The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-12-08
THE FARMER: DECEMBER 8, 1911

of those conferences in the hope that there may soon be removed any justi- fication. for the complaints of treaty violation now prevalent in this coun- try.
 expect that immediately after Christmas recess I shall be able to make a further communication to Con- gress on this subject.
 Recognito.. V. r.r,uguese Republic.
 The national constituent assembly regularly elected by the vote of the Portuguese people. having on June Il! last unanimously proclaimed repub hcan form of government. the official recognition of the government of the United States was given to the new republic in the afternoon of the same day.
 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS
 AND CONFERENCES.
 international Prize Court.
 The supplementary protocol to The Hague convention for the establish ment of an international prize court mentioned in my last annual message embodying stipulations providing for an alternative procedure which would remove the constitutional objection to that part of The Hague convention which provides that there may be an appeal to the proposed court from the decisions of national courts. has re ceived the signature of the govern ments parties to the original conven. ton and has been ratified by the gov ernment of the United States. together with the prize court convention.
 The deposit of the notifications with the government of the Netherlands awaits action by the powers on the declaration. signed at London on Feb 26. 1909. of the rules of international law to be recognized within the mean ing of article z of The Hague conven, tion for the establishment of an inter. national prize court.
 Fur Seal Treaty.
 The fur seal controversy has at last been satisfactorily adjusted by the conclusion of the north Pacific seal ing convention entered into between the United States. Great Britain. Japan and Russia on the 7th of July last.
 International Opium Commission.
 Tn a special message transmitted to the congress on the 7th of January 1911. in which I concurred in the rec. concentrations made by the secretary of state in regard to certain needful legislation for the control of our in terstate and foreign traffic in opium and other menacing drugs. = recommended that the manufacture sale and use of opium in the United States should be more vigorously con trolled by legislation.
 Prior to that time and in continua ton of the policy of this government to secure the cooperation of the in terested nations the United States proposed an international opium con ference with full powers for the pur pose of clothingS with the force of in ternational law the resolutions adopt ed by the above mentioned commis sion. together with their essential cor ollaries. The other powers concerned cordially responded to the proposal o1 this government. and. am glad to be able to announce. representatives oi all the powers assembled in conference at The Hague on the first of this month. s" 1t seems to me most es sential that the congress should take immediate action on the anti-narcotie legislation to which have already called attention by special message. K Buenos Aires Conventions.
 The four important conventions sign ed at the fourth pan-American confer ence at Buenos Aires. providing for tn. regulation of trademarks. patents and copyrights and for the arbitration ol pecuniary claims. have. with the ad vice and consent of the senate. beer ratified on the part of the United States. and the notifications have beer deposited with the government of tht Argentine Republic in accordance witt the requirements of the conventions l am not advised that similar actior has been taken by any other of thu signatory governments.
 Foreign Trade Relations of the Unitse States.
 In my last annual message I refer red to the tarif negotia tions of the de partment Of state with foreign coun tries in connection with the applica tion. by a series of proclamations. o1 the minimum tariff of the United States to importa tions from the sev eral countries. and stated that In its general operation section of the new tariff law had proved guaranty o, continued commercial peace, although there were. unfortunately. instance' where foreign governments dealt ar bitrarily with American interests with in their jurisdiction in a manner in furious and inequitable. During th' past year some instances of discrimi natory treatment have been removed but regret to say that there remain { l few cases of differential treatment ad | verse to the commerce of the Unite, | States. While none of these instance l now appears to amount to undue dis | crimination in the sense of section 1 of the tariff law of Aug. s. 1909. the. are all exceptions to that complete de | gree of equality of tariff treatmen 1 that the department of state has con sistently sought to obtain for Amerl can commerce abroad.
 While the double tariff feature of tn tariff Ia w of 1909 has been amply inst