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TAFT SEIDS I
MESSAGE ABOUT
FORE! AFFAIRS
frtsldent Informs Congress of
Our Relations With Other
Nations.
AMERICAN DIPLOMACY WINS
Its Success in Settling Central
American Troubles.
DIPLOMATIC SERVICE BETTER
Reorganization Has Dona Much to In
creaoo Ha Efficiency Adjustment
of the Sealing and Fisheries Dis
putes Interests of United States
In the Near and Far East.
Washington, Deo. 8. Prcaldont Taft
submitted to congress today the first
of soreral messages. It was dovotod
to our foreign relations and in part
was as follows:
To tho Senato and House of Repre
sentatives: The foreign relations of
the United Statos actually and poten
tially affect tho state of tho Union to
a degree not widely realized and hard
ly surpassed by any othor factor In
the welfare of the whole nation. Tho
position of the United States In tho
moral, Intellectual, and material rela
tions of tho family of nations should
be a matter of vital Interest to ovory
patriotic citizen. The national pros
perity and power lmposo upon us du
ties which wo can not shirk if wo are
to be truo to our ldoals. Tho tromon
dous growth of tho export trado of tho
United States has already mado that
trade a very real factor In tho Indus
trial and commercial prosperity of the
country. With the development of our
Industries tho foreign commerco of
ths United States must rapidly be
come a still more essential fnctor in
Its cconomlo welfare. Whether wo
have a far-scclng and wlso diplomacy
and are not recklessly plunged Into
unnecesary wars, and whothor our for
eign policies are based upon an intel
ligent grasp of present-day world con
ditions and, a clear vlow of tho poton
Ualltlea of tho futuro. or aro governod
by a temporary and timid expediency
or by narrow views befitting an in
fant nation, are questions In tho al
ternative consideration of which must
convince any thoughtful citizen that
Ho department of national polity of
Tera greater opportunity for promoting
the interests of the wholo peoplo on
the one hand, or greater chance oil
the other of permanent national in
ury, than that which deals with tho
rortlga relations of the United States.
The fundamental foreign policies of
the United States should bo ralsod
high above tho conflict of partisan
ship and wholly dissociated from dif
ferences as to domestic policy. In Us
Torolgn affairs tho United Statos
Bhould present to the world a united
front Tho intellectual, financial nnd
Industrial intcrosts of tho country and
tha publicist, the wage earner, tho
farmer, and citizen of whatever occu
pation must co-oporate in a spirit of
high patriotism to promoto that na
tional solidarity which is Indispensable
to national efficiency and to tho at
tainment of national Ideals.
The relations of tho United Statos
with all foreign powers romaln upon
a sound basis of peace, harmony and
friendship. A greater Insistence upon
lustlco to Amorican citizens or inter
ests wherever it may havo been do
llied and a stronger emphasis of tho
heed of mutuality in commercial and
other relations havo only served to
strengthen our friendships with for-'
nlgn countries by placing those friend
ships upon a firm foundation of reali
ties as well as aspirations.
Before briefly reviewing the more
Important events of the last year tin
our foreign relations, which it Is my
fluty to do as charged with their con
inot and because diplomatic affairs
are not of a nature to make it ap
propriate that the secretary of state
feiaktf a rormil annual report, X desire
Ito touch upon some of the essentials
to the safe management of the for
sign relations of the Unltod States
and to endeavor, also, to define clearly
certain concrete policies which are
the logical modern corrollarles of the
Undisputed and traditional fundamen
,&als of ths foreign policy of tho
jttnlted States.
Reorganization of the state Depart-
ment.
At tho beginning of the prcaoat ad
ministration tho United States, having
Cully entorod upon Its position as a
World power, with the responsibilities
tfcrust upon It by the results of tho
ppanlsh-Amerlcan wor, and already on
staged in laying the groundwork of a
Vast foreign trade upon which it
bhould ono day become mora and
snore dependent, found itself without
the machinery for giving thorough at
tention to, and taking effective action
pon, a moss of Intricate business
.Vital to American Interests In every
tarantry In the world.
