heavy penalties for violation upon the shipper, the carrier and the consignee.

HAWAII.

The government of this territory is provided for. All persons who were citizens of Hawaii August 12th, 1898, are declared to be citizens of the United States.

The constitution, except as in the act otherwise provided, and the laws of the United States not locally inapplicable, shall have force and effect in the Territory. The constitution of the Republic of Hawaii and its laws, which are not in conflict with the constitution and laws of the United States, shall continue in force, except a large number which are repealed and those remaining are subject to repeal by the legislature of Hawaii or the Congress. General elections, beginning in 1900, are provided for, also the election, qualifications, powers and duties of members of the Legislature. The Senate shall be composed of fifteen and the House of thirty members. The executive power is lodged in a Governor, a Secretary, both to be appointed by the President, and the following officials to be appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate of Hawaii;-An Attorney-General, Treasurer, Commissioner of Public Lands, Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry, Superintendent of Public Works, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Auditor and Deputy, Surveyor, High Sheriff and members of the Boards of Health, Public Instruction, Prison Inspectors, etc. The duties of these officials are defined in the act.

The judiciary of the Territory is composed of the Supreme Court with three judges, the Circuit Court and such inferior courts as the legislature may establish. The judges are appointed by the President. The Territory is made a Federal Judicial District with a District Judge, District Attorney and Marshall, all appointed by the President. The District Judge. shall have all the powers of a Circuit Judge.

The election of a Delegate in Congress is provided for and the Territory is made an Internal Revenue and Customs District.

MONEY.-An Act was passed March 14, 1900, to define and fix the standard of value, to maintain the parity of all forms of money issued or coined by the United States and to refund the public debt.

The dollar, consisting of twenty-five and eight-tenths grains of gold nine-tenths fine, shall be the standard of value and all forms of money issued or coined shall be maintained at a parity of value with this gold standard. The United States. notes and Treasury notes shall be redeemed in gold coin and a redemption fund of one hundred and fifty millions of gold coin and bullion is set aside for that purpose only.

The methods by which the Secretary of the Treasury shall maintain this redemption fund intact are provided for. The legal tender quality of the silver dollar and other money coined or issued by the United States is not affected by the act.

The deposit of gold coin with the Treasurer and the issue of gold certificates therefor and the coinage of silver bullion into subsidiary silver coin is provided.

The National Bank law is amended to permit banks to be created with twenty-five thousand dollars capital in places whose population does not exceed three thousand. Provision is made for the refunding of outstanding bonds at a low rate of interest and under it bonds bearing 3, 4, and 5 per cent. interest have been refunded for bonds bearing 2 per cent., which it is stated is the lowest rate of interest at which the bonds of any government have ever been placed. I am informed by the Secretary of the Treasury that from March 14th to August 1st, 1900, there have been surrendered for 2 per cent. bonds the enormous sum of $320,979,600, with a net saving to the government, by reason of the refunding, of $8.159,161.

A tub is thrown to the bi-metalic whale by the following:

"That the provisions of this act are not intended to preclude the accomplishment of international bi-metalism whenever conditions shall make it expedient and practicable to secure the same by concurrent action of the leading commercial nations of the world and at a ratio which shall insure permanence of relative value between gold and silver."

This sop to the Cerberus that sits at the gate that leads to the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one, without the consent of any nation on earth, seems to have changed the paramount place of political issues.

NAVY appropriations are very large, showing some of the results of the Republic becoming a "World Power."

Two battleships with the heaviest armor and most powerful ordnance; three armored cruisers, to be the best of their class and capable of the highest possible speed; five submarine torpedo boats of the Holland type, and the highest class of ordnance for all, are to be constructed. If armor plate cannot be procured for a price that the Secretary of the Navy considers reasonable, the Government is to erect its own factory for its manufacture.

The Frigate Constitution is to recall the glories of the old Navy by being restored to the same condition as to hull and rigging as she was when in active service, the Massachusetts Society of the Daughters of 1812 to pay the cost.

PENSIONS. All soldiers of the Mexican War, who are wholly disabled for manual labor and are in destitute circumstances have their pensions raised from eight to twelve dollars a month.

The disability pension law is amended to provide that disabilities in the aggregate of claimant may be considered in ascertaining the amount of the pension, and the provisions of the act are limited to widows who married prior to June 27th, 1890, and whose income does not exceed two hundred and fifty dollars a year.

PORTO RICO.

Another of the possessions that came to us as the result of our war with Spain has been provided with a government.

All inhabitants who were Spanish subjects on April 11th, 1899, and their children born since are citizens of Porto Rico, except those who elected to preserve their allegiance to Spain prior to April 11th, 1900. All laws of the country not in conflict with those of the United States shall continue in force until altered or modified by the legislative authority provided for in the act.

The Governor is appointed by the President and has the powers usually given to a Territorial Governor. There is also appointed a Secretary, Attorney-General, Treasurer, Auditor, Commissioner of the Interior and of Education. These, with five other persons, native inhabitants of Porto Rico, constitute an Executive Council having legislative powers, forming one of the two houses that constitute the legislative assembly. The other branch called the House of Delegates is composed of thirty-five members, elected in seven districts, there being five from each district. The act provides for the election of these delegates, every citizen of Porto Rico who was a bona fide resident thereof for one year being entitled to a vote.

The Governor has the veto power, but the assembly may pass a bill over his veto by a two-thirds vote. The same power to annul laws that obtains as to all the territories of the United States is retained by Congress.

The judicial power is vested in the courts and tribunals already established. The Justices of the Supreme Court of the Territory and the Marshal thereof shall be appointed by the President and the judges of the District Court by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, and the Legislative Assembly has full power in respect to the jurisdiction of said courts. The Federal Judicial District of Porto Rico is established. The President appoints the Judge, District Attorney and Marshal and the Judge has the powers usually exercised by the District and

Circuit Judges of the United States. Writs of error and appeals are provided to the Supreme Court of the United States both from the Supreme Court of Porto Rico and the Federal District Court.

The voters are to choose every two years a resident commissioner to the United States who shall be entitled to official recognition by all departments and shall be paid by the United States five thousand dollars per annum. He must be a bona fide citizen of Porto Rico, thirty years old and able to read and write English. A commission of three members is to be appointed by the President to complete and revise the laws of Porto Rico and to report advisable legislation.

There are no export duties, and taxes, licenses, fees and assessments may be provided by the Assembly. Bonded indebtedness is permitted, not to exceed seven per cent. of the tax valuation of property.

Imports into Porto Rico, shall pay the same duties, from ports other than those of the United States, which are required by law to be collected upon articles, imported into the United States from foreign countries. On coffee imported there is a duty of five cents a pound. Spanish scientific, literary and artistic works and English books, imported from the United States, are admitted free of duty. Merchandise coming into the United States from Porto Rico and coming into Porto Rico from the United States shall pay fifteen per cent. of the duties imposed upon like merchandise imported from foreign countries. Whenever the Legislative Assembly of Porto Rico shall put into operation a system of local taxation to pay the expenses of its government all tariff duties on merchandise passing between. the two countries shall cease and all articles shall be entered at the several ports free of duty and in no event shall any duties. be collected after March 1st, 1902. All duties and taxes collected in Porto Rico, less the cost of their collection, and the gross amount of all duties and taxes in the United States on articles coming from Porto Rico, shall be expended for the government and benefit of Porto Rico and paid into its treasury.