande for which the | commissioners recommended an interna- l tional dam and reservoir, approved by | Mexico, but still under consideration by | this government Pending these questions, | 1t is necessary to extend the life of the
 commission, which expires December 26 next
 The coronation of the young queen of
 the Netherlands was made the occasion
 of fitting congratulations.
 The McCord Claim
 The claim of Victor H. McCord against l Peru, which for a number of years has | been pressed by this government and has | on several occasions attracted the attention | of the congress, has been successfully ad- | justed. A protocol was signed May 19 1898, whereby the fact of liability being admitted | the question of the amount to be awarded
 was submitted to the chief justice of Cana 1 da as sole arbitrator. His award sets the indemnity due the claimant at $40, 900. l The government of Peru has given the prescribed notification of its intention to abrogate the treaty of friendship, com
 merce and navigation concluded with this country August 31, 1897. As that treaty con-
 tains many important provisions necessary
 to the maintenance of commerce and good relations which could with difficulty be re-
 placed by the nomination of renewed pro- visions within the brief twelve months in-
 tervening before the treaty terminates I
 have invited suggestions by Peru as to the
 particular provisions 1t is desired to annul,
 in the hope of reaching an arrangement whereby the remaining articles may be pro- visionally saved
 His majesty, the czar, having announced his purpose to raise the imperial Russian mission at this capital to the rank of an embassy, I responded under the authority conferred by the act of March 3, 1893 by commissioning and accrediting the actual representative at St. Petersburg in the ca pacity of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. The Russian ambassador to this country has presented his creden- tials. The proposal of the czar for gener- al reduction of the vast military establish ments that weigh so heavily upon many people in time of peace, was communicated to this government with an earnest invita- tion to be represented in the conference which it is contemplated to assemble with a view to discussing the means of accom- plishing so desirable result. His majesty was at once informed of the cordial sym pathy of this government with the principle involved in his exalted proposal and of the readiness of the United States to take part in the conference. The active military force of the United States as measured by our population, territorial area and taxable wealth is, and under and conceivable pros- pective conditions must continue to be, in time of peace so conspicuously less than that of the armed powers to whom the czar's appeal Is especially addressed that the question can have for us no practical importance save as marking an suspicious step toward the betterment of the condition of the modern peoples and the cultivation of peace and good will among them; but in this view 1t behooves us as nation to lend countenance and aid to the benefcent pro- ject r-},.- +-is s'ls
 The claims of owners of American sealing vessels for seizure by Russion crusers in Behring sea, are being pressed to a settle
 
 expectation that a measure of reparation will eventually be accorded in harmony with precedent and In the light of the proven facts.
 The Samoan Question
 The recommendation made in my special message of April 27 last is renewed, that appropriation be made to reimburse the master and owners of the Russian bark Hans for wrongful arrest of the master and 6afa ffor, of ha ir bx, officers of the United States district court for the southern district of Mississippi. The papers accompanying my said message make out most meritorious case for the claim and justify the urgency with which it has been presented by the government of Russia
 Malietea Laupepa, king of Samoa died in August last. According to article 1 of the general act of Berlin, This successor shall be duly elected according to the laws and customs of Samoa" Arrangements having been agreed upon between the signatories of the general act for the return of Ma | taafa and the other exiled Samoan chiefs, | they were brought from Jalut by Ger | man war vessel and landed at Apia on Sep- l tember IS last. Whether the death of | Malieta and the return of his old time rival | Mataafa, will add to the undesirable com 1 plications which the execution of the l Tripartite general act has heretofore devel- | oped, remains to be seen The efforts of l tnlS government VIII, as neTelOIOre De du- | dressed toward harmonious and exact | fulfillment of the terms of the international | agreement to which the United States be- | came party in 1S89
 The Cheek claim against Siam after some 1 five years of controversy has been adjusted l by arbitration, under an agreement signed l July 16, 1897, award of 706,721 ticals | (about $1S7,9SD with release of the Cheek estate from mortgage claims having been
 rendered March 21. 1898, in favor of the claimant by the arbitrator Sir Nicholas l John Hannon, British chief justice for | China and Japan.
 | An envoy from Siam has been accredited | to this government and has presented his | credentials.
 l Immediately upon the outbreak of the l war with Spain, the Swiss government, full l filling the high mission it has deservedly assumed as the patron of the International 1 Red Cross proposed to the United States 1 and Spain that they would severally recog- nize and carry into execution as modus