The department of state was an
tercbalo and Inadequate machlno lack
ing most of tho attributes of tho for
eign office of any great modern power.
With an appropriation mado upon my
recommendation by the congress on
August 6, 1909, the dopartmont of
state was completely reorganized.
1 AND THEN THE
" i Remark Really Mors Than Suffering
Street Car Passenger Could Stand
Without Complaint.
i At either sad of a seat in a Broad-
(way opes oar was an individual, the
'eat at the far end smoking a very
' jlMd cigarette. Midway between these
(two sat something very fat Not only
Jwas It very fat, but Its bat was fat
' .With fsatherg, Its fingers were fat
1 here wore created Ulrislons of l-tln-American
affairs and of far eastern,
noar eastern, and woittern European
affairs. To these divisions wore called
from the foreign service diplomatic
and consular offlcors possessing oxpo
rlunco and knowledge gained by act
ual Borvlco In different parts of tho
world and thus familiar with political
and commercial conditions In tho re
gions concornod. The work was high
ly sppclnltred. The result Is that
whete previously this government
from tlmo to tlrao would omphaslze In
Its foreign relations one or another
policy, now Amorican Interests In ev
ery quarter of tho globo are being
cultivated with equal assiduity.
Merit System In Consular and Diplo
mats Corps.
Expert knowledge and professional
training must evidently be tho essence
of this reorganization. Without a
trained foreign servlco there would
not bo mon available for tho work in
tho reorganized department of state.
President Cleveland has taken tho
first stop toward .Introducing tho
merit system In tho foreign sorvlco.
That had boon followed by tho appli
cation of the merit prlnclplo, with ex
cellent results, to tho cntlro consular
branch. Almost nothing, however, had
boon done In tills direction with regard
to tho diplomatic servlco. In this nge
of commercial diplomacy it was evi
dently of tho first Importanco to train
nn ndqquato personnel In that branch
of tho sorvlco. Therefore, on Novem
ber 20, 1909, by an executlvo order I
placed tho diplomatic sorvlco up to
tho grado of secretary of embassy, In
clusive, upon exactly tho same strict
non-partisan basis of tho merit sys
tem, rigid examination for appoint
ment and promotion only for effi
ciency, as had been maintained without
exception in tho consular sorvlco.
Statistics as to Merit and Nonpartisan
Character of Appointments.'
How faithful to tho merit system
and how nonpartisan has boon the con
duct of tho diplomatic and consular
services in tho last four years may bo
Judged from tho following: Threo
ambassadors now sorvlng hold their
present rank nt tho beginning of the
administration. Of tho ton ambassa
dors whom I havo appointed, flvo wore
by promotion from tho rank of min
ister. Nino ministers now nerving
held their present rank nt the begin
ning of tho administration. Of tho
thirty ministers whom I havo appoint
od, oloven wore promoted from tho
lower grades of the foreign sorvlco or
from tho depnrtmont of stato. Of tho
nlnotoen missions In Latin Amorlca,
where our relations are close and our
interest Is great, fifteen chiefs of mis
sion are service men, threo having
entered tho sorvlco during this admin
istration. Tho thirty-seven secreta
ries of embassy or legation who havo
received their Initial appointments
after passing successfully tho required
examination wore chosen for ascer
tained fitnoss, without regard to po
litical amilatlons. A dearth of candi
dates from southorn nnd western
states has nlono mado it Impossible
thua far completely to equallzo all
tho states' representations In tho for
eign sorvlco. In tho offort to equallzo
tho representation of tho various
states In tho consular servlco I havo
mado sixteen of tho twonty-nlno now
nppolntmonts as consul which havo
occurred during my administration
from tho southern states. This Is 65
per cent. Every othor consular ap
pointment made, Including the promo
tion of elovon young mon from tho
consular assistant and student Inter
preter corps, has boon by promotion or
irnusrer, based solely upon efllcloncy
shown In tho sorvlco.
In order to assure to tho business
and other Interests of tho United
Statos a continuance of tho resulting
benefits of this reform, I earnestly re
new my previous recommendations of
leglHlatlon making It pormanont along
somo such lines as thoso of tho meas
ure now pending in congress.
