The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-12-06
THE N1oARAGuAN CANAL
Progress Being Made in the Effort tc
Cnnxfrnct Great WntarwaY.

Progress Being Made in the Effort to
Construct Great Waterway.
The all-important matter of an inter-
oceanic canal has assumed a new phase.
| Adhering to it's refusal to reopen the
question of the forfeiture of the contract
of the Maritime Canal Company, which
| was terminated for alleged non-execution
in October, 1899, the government of Mica
/ ragua has since supplemented that action
by declaring the so-styled Eyre-Crag1n
| option void for non-payment of the stip-
| ulated advance. Protests in relation to
| these acts have been filed in the State
| Department and are under consideration.
Deeming itself relieved from existing en-
| gagements, the Nicaraguan government
| shows a 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 wat
erway.
| Overtures for a convention to effect the
| building of canal under the auspices of
| the United States are under consideration.
In the meantime the views of the con-
light of the report of the commission
| appointed to examine the comparative
merits of the various transisthmian ship
| canal projects, may be awaited.
| i commend to the early attention of
the senate the convention with Great
| Britain to facilitate the construction of
such canal and to. remove any objec-
| ton which might arise out of the con-
| vention commonly called the Clayton
\ Buwer treaty.
| The long standing contention with Por-
| Delasoa Bay Railway has been at last
determined by a favorable award of the
tribunal OF arbitration at Berne. to which
| it was submitted The amount of the
award. which was deposited in London
| awaiting arrangements by the govern
ments of the United States and Great
| Britain for it's disposal, has recently been
paid over to the two governments.
| A lately signed convention of eNtradi-
| ton with Peru as amended by the senate
has been ratified by the Peruvian con-
eress.
| Another illustration of the policy of this
government to refer International dis
putes to impartial arbitration is seen in
| the agreement reached with Russia to
| submit the claims behalf OF the
| American sealing vessels seized in Bering
| Sea to determination by T. NJ. c. Asser
| distinguished statesman and jurist of
| the Netherlands.
Thanks are due to the imperial Russian
government for kindly aid rendered by
| is authorities in eastern Siberia to
American missionaries fleeing from Man
f-ehuria.
NEW RELATIONS WITH SPAIN.
Satisfactory progress has been made to-
ward the conclusion of a 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 extradi-
| ton is approaching completion, and l
| cial arrangement to follow. / feel that
we should not suffer to pass any oppor-
tunity to reafiirm the cordial ties that
existed between us and Spain from the
time of our earliest independence and to
enhance the mutual bnetits of that com
| mercial intercourse which is natural be-
| tween the two countries.
| By the terms of the treaty of peace the
| line bounding the ceded Philippine group
| in the southwest failed to include several
small islands lying west of the, Sulus.
1 which have always been recognized as
under Spanish control The. occupation
! of Sibutu and Cagayan Sulu by our nav
| al forces ELECTED claim on the part of
| Spain. the essential equity OF which
In order to cure the defect of the
treaty by removing all possible ground OF
/ future. misunderstanding respecting the
4 Interpretation of its third article, I di-
rected the negotiation of a supplement
tary treaty, which will be forthwith laid
before the senate, whereby Spain quits
PANIED. as well as to any and all islands
belonging to the Philippine archipelago
lying outside the lines described in said
third article, and agrees that all such
cession of the archipelago as fully as ii
they had been expressly included within
those lines. In consideration of this
cession the United States is to pay tc
Spain the sum Of 100000.
A bill Is now pending to effect the rec
ommendation made in my last annual
| message aInaL leSlSlatlOn DE
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 inc emnity of its
be taken to fulfill this obligation.
The King of Sweden and Norway has
accepted the joint invitation of the Unit
ed States, Germany and Great Britain tc
arbitrate claims growing out of losses
sustained in the Samoan Islands in the
course of military operations made nee
essary by the disturbances in 1899.
LARGE REVENUE SURPLUS.
1t is gratifying to be able to state thai
the surplus revenues for the fiscal veal
ended June 80, 1900 were s79,527, 06O.lS. Fol
the six preceding years we had only de
fcits, the aggregate of which from 1s9
to 1899 inclusive amounted to s283,022
991.l4. The receipts for the year from al
sources, EXCLUSIVE Of postal revenues, ag
gregated 1861, 240, S51.S9. and expenditure:
for all purposes, except for the admins
tration of the postal department, aggre
gated s4s7. s7sl III -. The receipts from
e evsS Se were n4seSs yaal a. an
The receipts from internal revenue were
s295, 327 ,926.76. an increase of $21 $50, 1852
over 1899 The receipts from miscellane
Gus sources were $3S 74S, 053.97, as agains
$36, S94 1852 for the previous year.
REDUCTION OF REVENUE.
I recommend that the congress at it
present session reduce the Internal rev
enue taxes imposed to meet tho expense
of the war with Spain in the sum OF thir
ty millions of dollars. This reduction
should be secured by the remission o
those taxes which experience has show
to be the most burdensome to the indus
. tries of the people.
specially urge that there by includes
in whatever reduction is made the legac,
tax, requests for public uses Of a liter
airy, educational or charitable character
AID FOR MERCHANT MARINE.
American vessels during the past thre
years have carried about per cent of on
exports and imports. Foreign ship
should carry the least, not the creates
! part of American trade. The remarkabl
, growth of our steel industries. the prog
trade, and our steadily maintained ex
penditures for the navy have created a
opportunity to place the United State
, in the first rank of commercial martini
powers.
. REGULATION OF TRUSTS.
: In my last annual message to the con
8 gress called attention to the necessit
D for early action to remedy such evils a
might be found to exist in connectio
t with combinations of capital organize
: into trusts, and again invite attention I
g my discussion of the subject at that TIM
s The whole question is so-far-reachin
: that am sure no part of 1t will be light
ly considered, but every phase OF 1t wi
l have the studied elaboration of the cor
) gress, resulting in wise and judiclous &C
ton. Restraint upon such combination
federal Jurisdiction should be prompt
!. applied by the congress.
THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
The Rebellion Almost at nm End-Rec
ommendasisns.
In my last annual message dweIt al
Il snna lengt n t1pon the condition of affairs