THE TAFF VALE DECISION 1902 onies. The expense was borne jointly by Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. The cable is about 7,755 miles long and consists of four sections: the first extending from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Fanning Island, a distance of 3,455 miles; the second extending from Fanning Island to the Fiji Islands, 2,100 miles; the third from the Fiji Islands to Norfolk Island, 1,200 miles; and the fourth from Norfolk Island to Brisbane, Australia, 1,000 miles. A reciprocity treaty between the United States and Newfoundland was signed on November 8. On the 20th King Edward VII announced his award as to the Argentina-Chile boundary. Chile obtained the larger portion of the disputed territory, but Argentina received the richer and more valuable tracts of lands. On November 29 Joseph Parker, the most eloquent Nonconformist preacher in England since the days of Charles H. Spurgeon, died at London. In December a case was decided that has become famous in the annals of British labor legislation. An action had been entered by the Taff Vale Railway Company in England against the Secretary and two officials of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, a trade union, for damages incurred in connection with the strike on that railway in August, 1900. The important principle decided was that a trade union, though not a corporate body, can be sued as a legal entity, and that its property, therefore, is liable for the illegal acts of its agents. This entirely reversed the previous common legal conception of a trade union as a body that had no liabilities, but only privileges. On December 2 Thomas Nast, the famous cartoonist, who had been recently appointed U. S. Consul-General at Guayaquil, Ecuador, died at that place of yellow fever. Mr. Nast, who was born in Germany, came to the United States at ar early age. He first worked as an artist upon such illustrated 1902 BRITISH-GERMAN FLEET BLOCKADES VENEZUELA papers as "Leslie's" and "Harper's Weekly." He gradually drifted into political caricature. By his work he contributed more than any other man to the downfall of the corrupt Tweed régime in New York City. On December 7 Thomas Brackett Reed, ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, died at Washington, D. C., at the age of 63. Mr. Reed, when Speaker, was criticized severely by the Democrats for what they allege were arbitrary rulings subversive of accepted traditions of the House. Before his time it had been the custom to consider all Representatives not voting as absentees. Mr. Reed ruled to consider them as persons present but not voting, and in this way was enabled to secure quorums for the passage of administration measHis ruling has been accepted by subsequent speakers, Democratic as well as Republican. In his later years, Mr. Reed differed from the policy of his party upon the annexation of the Philippines, and withdrew from public life. ures. During the recent revolutionary troubles in Venezuela (which President Castro officially announced on November 4 were ended) the property of certain German and British citizens had been confiscated. Failing to get satisfaction from Venezuela, Great Britain and Germany, with Italy acting in concert, sent a fleet to that country. It arrived in the harbor of La Guayra, and on December 8 the representatives of the allies presented an ultimatum to President Castro. While he had the matter under consideration, on the next day the allies seized the small Venezuelan fleet in the harbor, broke up two that were undergoing repairs, and, taking three others out to the deep sea, there sunk them. On the 10th they landed a force of marines and seized the custom-house. On the 14th they bombarded and demolished a fort at Puerto Cabello. On the 15th the Venezuelan Government appealed through the United States for arbitration of the claims. EVENTS OF 1903 Cable to Hawaii is Completed-Edward VII is Proclaimed Emperor of India at Durbar in Delhi-German "Panther" Bombards Fort San Carlos Great Britain, Germany, and Italy Demand Advance Payments and Preferential Treatment in Settlement of Venezuela Claims -Payments are Made and Matter of Preferential Treatment is Referred to Hague Court-Panama Canal Treaty is Signed by Secretary Hay and Dr. Herran, Colombian Envoy-It is Ratified by United States Senate-Brazil Invades Acre Rubber TerritoryWar with Bolivia is Averted by Treaty-Canada Disputes Accepted Eastern Boundary of Alaska-Matter is Referred to British-American Commission, which Fixes Boundary Largely in Favor of American Contention-Congress Enacts Elkins Anti-Rebate Bill-It Passes Bill to Expedite Prosecutions of Monopolies-Federal Court Finds Northern Securities Company to be in Restraint of Trade and Deprives It of Corporate Powers-Congress Establishes Department of Commerce and Labor and Creates Bureau of Corporations -President Appoints Cortelyou and Garfield as Their Respective Heads-Powers Demand of Porte Reforms in Macedonia-They are Instituted, but Prove Ineffective-Macedonian Committee Adopts Guerrilla Warfare to Provoke European Interference-Cuban and American Senates Ratify Reciprocity Treaty-Coal Strike Commission Decides Largely in Favor of Miners-Secretary Wyndham Introduces Bill in Parliament to Aid Irish Tenant Farmers