Larger Provision for Embassies and
Legations and for Other Expenses
of Our Foreign Representa
tives Recommended.
In connection with legislation for
tho amelioration of tho foreign serv
ice, I wish to invito attontlon to tho
advisability of placing tho salary ap
propriations upon a better basals. 1
bollevo that the best results would
bo obtained by a moderate scalo of
salaries, with adequate funds for tho
expeuses of propor representation,
based In each ense upon the scalo and
cost of living at each post, controlled
by a system of accounting, and un
der the goneral direction of tho do
partmont of state.
In line with the obloct which t tin..
sought or placing our foreign servlco
on a basis of permanency, I have at
various times advocated provision by
congress for the acquisition of govern-tntmt-owned
buildings for the roBl
denoe and offloes of our diplomatic of
flcors, so as to place them mora noar
ly on an equality with similar officers
of other nations and to do away with
the discrimination which otherwlso
must necessarily bo made, In some
cases, In favor of men having largo
private fortunos. The act of congress
which I npprovod on Fobruary 17, 1911,
was a right stop In this direction.
The secretary of stato haB already
mado the limited recommendations
permitted by the act for any ono year,
and It Is my hopo that tho bill Intro
duced In tho house of representatives
to carry out these recommendations
will bo favorably acted on by tho con
grcss during Its present aoasloa.
Dlplomanoy a Handmaid of Commer
cial Intercourse and Peace.
Tho dlplomnncy of tho present ad
mlnlBtratlon has sought to respond
to modern Ideas of commercial Inter
course. This policy has been char
acterized as substituting dollars for
bullets. It Is one that appeals alike
to Idealistic humanitarian euntlments,
to iko dictates ot sound policy and
WORM TURNED
with many Jeweled rings, its nock
was fat with beads and Us corsage
was superfattod wltt chains, lorg
nettes, vanity (I) boxes nnd falls of
laoe. It was In fact so fat and so ac
curately placed in the exact conter
of tho seat that between It and the
two Individuals at the ends there was
not room for the thinnest of passcn
(join to right or left.
The car stopped to Tfi.. on a small
strategy, and to legitimate commercial
alms. It Is an effort frankly directed
to the lncreano of American trade up
on the axiomatic prlnclplo that
the government of tho United
States shall oxtend all proper
support to every legitimate and
beneficial American enterprise abroad.
How great have been tho results of
this diplomacy, coupled with the max
imum and minimum provision ot the
tariff law, will bo seen by some con
sideration of tho wonderful increase
In th export trade of tho United
States. Because modern diplomacy Is
commercial, thoro has been a disposi
tion In somo quarters to attribute to
It nono but materiallstlo alms. How
strikingly erronoous Is such an Im
pression may be seen from a study of
tbo results by which the diplomacy
of the United States can bo Judged.
Successful Efforts In Promotion of
Peace.
In the field of work toward tho
Ideals of peaco this government ne
gotiated, but to. my regret was unable
to consummato, two arbitration trea
ties which sot the htghent mark of
tho aspiration of nations toward tho
substitution of arbitration and reason
for war In tho settlement of Interna
tional' disputes. Through tho offorta
of Amorican diplomacy several wars
havo been prevented or onded. I re
fer to tho successful tripartite medi
ation of tho Argontlno republic, Bra-'
zll, and tho United States betwoon
Pom and Ecuador; the bringing of tho
boundary dispute betwoon Panama
and Cocta Itlca to peaceful arbitra
tion; tho staying of warllko prepara
tions whon Hayti and the Dominican
republlo woro on the verge of hostili
ties; tho stopping of a war In Nicarag
ua; the halting of lnternoclno strlfo
In Honduras. Tho government ot the
United States was thanked for Its In
fluonco toward tho restoration of amlo
ablo relations between tho Argontlno
republic and Bolivia. The diplomacy
of tho United Statos Is actlvo In Book
ing to assuago tho remaining 111-fcol-tng
betweon this country and the Re
public of Colombia. In tho recent Civ
il war in China tho United States suc
cessfully Joined with the other Inter
ested powerB In urging an early ces
sation of hostilities. An agreement
has boon reached botwoen tho govern
ments of Chllo nnd Peru whereby tho
colebrated Tacna-Arlca dispute, which
has so long embittered International
relations on tho west coast of South
Amorlca, has at last been adjusted.
