The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-12-09
OUR FOREIGN RELArMSNS.
Aside From Spain We Have Had No
Serious Differences With Other
Nations.

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 NEST of the issues
that necessarily arise in the complex rela-
lions of sovereign states adjusted or pre-
senting no serious obstacles to adjust
ment 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 Dor
der of the Atacama desert to the Magel-
Ian straits, nearly a third of the length
Of the South American continent, as
sumed an acute stage in 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. I am
happy to say that arrangements to this
end have been perfected, the questions of
fact 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 adj
Justment, bids fair to be settled in like
manner by a joint commission, upon which
the United States minister at Buenos
Ayres has been invited to serve as UNI
pire in the last resort
International Cable Agreement.
l have found occasion to approach the
Argentine government with a 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
On IQrcr 49, IL
from and to the United States Although
the matter is complicated by exclusive
concessions by Uruguay and Brazil to
foreign companies, there is strong hope
that good understanding will be reached
and that the important channels of com
mercal communication between the
United States and the Atlantic cities of
South America may be freed from an al
most prohibitory discrimination.
Foreign Exhibitions.
Despite the brief time allotted for prep
aratioH. the exhibits of this country at
the universal exposition at Brussels in
1897 enjoyed the singular distinction of a
larger proportion of awards having re-
gard to the number and classes of articles
entered, than those of other countries. The
worth OF such result in making known
our national capacity to supply the world 5
markets is obvious.
Central American Union.
In my last message the situation was
presented with respect to the diplomatic
representation of this government in Cen
trail America, created by the association
OF Nicaragua. Honduras and Salvador I'M
DER the title of the Greater Republic or
Central America and the delegation OF
their international functions to the diet
thereof. While the representative char
acter of the diet was recognized by nv
predecessor and has been confirmed during
my administration by receiving it's ac-
credited envoy and granting exequators to
consuls coming under its authority, that
recognition was qualified by the distinct
understanding that the responsibility OF
each of the component sovereign republics
toward the United States are made wholly
unaffected. This proviso was needful in
asmuch as the compact of the three re-
publics was at the outset an association
whereby certain representative functions
were delegated to a triparte commission
rather than federation posse ssing cen
tralized powers of government and adj
ministration. In this view of the relation
OF the United States to the several repub-
hes. change in the representation of this
country In Central America was neither
recommended by the executive nor in
itiated by congress, thus leaving one OF
our ENJOYS accredited as heretofore seDa-
ratelv to two states of the greater repub.
lie, Nicaragua and Salvador. and to >
third state, Costa RIGA. which was rot !
party to the compact. while our other en-.
voy was similarly accredited to the union
state Of Honduras, and the n-union state
OF Guatemala. The result has been tina,
the one has presented credentials only t.
the president of Costa Rica, the other hay-
ing been received only by the government
Of Guatemala Subsequently. the three : s
ISOLATED republics entered into negotiation.