The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-12-13

not b suffered to delay ne speedy am
complete ostabliohment Of the frontie,
line to which We are entitled under thu
kus:o-Amsrican treaty for the cession ol
Alaska
In this relation. may refer again q
the need Of definitely marking the Alas
Kan boundary whore Il follows the llls,
been before the Senate for some two
years. but A. no action has been taken.
contemplate negotiating q new convention
for 6 JOINT determination Of the meridiar
by heitocentris observations These. asi
II believed, viii give more accurate and
unQuestionable results than the siderea
methods heretofore Independently fol.
lowed. which. a. II known, proved dis
erepant at several points on the line, al
though not varying At any place more
than 100 feet.
international Arbitrator.
1t b with satisfaction that I am able
to announce the formal notification al
The Hague. on September 4, Of the depos-
II OF ratiflcations OF the convention for
the pacific settlement Of the international
disputes BY 1s powers, namely. the United
States. Austria. Belgium, Denmark, Eng
land. France. Germany. Italy. Persia
Portugal. Roumania. Russia, Siam, Spain,
sweden and Norway and The Neither.
lands. Japan also has since ratified the
convention. The administrative council
Of the permanent court Of arbitration has
been organised. and Il has adopted rules
or order and q constitution for the In
ternational Arbitration Bureau. In ac-
cordance with article q Of the convention
providing for the appointment by each
AZ -
competency In questions of interna tionaI
law ~ arbitrators have appointed "a
members of this court. Hon. Benjamin
Harrison, Of Indiana, ex-President Of the
United States: Hon. Melville w. Fuller,
Of Illinois. Chief Justice of the United
States; John w. Griggs. Of New Jersey.
Attorney General Of the United States,
and Hon. George Gray. Of Delaware. a
Judge Of the Circuit Court Of the United
etateA
The Nicaragua Canal.
The important matter Of an interoceanic
canal has assumed q new phase. Ad-
herring to its refusal to reopen the question
Of the forfeiture Of the contract Of the
Maritime Canal Company. which was
terminated for alleged nonexecution In
qua has since supplemented that action
by declaring the so-styled Eyre-Cragin
option void for nonpayment Of the stipu-
lated advance. Protests In relation to
these acts have been fled in the State
Department. and are under consideration.
Deeming itself relieved from existing en-
gagements, the Nicaragua Government
shows disposition to deal freely with
the canal question. either In the way of
negotiations with the United States or by
taking measures to promote the water
mn R<%p frxvHt 60 o(V Vare
the building Of canal under the auspices
Of the United States are under considera-
ton. In the meantime. the views Of Con-
gress upon the subject In the light OF
the report Of the committee appointed to
examine the comparative merits Of the
various trans-isthmian ship canal prof.
ects may be awaited.
commend to the early attention Of
the Senate the convention with Great
Britain to facilitate the construction OF
such a canal, and to remove any objec-
tion which might arise out of the conven-
ton commonly called the Clayton-Bul-
Relations with Spain.
Satisfactory progress has been made
toward the conclusion of q general treaty
Of friendship and intercourse with Spain
In replacement Of the old treaty. which
passed into allegiance by reason of the
late war. A new convention Of extradi1
tion b approaching completion. and
would be much pleased were Q CONNER
cial arrangement to follow. feel that
we should not suffer to pass an oppor-
tunity to reafirm the cordial ties that
existed between US and Spain from the
time Of our earliest Independence. and to
enhance the mutual benefits Of that COM
mercial intercourse which II natural be-
tween the two countries.
BY the terms of the treaty of peace.
the line bounding the ceded Philippine
group on the southwest failed to include
several small islands lying west Of the
Sulus, which have always been recog-
nixed ~ under Spanish control. The oc-
cupation Of Sibutu and Cagayan. Sulu.
by our naval forces elected q claim on
the part Of Spain, the essential equity
of which could not be gainsaid. In order
to cure the defect of the treaty by re-
moving all possible ground Of future mis-
understanding respecting the interpreta-
tion of its third article, directed the
of a supplementary treaty.
which will be forthwith laid before the
Senate, whereby Spain quits all title and
claim Of title to the islands named, as
we'll as to any and all islands belonging
TO the Philippine Archipelago lying out
side the lines described In said third ar
ticle, and agrees that all such islands
shall be comprehended In the cession of
the archipelago as fully as II they had
been expressly included within those lines.
In consideration Of this cession the United
States II to pay Spain the sum Of 100000.
A bill II now pending to effect the rec
made In my last annual
that appropriate legislation be
had to carry into execution article
Of the treaty Of peace with Spain. by
which the United States assumed the
payment Of certain claims for indem-
nifty of its citizens against Spain. ask
that action be taken to fulfill this obli-
cation.