Simultaneously came tho nnwo that
tho boundary dispute between Peru
and Ecuador had entered upon n stage
of amlcablo settlement. Tho position
of tho Unttod States In referonco to
tho Tacna-Arlca dispute botweon
Chile and Peru has boon ono of non
intervention, but ono of frlondly In
fluence and paclflo counsel throughout
tlin period during which tho dispute
In question has been tho subject of
Interchange of views between this
government and the two governments
Immediately concornod. In tho gen
oral easing of International tension on
tho west coast of South America the
tripartite mediation, to which I have
referred, has boon a most potent and
beneficent factor.
China.
In China the policy of encouraging
financial Investment to 'enablo that
country to help Itself has had tho re
sult ot giving now llfo and practical
application to the open-door policy.
Tho consistent purposo of tho present
administration has been to encourage
tho uso of Amorican capital in tho
dovelopmont ot Chlmi by tho pi emo
tion of those essential reforms to
which China is plodged by treaties
with tho United States and other pow.
ors. Tho hypothecation to foreign
baukors In connection with certain in
dustrial enterprises, such as tho Hulcu
ang railways, of tho national reven
ues upon which thoso reforms depend
ed, led tho department of stato early
In tho administration to demand for
American cltlzenB participation In
such enterprises, In order that tho
Unltod States might havo equal rights
and an equal volco In all questions
portaiulng to tho disposition of tho
public revenues concerned. Tho samo
policy ot promoting International ac
cord among the powors having similar
treaty rights as ourelvii In the mat
ters of reform, which could not be
put Into practical effect without tho
common consent of all, waB likewise
adopted In the case ot tho loan de
sired by China for tho reform ot Its
currency. Tho principle of Interna
tional oo-operatlon In matters of com
mon Interest upon which our policy
had already beon based In all of the
above lnstancaa has admittedly been
a great faotor In that concert ot tho
powors which has beon so happily
conspicuous during the perilous porlod
of transition through which tho great
Chlnceo nation has boen passing.
Central America Needs Our Help In
Debt Adjustment.
In Central America the aim has
boon to help suoh countries as Nica
ragua and HoudUftt to help thorn
Belves. They are tho Immediate bone
flclarleB, Tho national benefit to the
Unltod Statos Is two-fold. First, It Is
obvious that tho Monroo doctrlno is
moro vital In tho neighborhood of tho
Panama canal and tho zono ot tho
Caribbean than anywhere else. There,
too, the malntonanco ot that doctrine
falls most heavily upon tho United
States. It Is therefore essential that
the countries within that ephoro shall
bo removed from the Jeopardy Involv
ed by heavy foreign debt nnd chaotlb
'national finances and from the ever-
prcBont danger ot International com
plications duo to disorder nt homo.
Hence the United States haB boen
glad to encourago and support Amer
ican bankers who woro willing to lond
n helping hand to the financial re
habilitation ot such coutrles because
thlH financial rehabilitation mid tho
protection ot their custom bouses from
being tho prey of would be dictators
parson In a beehlvo hat, Just from
rehearsal. Sho Inventoried the car
with the sweeping glanco of tho ex
perienced New Yorker and picked the
seat containing the Individuals above
enumerated as offering tho best
chances for room, seeing that It held
but throe, counting the ono In the
middle as only one passenger.
The newcomer Insinuated her small
frame between Mrs. Fatness and the
man with the bad cigarette She
wriggled, pried and shoved, but got
no further than halfway hack In tbe
would remove at one atroae the men
ace of foreign creditors and tho men
ance of revolutionary disorder.
