CHINA-Continued. Negotiations for the organization of a new international financial Proposed elimination of German interests from the Hukuang Rail- way enterprise; protest of Great Britain against the Siems-Carey & Co. contract; temporary cessation of railway surveys under the Siems-Carey & Co. contract; concession to the Japanese Industrial Development Bank for a railway from Kirin to Hueining; con- Exchange of notes and conclusion of agreements between the Govern- ments of China and Japan relating to military cooperation_____. Precautions taken by the United States to prevent a recurrence of an insurrection; lawlessness in Camaguey and Oriente Provinces; return to Cuba of moneys taken from Cuban revolutionists by American officers in Haiti; amnesty granted to revolutionists; pardon of army officers convicted of attempting the life of the President; release from confinement of former President José Miguel Gomez; restoration of constitutional guaranties___. Authorization by the Government of Cuba of a loan of thirty million pesos; attitude of the United States; establishment of a credit for fifteen million dollars by the Treasury of the United States secured by bonds issued by the Government of Cuba--. Arrangement with the International Sugar Committee fixing the price of sugar; good offices of the United States; financial assistance to sugar producers; measures taken to prevent the destruction of sugar factories__ Protection of Chinese interests in the Dominican Republic and Haiti by American diplomatic and consular officers-Authority to issue Agreement between the United States and France extending the dura- Agreement between the United States and Great Britain extending the duration of the arbitration convention of April 4, 1908________ Conference between the United States and Canada for the consideration of pending questions concerning the fisheries on both the Atlantic Attitude of the United States toward political relationships in the Institution of Japanese civil administration in the Leased Territory Exchange of notes and conclusion of agreements between the Govern- ments of China and Japan relating to military cooperation. (See Reforms instituted; request for a loan of $5,000,000; establishment of a credit for $5,000,000 in the Treasury of the United States---- Firing across the boundary between the United States and Mexico and crossing into Mexico by American troops in alleged violation of the sovereignty of Mexico; violation of the sovereignty and neutrality laws of the United States by Mexican conspirators, troops, and raiders; pursuit of Mexican bandits into Mexico by Negotiations for closer commercial relations with Mexico_‒‒‒ Message of President Venustiano Carranza to the National Congress, Protection of Americans and American interests.. Protection of American oil interests- Revolutionary activities in the Tampico district; burdensome tax de- crees issued by the Mexican Government; pretended right of the Mexican Government to expropriate private property rights without Abrogation of the treaties of January 19, 1839, and May 23, 1878, cer- tain provisions of which conflicted with the Seamen's Act of March 4, 1915. (See General.) Settlement of claims against Nicaragua by the Commission on Pub- lic Credit; authorization by the Congress for a bond issue. Boundary dispute with Honduras. (See General.) Agreement between the United States and Norway extending the dura- tion of the arbitration convention of April 4, 1908_. Abrogation of the treaty of July 4, 1827, certain provisions of which conflicted with the Seamen's Act of March 4, 1915. (See General.) Claims of American citizens against Panama on account of injuries re- ceived during the riot at Cocoa Grove, Panama, February 14, 1915_- Abrogation of the treaty of July 3, 1902, certain provisions of which conflicted with the Seamen's Act of March 4, 1915. (See General.) ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT DECEMBER 2, 1918 GENTLEMEN OF THE CONGRESS: The year that has elapsed since I last stood before you to fulfil my constitutional duty to give to the Congress from time to time information on the state of the Union has been so crowded with great events, great processes, and great results that I cannot hope to give you an adequate picture of its transactions or of the far-reaching changes which have been wrought in the life of our nation and of the world. You have yourselves witnessed these things, as I have. It is too soon to assess them; and we who stand in the midst of them and are part of them are less qualified than men of another generation will be to say what they mean, or even what they have been. But some great outstanding facts are unmistakable and constitute, in a sense, part of the public business with which it is our duty to deal. To state them is to set the stage for the legislative and executive action which must grow out of them and which we have yet to shape and determine. A year ago we had sent 145,918 men overseas. Since then we have sent 1,950,513, an average of 162,542 each month, the number in fact rising, in May last, to 245,951, in June to 278,760, in July