Grover Cleveland: “I transmit herewith a communication of the 19th ultimo from the Secretary of the Interior.”

I transmit herewith, in reply to the resolution of the Senate of January 23, 1897, a report from the Secretary of State, accompanied by copies of the correspondence therein requested, relating to the Nicaraguan Canal or the Maritime Canal…

The time is quite within recent memory when the same thing was said of immigrants who, with their descendants, are now numbered among our best citizens.

A radical departure from our national policy relating to immigration is here presented.

I have not thought it compatible with the public interest that the correspondence referred to in the resolution should be communicated pending the public and exhaustive investigation about to be instituted.