The second advantage to the Unit
ed States Is ono affecting chiefly all
the southorn and gulf ports and the
business and industry of the south
Tho republics of Central America and
tho Caribbean possess great natural
wealth. They need only a measure of
stability and the means of financial
regeneration to enter upon an era of
peace and prosperity, 'bringing proflt
and happiness to themselves and at
tho samo time creating conditions
sure to lead to a flourishing in
terchange of trado with this country
I wish to call your ospoclal attention
to the recent occurrences in Nica
ragua, for I bollevo tho terrible events
recorded there during tho revolution
of tho past summer tho useless loss
ot llfo, the devastation of property,
tho bombardment of defenseless cities,
the killing and wounding of womon
and children, tho torturing of non
combatants to exact contributions,
und the suffering of thousands of 'hu
man beings might hnvo boon avert
ed hnd tho department of state,
through npprovnl of tho loan conven
tlon by tho senate, been permitted to
carry out Its now welldoveloped policy
of encouraging tho extending of fi
nancial nld to weak Central Amorican
states with tho primary objects of
avoiding Just such revolutions by as
sisting thoso republics to rehabili
tate their flnancos, to establish tholr
currency on a stablo basis, to remove
tho custom houses from tho danger
of revolutions by arranging for their
secure administration, and to estab
lish reliable banks.
During this last revolution In Nica
ragua, tho government of that repub
llo having admitted its inability to
protect Amorican llfo and property
against acts of sheer lawlessness on
the part of the malcontonts, and hav
ing requested thla government to as
sumo that office, It became neessary to
land over 2,000 marines and bluojack
ots in Nicaragua. Owing to their
presenco tho constituted government
of Nicaragua was freo to dovote Its
attontlon wholly to Its Internal trou
bles, and was'thus enabled to stamp
out tho rebellion In a short space ot
tlmo. Whon tho Red Cross supplies
sent to Granada had been exhausted.
8,000 persons having beon given food
in ono day upon tha arrival of tho
American forces, our men supplied
other unfortunate, needy NIcaraguans
from their own haversacks. I wish to
congratulate tho officers and men of
the United States navy and marine
corps who look part In re-establishing
order In Nicaragua upon their splen
did conduct, and to record with sor
row tho death of seven American ma
rines nnd bluejackets. Since tho
ro-cstabllshment of peaco and order,
elections havo been held amid condi
tions of quiet and tranquility. Nearly
nil tho American marines havo now
been withdrawn. Tho country should
soon bo on tho road to recovery. Tho
only apparent danger now threatening
Nicaragua arises from tho shortago
of funds. Although American bankers
have already rendered assistance,
they may naturally bo loath to ad
vance a loan adequate to pet tho coun
try upon Its feet without tho support
ot somo such convention as that ot
Juno, 1911, upon which tho senato has
not yot noted.
Tho prestdont alluded briefly to tho
enforcement of neutrality laws, to
Secretary Knox's visit to Central
America and to tho unfortunato dis
turbances In Mexico. Continuing, tho
message Bald:
Agricultural Credits.
A most Important work, accom
plished In the pqat year by tho Ameri
can diplomatic officers In Europe, Is
tho investigation of tho agricultural
credit system In tho European coun
tries. Both as a moans to afford relief
to tho connumors of this country
through a moro thorough develop
ment of agricultural resources and as
a means of moro sufllclontly maintain
ing tho agricultural population, tho
project to establish credit facilities for
the farmers Is a concern of vital Im
portance to thlB nation. No evidence
of prosperity among woll-ostabllshcd
farmers should blind us to the fact
that lack of capital Is provontlng a
development of tho nation's agricul
tural resources and an adequate In
crease of the land undor cultivation;
that agricultural production Is fast
falling behind the Increase In popula
tion; and that. In fact, although theso
well-cstabllshod farmers are main
tained in increasing prosperity be
cause ot the natural Increase in popu
lation, wo aro not dovcloplnc the; In
dustry of agriculture. Wo are not
breeding in proportionate numbers a
raco of independent and Indepondenco
lovlng land owners, for a lack ot
which no growth of cities can com
pensate. Our fanners havo boon our
mainstay in times ot crlBts, and In
future It must still largely bo upon
tholr stability and common senso that
thjs domocrscy must rely to consnrvn
Its principles ot self-government.
