Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-12-07

were admitted. In these, as in all in
stances, wherever occurring, when |
American products may be subjected |
in foreign country, upon specious |
pretexts, to discrimination compared |
with the like products of another coun- |
try, this government will use its earn |
est efforts to secure fair and equal |
treatment for its citizens and their |
goods. Failing this, it will not hest |
tate to apply whatever corrective may
be provided by the statutes.
Venezuela
The Venezuelan findings are referred |
to as appearing to be equally satisfac- !
tory to both parties. Allusion is also
made to the fact that our minister ana
the representatives of other powers
have entered into diplomatic relations
with the new provisional government.
Trade Reciprocity.
Conventions of reciprocity have been
signed during the congressional recess
with Great Britain for the respective
colonies of British Guiana, Barbados,
Bermuda, Jamaica, and Turks and
CaicOs islands, and with the republic
of Nicaragua. Important reciprocal
conventions have also been concluded
with France and with the Argentine
Republic. The president urges another
pan-American industrial and trade
convention. The Buffalo exposition IS
commended. The peace conference AZ
the Hague is alluded to quite fully and
its results noted. The president says:
The convention embodies the leading
features of the American plan, with
such notifications as were rendered
necessary by the great diversity Of
views and interests represented by the
delegates. The four titles of the con-
vention provide for the maintenance
Of general peace, the exercise of good
offices and mediation, the formation Of
commissions of inquiry, and interna-
tional arbitration" The convention tor
the pacific settlement of international
conflicts may be regarded as realizing
the earnest desire of great numbers of
American citizens whose deep sense Of
justice, expressed in numerous resOlu-
, tions and memorials, has urged them
to labor for this noble achievement
| The general character of this conven-
| ton, already signed by the delegates OF
more than twenty sovereign states,
further commends it to the favorable
action of the senate of the United
States, whose ratification it still awaits.
After discussing the mastering out
of the old volunteer army and the
creation of a new one the president eX
plains that the force now in Manila
consists of 905 officers and 50,578 regu-
| lars, and 594 officers and 1888 Of the
volunteers, making an aggregate of
/. 499 officers and 1896 men When
the troops now under orders shall
reach Manila, the force in the archi-
pelago will comprise 2,051 officers and
SO .4S3 men. In Cuba, we now have
1874 officers and 1926 enlisted men; in
Porto Rico, 81 officers and 1855 en-
listed men and battalion of 400 men
composed of native Porto Ricans;
while stationed throughout the United
|
and in Hawaii II officers and 453 en-
listed men. Provision for chaplains is
urged.
Postal facilities for our colonial
| possessions have been constructed.
The domestic postal service continues
to grow with extraordinary rapidity.
The expenditures and the revenues will
each exceed $1OO,OOO,OOO during the
current year. Fortunately, since the
] evival of prosperous times the reve-
nues have grown much faster than the
expenditures, and there is every indi-
cation that short period will witness
the ObliteratiOn of the annual deficit.
In this connection the report of the
pOstmaster-genera embodies a state
ment of some evils which have grown
up outside Of the contemplation of law
in the treatment of some classes of
mail matter which wrongly exercise
the privilege of the pound rate, and
shows that if this matter had been
properly classified and had paid the
rate which it should have paid, instead
of postal deficit for the last fiscal
y
been on one basis a surplus of ST.
637 $50, and on another of 1913, 1886.
The reform thus suggested would not
only put the postal service at once on
self-sustaining basis but would permit
great and valuable improvements, and
| it is commended to the consideration
Of the congress.
-ir;o Nf IS 3,
3, 1899, limiting the price of armor
plate to $500 ought to be removed, the
president says. He also concurs in the
recommendations for the increase of
the navy, as suggested by the secre-
tary.
Pensions.
June 80, 1899, the pension roll num-
bered 991,519. The number added dur
ing the year was 40,991. The number
dropped for all causes was 43, 1856, and
the number OF claims disallowed was
107,919. During the year 1864 pen
sion certificates were issued, of which
1917 were for new pensions. The
amount disbursed for army and navy
pensions was s138 1855, 052.95, which was
1851 ,461.61 less than the appropria-
ton. The present holding of the de-
partment is that if the widows in
come aside from her daily labor does
not exceed in amount what her pen
sion would be, to-wit: s96 per annum,
she would be deemed to be without
other means of support than her daily