The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-12-09
OUR FOREIGN RELATIONS.
Aside From Spain We Have Had No
Serious Differences With Other
Nations.

Il .
| With the exception ef the rupture with
| Spain, the intercourse of the United States
| with the great family of nations has been
marked with cordiality, and the close of
| the eventful year finds most of the issues
| that necessarily arise in the complex rela-
| tons of sovereign states adjusted or pre-
| senting no serious obstacles to adjust
/ nient and honorable solution by amicable
] agreement.
| A long-unsettled dispute as to the ex-
| tended boundary between the Argentine
republic and Chile, stretching along the
| Andean crests, from the southern bor-
| der of the Atacama desert to the Magel-
| Ian straits, nearly third of the length
| of the South American continent,
snmed an acute stage ,sn the early part
of the year and afforded this government
occasion to express the hope that the re-
| sort to arbitration, already contemplated
| by existing conventions between the par
| ties might prevail, despite the grave diff
culties arising in it's application. 1 am
| happy to say that arrangements to this
end have been perfected, the questions of
fIeI upon which the respective commits
| sioners were unable to agree being In
course of reference to her Britannia ma
| jesty for determination. A residual diff
| ference, touching the northern boundary
| line across the Atacama desert, for which
| existing treaties provided no adequate ad-
| justment, bids fair to be settled in like
iddlhSI ny d JOlIlt COnInlSSlOn, upon WHICH
the United States minister at Buenos
AyreS has been invited to serve as UNI
pire in the last resort.
International Cable Agreement.
II have found occasion to approach the
Argentine government with view to re-
moving differences of rate charges inn
posed upon the cables of an American
corporation in the transmission between
Buenos Ayres and the cities of Uruguay
and Brazil of through messages passing
from and to the United States. Although
the matter is complicated by exclusive
concessions by Uruguay and Brazil to
foreign companies, there is a strong hope
that good understanding will be reached
and that the important channels of COM
mercial communication between the
United States and the Atlantic cities of
South America may be freed from an al
most prohibftory discrimination.
Foreign Exhibitions.
Despite the brief time allotted for prep
aration. the exhibits of this country at
the universal exposition at Brussels in
1897 enjoyed the singular d stinction of
larger proportion of awards, having. re-
gard to the number and classes of articles
entered, than those of other countries. The
worth of such a result in making known
our national capacity to supply the world 8
markets is obvious
| The Nicaragua Canal.
The Nicaragua canal commission, under
Rear-Admira1 John G. Walker appointed
July "a, 1897, under the authority of a
provision in the sundry civil act of June 4,
of that year, has nearly completed it's
labors, and the results of its exhaustive
inquiry into the proper route, the feasibil-
tty and the cost of construction of an in
teroceanic canal by the Nicaragua route,
will be laid before you. In the perform
ance of its work the commission received
all possible courtesy and assistance from
the governments of Nicaragua and Costa
Rica. which thus testified their apprecia-
tIon of the Importance of giving a speedy
and practical outcome of the project that
has for so many years engrossed the at
tention of the respective countries.
AS the scope of recent inquiry embraced
/ the whole subject with the aim of making
plans and surveys for canal by the most
convenient reute,n necessarily included
Teys snd plans, and IN A5Sular tnos4
Hadopted by the Mariti1a - Company
'unde- ite-.AIs ing Concessions fri n Mica
ragua and Costa Rica, SO that to this ex-
tent these grants necessarily held an es-
, sential part in the deliberations and con-
clusions of the canal commission as they
have held and must needs hold in the dis
cussion of the matter by congress. Un-
der these circumstances, and in view of
overtures made to the governments of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica by other par
ties for new canal concession predicated
on the assumed approaching lapse of the
contracts of the Maritime Canal Company
with those states have not hesitated to
express my convictions that considerations
: of expediency and International policy, as
between the several governments inter
ested in the construction and control of
an interoceanic canal by this route re-
quire the maintenance of the status quo
until the canal commission shall have re-
ported and the United States congress
shall have had the opportunity to pass
finally upon the whole matter during the
present session without prejudice by rea-
son of any change in the existing condi-
tions.
Nevertheless, it appears that the gov
ernment of Nicaragua, as one OF Its last
sovereign acts before merging its pow
ers in those of the newly formed United
States of Central America, has granted an
optional concession to another association
to become effective on the expiration of
the present grant. 1t does not appear
that surveys have been made or what
route is proposed under this concession,
so that an examination of the feasibility
of its plans is necessarily not embraced
in the report Of the canal commission.
All these circumstances suggest the ur-
gency of some definite action by congress
at this session If the labors of the past
are to be utilized and the linking Of the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans by practical
waterway is to be realized That the
construction of such maritime highway
is new more than ever indispensable to
that Intimate and ready intercommuni-
cation between our eastern and western
seaboards demanded by the annexation
of the Hawaiian islands and the prospec-
tive expansion of our influence and COM
merce to the Pacific, and that our national
policy now more imperatively than ever
calls for its control by this cover nment,
are propositions which / doubt not con-
greSS will duly appreciate and wisely act
upon.
convention providing for the revival
of the late United States and Chilean
claims commission and the consideration
of claims which were duly presented to
the late commission, but not considered
because of the expiration of the time lin
tied for the duration of the commission,
was signed May "a, 1897, and has remained
unacted upon by the senate. The term
therein fixed for effecting the exchange
OF ratihcatfons having elapsed, the con-
vention fails unless the time be extended
by amendment, which 1 am endeavoring
TO bring about, with the friendly con-
currence of the Chilean government.
The Paris Exposition.
-Ihere Is now every prospect that the
participation of the United States in the
universal exposition to be held in Paris
in 1900 will be on a scale commensurate
with the advanced position held by our
products and industries in the worlds
chief marts. The preliminary report of
Moses T. Handy, who, under the act
approved July 10, 1897, was appointed
special commissioner with a view of Sc
curing all attainable information neces-
sary to full and complete understanding
by congress in regard to the participation
Dy this government in the Paris exposi-
tion, was laid before you by my message
OF December g. 1897, and shows the large
opportunities to make known our national
progress in art, science and manufac-
lures, as well as the urgent need of i'm
mediate and adequate provision to enable
ADVANTAGE fhQrpnf n ha foI Iron Mr.
Handy's death soon afterward rendered
1t necessary for another to take up and