The need of capital which American
farmers feel today had boen experi
enced by tho farmers of Europe, with
ago. The problem had been succoss
their oenturlosold farms, many years
fully solvod In tho old world and it
was evident that tho fannors of this
country might proflt by a study of
their systems. I therefore ordored,
through tho department of state, an
Investigation to be made by tho diplo
matic offlcors in Europe, nnd I have
laid tho results of thla Investigation
boforo tho governors of tho various
states with the hopo that thoy will
bo usod to advantago in tholr forth
coming mooting.
Increase of Foreign Trade,
In my last annual message I said
that the fiscal year ended June 30,
1911, was noteworthy as marking the
highest record of exports ot American
products to foreign countries. The
seat Then she swept tho clgnrette
gontleman with a scathing glance.
"Kindly move over," Bald sho to him
with considerable acidity.
The gentloman had paid no atten
tion to bur shovlngs and wrlggllngs,
slnco ho was too tightly jammed
against tho rail to havo them matter
ouo way or tho other. But this was
too much. Ho slowly turned and
looked at her, pressing his lips togeth
er on one stdo to hold the cigarette
In safety. Then he growled: "Kind
ly direct your remark to the dime
a seal year 1112 shows that thla rate
of advance has been maintained, the
total domestic exports having a valu
ation approximately of $2,200,000,000,
as comparod with a fraction over
$2,000,000,000 the previous year. It
is also significant that manufactured
and partly manufactured articles con
tinue to be the chief commodities form
ing the volumo of our augmented ex
ports, the demands of our own people
for consumption requiring that an In
creasing proportion of our abundant
agricultural products bo kept at home.
In tha fiscal year 1911 the exports ot
articles In tho various stages of man
ufacture, not including foodstuffs part
ly or wholly manufactured, amounted
approximately to $907,500,000. In the
fiscal year 1912 the total was nearly
$1,022,000,000, a gain of $114,000,000.
Advantage of Maximum and Minimum
Tariff Provision.
The Importanco which our manufac
tures havo assumed In tho commerco
of tho world In competition with tho
manufactures of other countries ngaln
draws attention to the duty of this
government to uso Ita utmost endeav
ors to secure Impartial treatment for
Amorican products In nil markets.
Healthy commercial rivalry in inter
national lntcrcourso Is best assured
by tho possession of proper means
for protecting nnd promoting our
foreign trado. It Is natural that
competitive countries should vlow
with somo concern this steady
expansion of our commerco. If In
somo Instances tho measure taken by
them to moot It are not entirely equi
table, a romedy should be found. In
former messages I have described tho
negotiations of tho department of
state with foreign governments for the
adjustment ot the maximum and min
imum tariff as provided In section 2
of tho tariff law of 1909. The advan
tages secured by tho adjustment of
our trade relations under this law
have continued during the last year,
and some additional cases of discrim
inatory treatment 'of which wo had
reason to complain havo been re
moved. Tho department of state has
for the first tlmo In the history of
this country obtained substantial
most-favored-nation treatmont from
all the countries of the world. There
aro, however, other Instances which,
while apparently not constituting un
due discrimination in the sense of
section 2, aro nevertheless exceptions
to tho complete equity of tariff treat
ment for American products that the
department of state consistently has
Bought to obtain for American com
merce abroad.
Necessity for Supplementary Lelgsla
tatlon. Theso developments confirm tho
opinion convoyed to you In my annual
message of 1911, that whllo tho max
imum and minimum provision of tho
tariff law of 1909 has boon fully Jus
tified by tho success achieved in re
moving previously existing unduo dis
criminations against American prod
ucts, yet experience has shown that
this feature of tho law should bo
amended In such way as to prevent
a fully cffcetlvo means of meeting
the varying degrees of discriminatory
treatment of American commerco In
foreign countries still encountered, as
well as to protect against Injurious
treatment on tho part of foreign gov
ernments, through either legislative
of administrative measures, tho finan
cial Interests abroad of Amerlcnn cit
izens whoso enterprises enlarge tho
market for American commodltlecs.
