The San Francisco call., 1898-12-06
WILLIAM MCKTNLEY PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

articles were contested by Colombia. while Italy claimed their literal fulfill ment. The award having been made by the President of the United States as an act of friendly consideration and with the sole view to an impartial composition of matter in dispute, 1 could not but feel concern at such a miscarriage and, while unable to accept the Colombian theory that l. in my official capacity, possessed continuing function as arbitrator, with power to interpret or revise the terms or the award my best efforts were lent to bringing the parties to harmonlous agreement as to the execution of its pro visions.
 naval demonstration by Italy resulted in an engagement to pay the liabllltles claimed upon their ascertainment, put this apparent disposition of the contro- versy was followed by rupture ol dlplo55 matic intercourse between Colombia ana Italy which still continues, aIenough 1or- tunately without acute '---ptomS haVltlg supervened. Notwithstanding this, e tha eI forts are reported to pc continuing Tor the ascertainment of Colombia's contingent liability on account of Cerruti's debts un- der the fifth article or the aware, claim of an American citizen against the Domingan republic for a bridge over the Ozama River, which has peen m qlp- lomatic controversy for several years, B., nas as award in favor of the claimant amounting to about $9O, 900. It, however, remains un- paid despite urgent demands TOT US set clement according to the terms or the compact.
 There is now every prospect that the participation of the United States in the
 Universal Exposition to
 The Great be held in Paris in 1900
 will be on a scale com
 Paris mensurate with the ad-
 " vanced position held by
 Exposition. our products and indus
 tries in the worlds chief marts. The preliminary report or MoseS P Handy. who under the act approved July 19. 1897, was appointed special com Nrrifh attainable information necessary to full and complete understanding by congress in regard to the participation or tnls GoV- ernment in the Paris Exposition, was lald before you by my message of December 6, 1S97 and showed the large opportunities to make known our national progress Tn art, science and manufactures, as well as the urgent need of immediate and ade- uuate provisions to enable due advantage thereof to be taken. MT. Handy S deatn soon afterward rendered 1t necessary Tor another to take up and complete his un- finished work and on January Il last MT. Thomas w. Cridler, Third Assistant Sec retary of State, was designated to fulfill that task. His report was laid before you by my message of June 14, 1898, with the gratifying result of awakening renewed interest in the projected display. By provision in the sundry civil appropria- ton act of July l, 1898, a sum not to eX- ceed s650. 900 was allotted for the organiza- tion of a commission to care Tor the proper preparation and installation or
 
 suitable exhibits by the several executive departments, particularly by the Depart ment of Agriculture, the Fish Commission and the Smithsonian institution, in the representation of the Government of the United States. Pursuant of that enact ment I appointed MT. Ferdinand w. Peck of Chicago Commissioner General, with an assistant Commissioner General and secretary MT. Peck at once proceeded to Paris. where his success in enlarging the scope and variety of the United States exhibit has been most gratifying. Not withstanding the comparatively. limited area of the exposition site-leSS than one- half that of the Worlds Fair at Chicago the space assigned to the united states has been increased from the absolute al- lotment of 157 ,403 square feet reported by MT. Handy to some 202,O0O square feet, with corresponding augmentation Of the field for a truly characteristic represen- tation of the important branches of our collntrys development. MT. PeckS re- port will be laid before you. In my 1udg- ment, it's recommendatlons VIII cal Tor your early consideration, especially as reoards an increase of the appropriation to at least one million dollars in all, so that not only may the assigned space be hihit in every class, but the preparation ana installation be on so perfect a scale as to rank among the first in that un- paralleled competition or arllstlc ana ln- yentive production. and thus counterbal- ance the disadvantage with which we start. as compared with other countries whose appropriations are on d more gen. ernus scale and whose preparations are in a state of much greater forwardness than our own.
 Where our artisans have the admitted canacity to excel, where our inventive eepius has initiated many of the grandest 55isnnsTcries of the later days of the cen tury and where the native resources tSse Of valuable to supply the worlds needs, it Is our province, as it should be our earn as+ oare tn lead in the march of human nrogress and not rest content with any secondary place. Moreover. if this be due to ourselves. it is no less due to the great French nation, whose guests we become; and which has in so many ways testified its wishes and hope that our participa-. tion shall befit the place the two peoples have won in the field or universal devel- opment.
 The commercial arrangement made with France on May 2S, 1858, under the proVl-
 sions of section 3 of the
 Trade With tariff act of 1884, went
 into effect on June 1,
 Germany following. It has reliev-
 ed portion of our ex- ana rrance. port trade from serious
 embarrassment. Fur kl-x