The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1903-01-14

GRITTY and became king of Spain in fact.
The popular election had been held Dec.
j. 1901. ard the electoral college had
'hoseu tho islands president Feb "a.
rne American military governor, Gen.
leonard Wood, Lowered the American
las and left the island to its own re.
.1grCts.
Even in the first days Of the Cuban
yove rnmert IN" task Of administering
L with the Islands poor financial re-
-ources was no ensy enc. aud the prob
lem became vastly harder when the
American Congress adjourned without
having given Cuba any aid in the form
VI tariff diffotc"tials, to the enactment
Of which along general lines of reel.
prpcty the faith Of the country had been
p.odg'd through President Mckinley as .
lea..y as was in his power.
Peaoe in the Philippines.
The Philippine Islands were declared
by proclamation of the President July
l. to be in state of peace and quiet and
worthy of the establishment of the civil
in place Of military government, for
which Congress had provided. with this 9
went a proclamation OF amnesty to po-
liticl offenders and civil administration ,
began.
Through Gov. Taft. the first American
envoy ever sont to Rome, arrangements
were made with the pope, not formally,
but practically. by which the friars'
lands In the Philippines shall be trans
fcrrod TO the United States, to be rcsold
to the F'Iiipnos themselves. The Philip
pine Islands wer" given % per cent
reduction on the Dinghy tariff rates at
the last session of Congress, and the
present session is considering the further
reduction of this so that the reduction
will be - per ccnt-that u.s. that only %
per cent of the schedule duties need be
paid.
The Years Legislation.
OF national legislation during the year
there was none of more Importance to
either the commerce or the naval power
OF the country than that authorizing
the construction of an isthman canal
After much discussion NJ the relative
merits OF the Panama and the Nicara-
guam routes. Congress made provision
for n $50 OOC0 bond Issue and passed
a law which gave President Roosevelt
tho power to decide upon the route.
OF other legislation the pnssag" Of the
national irrigation act, turning over the
revenues from the national domain for
the use of comprehcnsiie scheme of
| irrigation and the CT, alton of n perma-
nent census bureau are to be noted. To
| relieve the congestion Of an eycr-accu'
mulating surplus, Congress removed the
| last of the war revenue taxes and passed
| the largest river and harbor bill In the
countrys hictory-appropriatinS $4,000
OCO y Decent pound tax on coiored
! o.eomargarine, so heavy az practically
! to cut that industry in half. was i'm
posed
Important judicial Decision.
The most important judicial decision
| of tho year concerning industrial COM
| binations was that of the United States
Supreme Court, March 10, declaring the
| Illinois antitrust law void because II ex-
| cepted from its scope combinations of the
| producers or raisers of agricultural prod
| uCts or live stock
Official Changes.
The most important official changes OF
the year were In the retirement of Post
master General Charles Emory Smith
! Secretary of the Treasury Lyman j.
Gage and Secretary Of the Navy john
ID. Long. and the appointment as theii
successors of Henry 9. Payne Leslie Nj
Shaw and William H. Moody. Olive'
Wendell Holmes succeeded Justice Ora!
on the United states supreme bench
Ambassador Andrew II. White at Berlin
announced his retirement, and was sue
cecdel by Chnr.emagne Tower, trans
fcrrcd from st. Petersburg which necea
stated general promotion amOnl
American Ambassadors and ministers.
In the diplomatic corps at Washing
ton Lord Pauncefotes death was fol
lowed by the appointment of Mlchae
Henry Herbert from England and NJ
Jusserand succeeded NJ. Cambon from
France. That Congressman Joseph ;
Cannon of Illinois will succeed David L
Henderson ny speaker Of the next Hous
of Representatives Is settled.
End of the Beer War.
The Boer w1r was brought to an en-
l,.g ~. etty ts,gy Of h
the Boer representatives, together wit
Lords Kitchener and Miner, OF docu
ment cmbodyng terms of surrender.
The BOers persistence in the confic
had won for them the conditions o
, which they had insisted when they wer
ready to. ylold more than year before
1 They had not been holding out for inde
, pendence but for ClemenCy for the
. leaders and for the return to Sout
, Africa of the Boer prisoners on Englis
: islands They gained these things an
= also the gift Of Sl5.O0O,0OO In cash to b
I used In the restoration of their agrcu
= ture and promises of further loans q
I they needed them, together with III
Z assurance that self-government on color
5 ial lines would be rapidly granted then
The Venezuela lmbroslo.
, At tho beginning of the year German
= and England were acting in harmon
: on a pan 10 compel N"n'Zueld 10 pay
. few millions of debts due their subject
i 1t was understood they had given II
:. United States assurances that the
y would not In any way overstep Il
: limits set by the United States In Il
! Monroe doctrine. Their plans We
D dropped during the spring and summe
V however. while President Castro of We,
7 ezucla found himself busy in suppressir
n rather more than usually prctentio,
. revolution. In the last month of q
: year German ana English fleets sudde
u ~ appeared off Venezuelan ports, sar
y. Venezuelan ships and announced the
i intention to blockade the ports and sci
. the customs to mako good the debts.
= Arbitration at The Hague was n
. wanted by the European powers, as TIL
y feared Castro would pay no heed to
. decision against him. and for that re
-, son "A proposal was made to Preside
;. Roosevelt to become the arbitrator T.
~ vital featur" Of this demand was tn
- II sought to impOF" on tn" United Stat
u some rpspOns!biit" under the MOnr
~ doctrine. along with the authority n
u mltted to It. Upon the refusal Of Pre-
:, dent Roosevelt Ia act as arbitrator I
L. allied powers finally yielded to his I
- gent suggestion that the matters at
- SUI BE- referred to The Hague tribun
~ for settlement.
IF Work OF the Diplomats.
NJ treaties rotated during the ye
tho most important was that hetwe
l. Grcpt RrltoIn and Japan. providing
"a tho -cutrality OF either IN case the 9th
,u was attacked by single hostile pow
"a hut for armed resistance by each in ca