I enn not too strongly recommend
to congress tho passage of somo such
enabling mouauro as the bill which
was recommended by the secretary
of Btato In his letter of December 13,
1911. Tho object of tho proposed leg
islation Is, In brief, to en
ablo tho executlvo to apply,
as tho case may require, to any
or all commodities, whether or not on
tho freo list from a country which
discriminates ngalnst tho United)
States, a graduated scalo of duties
up to tho maximum of 25 per cont. ad
valorem provided In the present law.
Flat tariffs aro out of dato. u
Special Claims Arbitration With Great
Britain.
Tho special agreement entered Into
betweon tho Unltod Stntes and Great
Britain on August 18, 1910, for tho ar
bitration of outstanding pecuniary
claims, n schedule of claims and the
tnrms of submission have been agreed
upon by tho two governments, and to
gether with tha special agreement
wore approved by the senate on July
19, 1911, but in accordance with the
terms of the agreement they did not
go ln'.o effect until confirmed by tho
two governments by an exchange of,
notes, which waB done on April 26
loBt. Negotiations are still in prog
ress for a supplemental schedule of
claims to be submitted to arbitration
under this agreement, and meanwhile
the necessary preparations for tho ar
bitration of the claims Included in tho
first schedulo havo been undertaken
and are being carried on under the
nuthorlty of an appropriation made for
that purpose at the last session of
congress. It Is anticipated that tho
two governments will bo prepared to
call upon tho arbitration tribunal, es
tablished under this agreement, to
meet at Washington early next year
to proceed with this arbitration.
Fur Soal Treaty and Need for Amend
ment of Our Statute.
Thoct adopted at the last session
ot Congress to give effect to the fur
seal convention of July 1, 1911, be
tween Great Britain, Japan, Russia
and tho United Statos, provided for
tho suspension of nil land killing ot
soals on tho Prtbllof Islands for a po
rlod ot flvo years, and an objection
has now boen presented to this pro
vision by tho othor parties in inter
est, which raises the lssuo as to
whether or not this prohibition of land
killing Is Inconsistent with the spirit.
It not tho lottor, ot the treaty stipu
lations. The Justification for estab
lishing this cIobo season deponds, un
museum thing on your right" New
York Press.
Surely Queen of All Hens.
A certain Industrious hen, Interest
ed In the welfare of Petaluma, CaL,
baa gone bo far In her efforts to
spread tbe renown ot the city ot eggs
and broilers that she recently pieced
four yolks In one shell. Her zealous
ness was discovered by a firm of egg
merchants, Whltcomb & Bukcr. The
egg was slightly largor than normal.
It looked like a regular egg until a
der the terms of the convention, po
how far, If at all, It Is necessary for
protecting and preserving the Amert
ani fur-soal herd and for Increasing
Its number. This is a question re
quiring examination of the present
condition of the herd and tho treat,
ment which It needs In the light -of
actual experience and scientiflo Inves
tigation. 'A careful examination ot
tho subject Is now being made, and
this government will soon bo in pos
session of a considerable amount ot
now Information about tho American
seal herd, whhh has boen secured
during the past nnson nnd will be ot
great value In determining this ques
tion; and if It should appoar that
there Is any uncertainty as to tha
real necessity for imposing a close
Beason at this time, I shall take
an early opportunity to address
a special message to congress on this
subject, in tho belief that this govern
ment should yield on this point rather
than glvo tho slightest ground for the
chargo that we havo been In any way
remiss In observing our treaty obliga
tions. Final Settlement of North Atlantlo
Fisheries Dispute.
On tho 20th of July last an agree
ment was concluded between the
United States and Great Britain
adopting, with certain modlflca
tlons, tho rules and method ot
procedure recommended In ths
award rendered by the North Atlantlo
Coast Fisheries Arbitration Tribunal
on Soptembor 7, 1910, for the settle
ment hereafter, in accordance with
the principles laid down in the award,
of questions arising with reference to
the exercise of the American fishing
liberties under Article I ot the treaty
of Octobor 20, 1818, between the
United States and Great Britain. This
agreement received tho approval of
the senate on August 1 and was for
mally ratified by tho two governments
on November 15 last, Tho rules and
a method of procedure embodied ia
the award provided for determining
by an impartial tribunal tho reason
ableness of nny now fishery regula
tions on the treaty coasts of New
foundland and Canada before such
regulations could bo enforced agalnBt
American fishermen exorcising their
treaty liberties on those coasts, and
also for determining tho delimitation
of bays on such coasts more than 10
miles wide, In accordance with the
definition adopted by tho tribunal of
tho moaning of tho word "bays" as
used In the treaty. irtal
Imperial Valley and Mexico.
