The San Francisco call., 1898-12-06

demanding State. A recommendation in this behalf made in the Presidents mes sage of 1S96 was not acted upon. The | tion.
 The problem of the Mexican free zone | has been often discussed with regard to It's inconvenience as provocative of smuggling into the United States along an extensive and thinly guarded land bor- | der. The effort made by the joint reso- lution of March l, 1885, to remedy the abuse charged by suspending the privilege or free transportation in bond across the territory of the United States to Mexico IaiIed or good result, as is stated Tn re- port No. TOP of the House of Representa- tives submitted in the last session, | March II, 1898. AS the question is one to | be conveniently met by wIse concurrent l legislation of the two countries looking to the protection of the revenues by harmon | louS measures operating equally on either l slde or the boundary, rather than by con yentional arrangements, 1 suggest that Congress consider the advisability of au- | thorfzlng and inviting conference Of rep l resentat1ves of the Treasury Departments | of the United States and Mexico to con- | sider the subject in all it's complex bear | ings and make report, with pertinent rec concentrations, to the respective govern ments for the information and the con- alterations of their Congresses.
 | The Mexican water boundary commits | sion has adjusted all matters submitted to 1t to the satisfaction of both govern ments, save in three important cases that of Chamizal at Fl Paso. Texas, where the two commissioners failed to 1 agree and wherein, for this case only, this | Government has proposed to Mexico the addition of a third member; the proposed elimination of what are known as ban COS, small, isolated islands formed by the cutting off of bends in the Rio Grande, from the operation of the treaties of 1884 l and 1889, recommended by the commits sioners and approved by this Govern h. Mexico; and the subject of the equitable distribution of the, waters of the Rio | Grande," for which the commissioners rec commended an international dam and res ervoir, are approved by Mexico but still under consideration by this Government. Pending these questions it is necessary to extend the life of the commission, which expires December 9 next.
 The coronation of the young Queen of | the Netherlands was made the occasion of 1 fitting congratulations.
 The claim of Victor H. McCord against Peru, which for a number of years has been pressed by this Government and has on several occasions attracted the atten- | tion of Congress, has been satisfactorily adjusted A protocol was. si~ned May, r, | 1898, whereby the fact of liability being admitted. the question of the amount to | be awarded was submitted to the Chief Justice of Canada as sole arbitrator. His award sets the indemnity due the claim l ant at $40 ,000.
 The Government of Peru has given the l prescribed notificati ton of it's intention to | abrogate the treaty of friendship. com | merce and navigation concluded with | this country August 1. 1887 As that treaty 1 contains many important prONlSlOIS nec- essary to the maintenance of commerce | and good relations which could with dITn- | culty be replaced by the nomination of re- newed provisions within the brief twelve l months intervening before the treaty ter 1 inmates I have invited suggestions by Peru as to the particlar provisions 1t is desired to annul, in the hope Of reaching an arrangement whereby the remaining articles may be provisionally saved
 His Majesty the. Czar. having announced his purpose to raise the imperial Russian | mission at this capital
 Czar's Peace to the rank of an em- m
 Project under the authority con
 Es ferred by the act of
 faVoreo' March 3. 1883, by com missioning and accredit- ing the actual representative at St. Pe- | tersburg in the capacity of Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. The Russian Embassador to this country has since presented his credentials.
 The proposal of the Czar for a general reduction of the vast military establish ments that weigh so heavily upon many to this Government with an earnest in- vitation to be represented in the confer ence which it is contemplated to assem- ble with a view to discussing the means of accomplishing so desirable a result. His Majesty was at once informed of the cor dial sympathy of this Government with the principle involved in his exalted pro- posal 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 any conceivable prospective conditions must continue to be. in time of peace, so con- spicuouSly less than that of the armed powers to whom the CzarS appeal Is es- pecially addressed that the question can have for us no practical importance save as marking an suspicious step toward the betterment of the condition or the modern peoples and the cultivation of peace and good will among them, but in this view it behooves us a nation to lend coun- tenance and aid to the beneticent project.
 The claims of owners of American sail ing vessels for seizure by Russian cruisers in Boring Sea are being pressed for set tlement. The equities of the cases justify the expectation that the measure or repar- alton will eventually be accorded In har- mony with precedent and in the light of the proven facts:
 message of April 2 last is renewed, that appropriation be made to reimburse the master and owner of the Russian bark Hans for wrongful arrest Of the master and detention of the vessel in February, 1S96 by officers of the United States Dis. trict Court for the southern district or Mississippi. The papers accompanying my Il message make out a most merltorlous claim and justify the urgency with which it has been presented by the Government
 Malietoa Laupepa, King of Samoa. died on August g last. According to article l
 of the general act of
 shall be duly elected ac--
 in cordng to the laws and
 customs of Samoa v
 0anioa Arrangements having
 been agreed upon be- tween the signatories of the general act for the return of Mataafa and the other exiled Samoan chiefs, they were brought from Jaluit by German war vessel and landed at Apia on September IS last.
 Whether the death of Malietoa and the return of his old-time rival, Mataafa, will add to the undesirable complications which the execution of the tripartite gen. eral act has heretofore developed remains to be seen The efforts of this Govern ment will, as heretofore, be addressed toward a harmonious and exact fulfill ment of the terms of the international en- gagement to which the United States De- came party in 1889.
 The Cheek claim against Siam, after some five years of controversy, has been