to Buy Out Landlords-Russia Deprives Finland of Autonomy, and Governor Bobrikoff Institutes Reign of Terror in the Province-Russian Government's Encouragement of Anti-Semitic Agitation Leads to Massacre of Jews at Kishineff-Flood in Kansas, Tornado in Georgia, and Cloudbursts in South Carolina and Oregon Destroy Life and Property-President Roosevelt_Orders Investigation of Post-Office Department-This Leads to Indictment of Prominent Officials for Conspiring with Manufacturers of Post-Office Supplies to Defraud the Government-Alexander, King of Servia, Suspends Constitution-He and Draga, His Queen, are Assassinated by Army Officers-Peter Karageorgevitch is Proclaimed King-He Restores Constitution-The Regicides are Lightly Punished-United States Relinquishes Isle of Pines, and Cuba Grants Her Guantanama and Bahia Honda for Naval Stations-Cable Between San Francisco and Manila is Completed-Deaths of Henley, the Poet, Whistler, the Painter, and Pope Leo XIII-Cardinals Elect Patriarch Sarto of Venice as Pope-He is Crowned as Pius X-Fatal Fire in Paris Underground Railroad-Bulgaria Charges Porte with Outrages in Macedonia-Turkish Soldier Assassinates Russian Consul at Monastir-Russia Sends Fleet to Constantinople-It is Withdrawn upon the Sultan's Promise to Institute Reforms-Zionist Congress at Basle Refuses British Offer of Uganda as Seat of Jewish ColonyRussia Fails to Evacuate Manchuria by Date Agreed upon-Her Troops Occupy Mukden-Death of Mommsen, the Historian-Colombia Rejects Canal Treaty-State of Panama Declares Its Independence-It is Recognized by the United States and France 1903 BOMBARDMENT OF FORT SAN CARLOS Secretary Hay and Bunau-Varilla, Plenipotentiary of Panama, Sign N EW YEAR'S greetings were sent to President Roosevelt from Hawaii over the new Commercial Pacific Cable. On the same day Edward VII was formally proclaimed Emperor of India at Delhi amid the gorgeous ceremonies of a "Durbar" that outshone in magnificence the coronation at London. Edward the Peacemaker was finding a very disagreeable ally in his nephew, William the War Lord. The German warships were taking the opportunity afforded by the blockade of the Venezuelan coast to indulge in a little gun practise. On January 17 the German "Panther,” that had been active in sinking the little fleet in La Guayra Harbor, bombarded Fort San Carlos, at the entrance to Lake Maracaibo. All Germany, with the exception of the non-patriotic Socialists, was greatly elated over this evidence of its naval prowess, and consequently, when President Castro of Venezuela proposed to raise the blockade by permitting the foreign warships to remain in the harbor at the expense of Venezuela, the authorities at Berlin refused the pacific request. On the 22d they renewed the bombardment. In the meantime, Herbert W. Bowen, United States Minister to Venezuela, had gone to Washington in Venezuela's interest to arrange matters with the representatives of her European creditors. The three nations who had taken the aggressive in enforcing their claims, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy, demanded preferential treatment. They desired President Roosevelt to act as arbiter in the matter, but he refused, suggesting that it be referred to The Hague Court. Germany agreed to this arrangement only on condition that a preliminary payment be made her of $340,000. HAY-HERRAN CANAL TREATY 1903 Great Britain and Italy, the two other aggressive creditors, agreed to accept a preliminary payment of $27,000 each, and the matter was sent to The Hague. The action of the United States, France, and the other creditors who had not pressed Venezuela for payment was gratefully commented upon by the South American press. The decision of The Hague Court was pending at the close of the year. Negotiations seemed to be progressing favorably with Colombia in regard to that country's endorsement of the bargain made between the French Panama Canal Company and the United States. On January 22 a treaty was signed at Washington by John Hay, American Secretary of State, and Dr. Herran, acting for Colombia. Besides paying $40,000,000 to the French company for the work done by it on the canal, and for its implements and other property on the Isthmus, the United States agreed to pay Colombia a bonus of $10,000,000 and a yearly payment forever afterward of $250,000 for the lease in perpetuity for canal purposes only of a strip of land about six miles wide to contain the canal. The treaty was ratified on the 17th of March by the United States Senate. The Colombian Senate, however, deferred action, with the evident intention of getting the greatest possible financial return from what they considered to be their mastery of the situation. The arbitration award made in the preceding year in the case of the Acre rubber district claimed by both Bolivia and Brazil, had not settled the dispute. The rubber gatherers of the district had revolted from Bolivian rule and set up the Republic of Acre, and Brazil had espoused their cause. Early in February of the present year a Brazilian land and naval force occupied the territory. War with Bolivia was averted by setting on foot negotiations of a purely business nature. In November a treaty was signed by which Bolivia sold the disputed territory to Brazil for several millions of |