Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-12-09
FRIENDLY RELATIONS,

powers.
FRIENDLY RELATIONS.
Aside From the Spanish Wa. We Have
Had no Serious Foreign Troubles.
With the exception Of the rupture with
Spain, tho intercourse of the United
States with the great family of nations
has been marked with cordially, and the
close of the eventful year finds most Of
the issues that necessarily arise in the
complex relations of sovereign states
adjusted or presenting no serious obstacle
to Il just and honorable solution by ami
cable agreement.
The president next touches upon the
serious strike and attendant loss of the
lives Of several miners, especially in rela-
ton to the demand Of the Austrian gov
eminent for compensation to the families
of those Of the men who were Austrian
subjects. He expresses confidence in an
Nicaragua Canal.
The events In Central America, the
formation of the Central American repub-
lie and other events related thereto, are
are described, leading up to the Nicaragua
canal question, cn which the president
says:
The Nicaraguan canal commission, un-
der the craftsmanship of Rear Admiral
John G. Walker, appointed July p, 1897,
under the authority of a provision in tho
sundry civil net of June of that year,
has nearly completed its labors and the
|; results Of Its exhaustive inquiry into the
proper route, the feasibility and the cost
of construction Of an international canal
by q Sicaraguan route, will be laid be-
fore you. In the performance of it's task
the cOmniss; on received all possible cOur-
tesy and assistance from the governments
of Nicaragua and Costa kicA, which thus
testified their appreciation of tho impor-
lance of giving " speedy and practical
outcome to the great project that has for
40 many years engrOssed the attention of
tho respective countries.
AS the scope Of recent inquiry embraced
the whole subject, with the Aim of maxim.
plans and surveys for u canal by the most
convenient route, it necessarily included Y
review of the results of previous surveys
and plans, and in particular hose ado ted
by the Maritime Canal company, under it's
existing concessions from Nicaragua and
Costa Rica, SO that, to this extent, those
grants necessarily held an essential parJ
in the deliberations and conclusions of the
canal commission rs they have held, and
must needs hold, in the discussion of the
matter by tho congress.
Status Quo Must be Preserved.
Under these circumstances and in view
of overtures made to tho governments of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica by other par
ties for IL now canal concession predicnted
on the assuEled approaching lapse of tho
contracts of the Maratime Canal COM
pany with those states, have not hest
tated to expresses my conviction that CON
siderations of expedicncy and interna.
tional policy as between the several
governments interested in the construc-
ton and control of an interoccanic e, nal
by this route require the maintenance OF
the status quo until tho canal commission
shall have reported and the United States
congress shall have had the opportunity
to pass finally upon the whole matter
during the present session. without
prejudice by reason Of any change III the
existing conditions.
Nevertheless it appears that the govern
ment of Nicaragua, as one Of it's List rov-
ereign acts before merging its powers in
those of the newly formed ULiled :; sl's
of Central America has granite: Il. .u:.
tional concession to AEot her ass nc u. io:i 90
become effective on tn" rxp.r -. ,.l Ut the
present grant 1t does IL ..pl,..r VII III.
surveys have been made or whit. rO.: q -
proposed under this COZ in c!; s;:,...
so that an ex;.minlt on Of ti,c l..l-i iu.:
of it's plans is necessarily Not clnD "rrI ~
the report Of he canal com ~ .>:l,n
All those circumstances su.;;,...,; N :,
urgency of solne deu.iitc action W IN ,
congress at this session. il the L.I,u, ..
the past are to be utilized aud III. l!n;:iu. :
of the Att .ntic and Pacific OCEAN; ~ :.
practical waterway is to be- rcn lied. an :;
tho construct on of such Il. maritime hI-:n-
way is now. more tn III ever. inCli pen I.5 -
to that ready intercon,In Lnc.Lion be.
tween our eastern and western scapo ,rIs
demanded by the annexation of the fla
waiian islands and the prospective cxpan-
sion of our influence and commerce TO the
Pacific, and that our national policy now
more imperatively than ever calls tor its
control by this government are PROPOSE
lions which l doubt not the congress will
duly appreciate and act upon.
Events in China.
The United States has not been an in.
different spectator of the extraordinary
events transpiring in the Chinese empire,
whereby portions of its maritime provinces
are passing under the control Of various
European powers; but the prospect that
the vast commerce which the energy of
our citizens and the necessity of our staple
productions for Chinese uses has built up