The sun., 1899-12-08
A Word Moro About th. MESSAGE.

| We TeI0TTeu on wednesday 10 tno prlu-
cipal features OF the Presidents Message.
, but in Mr.. McKINLEYs exposition OF our
! foreign relations there are several points
which deserve additional attention. We
have in mind especially the proposal to
confer upon the Federal courts Jurisdiction
in the case OF offences against the treaty
rights Of foreigners domiciled in the United
States, and the advocacy OF the agreement
| reached at the Peace Conference. which IL
submitted to the Senate for ratification.
Wecannot expect European governments,
, the subjects or citizens OF which have been
murdered within our borders. to appreciate
the explanation that our Federal Govern
ment has no power to punish the delin-
quents, for the reason that the State courts
alone have oognizanoe OF such crimes For
eign governments are ,debarred from ad-
dressing themselves directly to our States,
and, therefore. have no means OF eIacting
from them redress for tho injuries Of
| which their subjects or citizens are VIC
Tins. Hero, therefore. 10 something which
ought not to be tolerated In q civil
llzed community. to wit, q wrong with
| out o remedy. It has been the unior-
tunate experience OF Italy to suffer more
than any other foreign country from
the anomalous state Of things under which
our Federal Government, when urged to
bring guilty man to justice, Is constrained
to reply non possumus. The President
points out. In his Message, that no fewer
than four times within the present de-
cade has the Government Of Italy had
reason to complain OF the lynching Of its
subjects The latest incident Of the kind
occurred at Tallulah. La, where Ave indi-
vlduals OF italian nativity were taken from
Jail and hanged. The State authorities
have been unable, or profess to have been
unable. to discover and punish the violators
OF the law. and. naturally. the Italian Gov
ernment feels that, In equity, It should have
recourse to the United States in their Fed
eral capacity.
That such q course should be authorized
Is the conviction OF President MCKINLEY.
as 1t was that OF his Republican pre-
decessor, President HARRISON. In pur-
suance OF a recommendation made by the
latter In his Message OF Dec. o. 1891. n bill
WAS introduced In the Senate, and favora-
bly, reported. providing that any act COM
m!tted in any State or Territory OF the
United States in violation OF the treaty
rights OF citizen or subject OF q
foreign country. and constituting a crime
under the laws OF the State or Territory,
shall constitute a like crime against the
United States. and be cognzable In the
Federal courts. Mr.. MCKINLEY earnestly
advises that the subject be taken up anew,
/ and that some such bill be passed by the
| Fifty-sixth Congress. He points out that
precedent for establishing Federal jurisdic-
/ ton In criminal cases, where aliens are suf-
! ferers. Is nationally deducible from the
existing statute which gives to the United
States courts Jurisdiction OF civil suits
brought by aliens, where the amount
involved exceeds certain sum. II, says
the President, such Jealous solicitude be
shown for alien rights In cases OF merely
civil and pecuniary import. how much
! greater should be tho public duty to take
cognizance Of matters affecting the very
life OF aliens. under the settled principles OF
/ international law no less than under treaty
/ stipulations.
We pass to the Presidents comments on
the agreement signed by our delegates to
the Peace Conference at The Hague The
objections hitherto brought forward to the
agreement have been based principally
upon the following grounds: First: the
mediation and commissions OF inquiry
authorized by the agreement would either
commit the United States to an interposl-
tion In the affairs OF foreign countries,
| which would be counter to our traditions.
or would subject US to a kind OF Interior
ence with American concerns on the part OF
foreign nations, which we could not tol-
, crate; and. secondly. that a permanent
international tribunal OF arbitration would
probably prove In practice, less desirable
than an impromptu tribunal organized for
the specific occasion by the parties TO the
controversy.
! To take up the latter objection first,
the President suggests that a permanent
tribunal would have an advantage over
an impromptu commission In respect
OF the greater economy resulting from
well-devlsed and regularly operating
system and of the accumulated judicial
skill and experience which such tribunal
would soon possess. 1t Is. moreover, to be
noted that, II no such advantage should
chance TO be discernible In a particular case,
and II. for any reason. special tribunal
should seem preferable, we could have re-
course to 1t under the agreement, by virtue
OF which no cases are referred to the per-
manent tribunal, except by the mutual
consent OF the litigants. As for the incon-
veniences apprehended from an obtrusive
| exercise OF mediation, Mr.. MCKINLEY
points out that these have been carefully
averted BY tho following declaration made
by our delegates at the time when their sig
natures were affixed to the agreement:
Nothing contained In this convention shall
be- 30 construed as to require the United
States to depart from their traditional pol-
Icy OF not intruding upon. interfering with
or entangling themselves In the political
questions OF policy or internal administra-
u'n OF anyf9reign State; nor shall any thing