I hereby order and direct that that part of Executive Order dated May 8, 1899, relating to the appointment and creation of the office of Treasurer of the Island of Cuba, be amended as follows:

The office of Treasurer of the Island of Cuba shall on and after April 1, 1901, be placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Finance of said Island, and shall be filled by the appointment thereto of a citizen of Cuba.

The said appointment to be made by the Military Governor thereof, subject to the approval of the Secretary of War.

I recommend the appropriation by Congress during the present session of the sum of one hundred thousand dollars for the purpose of carrying out the obligations of the United States under the treaty.

It is gratifying to be able to state that the improvement in the service, following closely upon the steady progress in expediting the publication of reports, has enabled the Department of State this year to submit the annual reports a…

I transmit herewith a report from the Secretary of State relating to the lynching of two Italian subjects at Tallulah, La., on July 20, 1899.

The promptitude with which the reports of the consuls are printed and distributed, the generous recognition which is being increasingly accorded by our business interests to the practical value of their efforts for enlarging trade, and the…

The advance in the general efficiency of our consular service in promoting trade was even more marked than last year.

In view of the great importance of these reports to our producers, manufacturers, exporters, and business interest generally, I cordially approve the recommendation of the Secretary of State that Congress shall authorize the printing as…

I renew the recommendation made in my annual message to the Congress on December 3, 1900, that in accordance with precedent Congress make gracious provision for indemnity to the families of the victims in the same form as heretofore.

I earnestly recommend legislation under which the government of the islands may have authority to assist in their peaceful industrial development in the directions indicated by the Secretary of War.