to 307,182, and continuing to reach similar figures in August and September-in August 289,570 and in September 257,438. No such movement of troops ever took place before, across three thousand miles of sea, followed by adequate equipment and supplies, and carried safely through extraordinary dangers of attack-dangers which were alike strange and infinitely difficult to guard against. In all this movement only seven hundred and fifty-eight men were lost by enemy attack, six hundred and thirty of whom were upon a single English transport which was sunk near the Orkney Islands. I need not tell you what lay back of this great movement of men and material. It is not invidious to say that back of it lay a supporting organization of the industries of the country and of all its productive activities more complete, more thorough in method and effective in result, more spirited and unanimous in purpose and effort than any other great belligerent had been able to effect. We profited greatly by the experience of the nations which had already been engaged for nearly three years in the exigent and exacting business, their every resource and every executive proficiency taxed to the utmost. We were their pupils. But we learned quickly and acted with a promptness and a readiness of cooperation that justify our great pride that we were able to serve the world with unparalleled energy and quick accomplishment. But it is not the physical scale and executive efficiency of preparation, supply, equipment and despatch that I would dwell upon, but the mettle and quality of the officers and men we sent over and of the sailors who kept the seas, and the spirit of the nation that stood be hind them. No soldiers or sailors ever proved themselves more quickly ready for the test of battle or acquitted themselves with more splendid courage and achievement when put to the test. Those of us who played some part in directing the great processes by which the war was pushed irresistibly forward to the final triumph may now forget all that and delight our thoughts with the story of what our men did. Their officers understood the grim and exacting task they had undertaken and performed it with an audacity, efficiency, and unhesitating courage that touch the story of convoy and battle with imperishable distinction at every turn, whether the enterprise were great or small-from their great chiefs, Pershing and Sims, down to the youngest lieutenant; and their men were worthy of them-such men as hardly need to be commanded, and go to their terrible adventure blithely and with the quick intelligence of those who know just what it is they would accomplish. I am proud to be the fellow-countryman of men of such stuff and valor. Those of us who stayed at home did our duty; the war could not have been won or the gallant men who fought it given their opportunity to win it otherwise; but for many a long day we shall think ourselves "accurs'd we were not there, and hold our manhoods cheap while any speaks that fought " with these at St. Mihiel or Thierry. The memory of those days of triumphant battle will go with these fortunate men to their graves; and each will have his favorite memory. "Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, but he'll remember with advantages what feats he did that day!" What we all thank God for with deepest gratitude is that our men went in force into the line of battle just at the critical moment when the whole fate of the world seemed to hang in the balance and threw their fresh strength into the ranks of freedom in time to turn the whole tide and sweep of the fateful struggle-turn it once for all, so that henceforth it was back, back, back for their enemies, always back, never again forward! After that it was only a scant four months before the commanders of the Central empires knew themselves beaten; and now their very empires are in liquidation! And throughout it all how fine the spirit of the nation was: what unity of purpose, what untiring zeal! What elevation of purpose ran through all its splendid display of strength, its untiring accomplishment. I have said that those of us who stayed at home to do the work of organization and supply will always wish that we had been with the men whom we sustained by our labor; but we can never be ashamed. It has been an inspiring thing to be here in the midst of fine men who had turned aside from every private interest of their own and devoted the whole of their trained capacity to the tasks that supplied the sinews of the whole great undertaking! The patriotism, the unselfishness, the thoroughgoing devotion and distinguished capacity that marked their toilsome labors, day after day, month after month, have made them fit mates and comrades of the men in the trenches and on the sea. And not the men here in Washington only. They have but directed the vast achievement. Throughout innumerable factories, upon innumerable farms, in the depths of coal mines and iron mines and copper mines, wherever the stuffs of industry were to be obtained and prepared, in the shipyards, on the railways, at the docks, on the sea, in every labor that |