In order to make possible tho more
effective performance of tho work neo
essary for tho confinement In tholr
present channel of the waters of the
lower Colorado river, and thus to pro
tect tho people of tho Imperial Val
ley, as well as In order to reach with
tho government of Mexico an under
standing regarding the distribution of
tho waters of the Colorado river, in
which both governments are much
interested, negotiations are going for
ward with a view to the establish
ment of- a preliminary Colorado river
commission, which shall have the
powers necessary to onablo it to do
tho needful work and with authority
to study the question of the equitable
distribution of tho waters. There is
every reason to believe that an un
derstanding upon this point will be
reached and that an agreement will
bo signed In tho near future.
Tho message told what the govern
ment has done In connection with tho
Balkan war and In placing tho gov
ernment of Liberia In position to pay
its debtB. The now condition of af
fairs In China was set forth, and
then our relations with Central and
South American governments woro
sot forth in more detail. It concluded
as follows: ,
Congress should fully realize the
conditions which obtain ln'tho world
as wo find ourselves nt the threshold
of our middle age as a nation. We
have emerged full grown as a peer In
tho great concourse of nations. We
have passed through various forma
tive periods. We have been self-centered
in the struggle to develop our
domestic resources and deal with our
domestlo questions. Tho nation Is
now too mature to continue in its for
eign relations those temporary expe
dients natural to a peoplo to whom do
mestic affairs are the -eole concern.
In tho past our diplomacy has often
consisted, In normal times, in a mere
assertion of the right to International
existence. Wo are now In a larger
relation with broader rights of our
own and obligations to others than
ourselves. A number of great guid
ing principles were laid down early in
the history of this government The
recent task ot our diplomacy has been
to adjust those principles to the con
ditions of today, to develop their corol
laries, to find practical applications of
the old principles expanded to meet
new situations. Thus are being
evolved bases upon which can rest
the superstructure of policies which
must grow with the destined progress
of thla nation. The successful con
duct of our foreign relations demands
a broad and a modern vlow. Wo can
not meet new questions nor build for
tho future If wo confine ourselves to
outworn dogmas of tho past and to
tho perapoctlvo appropriate at our
emergence from colonial times and
I conditions. Tho opening of the Pana
ma canal will mark a new era In out
International llfo and create now and
world-wide conditions which, with
their vast correlations and conse
quences, will obtain for hundreds of
years to come. Wo must not wait for
ovonts to overtake us unawares. With
continuity of purpose we must deal
with tho problems of our external re
lations by a diplomacy modern, re
sourceful, magnanimous, and fittingly
expressive of tbo high Ideals of a
great nation.
WH. H. TAFT.
The White House,
December 8, 1912.
candle gavo an X-ray view ot four
small yolks. A hunt is still being made
to locate the ben. In tbo samo ship
ment were a number ot other eggs
containing two yolks, but tbo egg
with the four yolks Is said to break all
records.
Willing to Overlook It.
Victim Say, durn ye. you've pu'tod
the wrong tooth I
Dentist From the wny you hollered
I thought I bad hold of tho right one,
but we'll call It my mistake.
"BUY IT AT HOME"
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Changed.
"Politics are different than they
'used to be In tho old days."
"Yos, Indeed. Tho Invention of tho
dictograph and tho telegraphono has
mado It so that a politician la always
In danger."
An Interesting Item.
"What's In tho news?"
"I seo a New York man was cured
of dyspepsia, gave $200,000 to tho
hospital that cured him, and then
went and speut $200,000 mnr t ..
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K uuaro meal."
