, 1900-02-15

f@eNN oA hht VIII I've hlltu NV Inf
appointment of Judge Henry f.. Sew
Grams of Grand Rapids, Michigan
The appointment of Judge Taft mark.
the first selection for the new Philip
pine Commission. There will be five
members on the commission. Mr..
Schurman, president of the existinf
commission. has declined, for bushes.
reasons, to remain on the commission
so Judge Taft will be president in hi
place. Mr.. DENLY and Professor Wor
cester have been invited to accept an
p~ointments, but so far have not signi-
fled their intentions. Admiral Dewe,
VIII not go back to Manila, Inc Ger
eral Otis will give way, like him, TO
CIVILIAN. Secretary Root said Tuesdas
that no instructions had been framed
FOR the new commission as yet, but ii
would be easy to perceive from the sen
timents set out in the Presidents mes
sage on the subject what these in
structions would be.
Secretary Hay is determined that til,
State Department shall observe with
the most scrupulous fidelity whatever
oDIgation may rest upon Ii toward Nj
caragua and Costo Rica in the matte.
OF the construction of the Nicaragua
canal. 1t has not been possible tC
move in that matter pending the re
VI iit - III tht way vi
canal building presented by the Clay
ton-Bulwer treaty. There has not beer
the slightest disposition to ignore the
governments of our sister republics III
the matter, but, In the view of the de
partment, 1t would not have been dig
nifed or safe to make overtures~ to
them before the United States had ac-
quired the power to deal with a free
hand with the canal problem so far as
Great Britain was concerned. Now.
however, the department will address
itself to the governments of Nicaragua
and Costo Rica, looking to the acquire
ment of whatever privileges are
deemed essential to the construction
of the ana Inc its operation. About
the same time, or rather as soon as the
Senate shall have ratified the treaty
n the Publications shall have been
exchanged. the department will address
identical notes to the great maritime
powers of the whole world, to secure
their adhesion to the project for the
perpetual naturalization of the canal.
1t is proposed to appropriate $4,000
for a topographic and geological sur
vey Of the island of Puerto Rico, $50
o for the Hawaiian Islands, $4,000
for Cuba and $4,000 for the Philip
pines, the expenditure for Cuba to be
hAtNAC Aioih lit avenue VI Nhal u
try. The maps of all these islands are
incomplete and inaccurate. They indi-
cate roads n streams that do not ex-
ist, n omit some that are of import
ance. 1t will be of great value to fu-
ture immigrants to have maps show
ing the geological formation of the
country, the location of the different
soils and rocks, the size of the different
streams, the height of the hills and
mountains n other information Of
this character. Although the Spanish
have occupied Cuba Ind Puerto Rico
for 400 years, portions of these islands
have never yet beer explored, and their
mineral have not been meas
ured. There is no accurate informa-
ton concerning their water supply.
their building material, their timber re
sources, and their tables of distance ap-
pear to have bee compiled by guess
work. The knowledge of the Philip
pines is even more meager and inaccur-
ate. There is not even a good topo-
graphical map of LuZon, the most
thickly settled island in the archipela-
go, and its resources are practically
unknown. 1t is proposed to have the
typographical n geological surveys
made under the direction of expert
enced men who have conducted the
" tsS vi phl W ottitt
To those who have been urging the
ratification of the treaty Of The Hague.
which commits the United States and
other nations to arbitration as a meth
cd Of settling disputes, in order that our
government may properly intervene in
south Africa, will now learn to their
surprise that 1t contains a clause under
which the United States pledges itself
not to Interfere in International affairs
| outside OF the American continent. In
fact, President Mckinley Is prohibited
from rendering his good offices either
to h Beers or to Great Britain by the
terms of The Hague treaty, now that
1t is ratified by the Senate. The stlpu-
lation to which l refer reads as fol
lows: Nothing contained in this con-
vention shall be so construed as to re-
qulre the United States of America to
depart from Its traditional policy Of not
intruding upon, interfering with or en-
tangllng itself in the political questions
of policy or internal administration OF
any foreign state; nor shall anything
contained in the said convention be
construed to imply a REIMBURSEMENT by
the United States Of America of Its ira
ditional attitude TOWARD purely Ameri-
can questions" This paragraph was
inserted in the treaty otter careful de
lDeTduOn upon tnt ueHlduu OI our uele-
gates, expressly for the purpose of COM
pelling the nations of Europe to ecog-
nize the Monroe doctrine as a principle
Of international polity and information
al law. Those who read the above quo
tation carefully will notice how COM
pletely this purpose was accomplished,
for when Great Britain, Germany.
France and the other nations who are
parties to the peace conference at The
Hague, have signed the conventions
adopted there they admit INT approve
the right of the United States to main
tain Its traditional attitude toward
purely American questions.
Representative W. s. Knox of Mass
achusetts. chairman of the House COM
mittee on territories, has completed his
report on the bill for the creation of the
territorial form of government In Ha-
wall. The report is "A voluminous doc
ument, going exclusively into all the
questions involved, and thoroughly "
ering every phase OF the bill which the
committee has agreed upon, after many