and so influential in its
effects upon the prestige and prosperity of our common country.

The island of Navassa, in the West Indian group, has, under the
provisions of Title VII of the Revised Statutes, been recognized by
the President as appertaining to the United States. It contains guano
deposits, is owned by the Navassa Phosphate Company, and is occupied
solely by its employees. In September, 1889, a revolt took place among
these laborers, resulting in the killing of some of the agents of the
company, caused, as the laborers claimed, by cruel treatment. These men
were arrested and tried in the United States court at Baltimore, under
section 5576 of the statute referred to, as if the offenses had been
committed on board a merchant vessel of the United States on the high
seas. There appeared on the trial and otherwise came to me such
evidences of the bad treatment of the men that in consideration of this
and of the fact that the men had no access to any public officer or
tribunal for protection or the redress of their wrongs I commuted the
death sentences that had been passed by the court upon three of them.
In April last my attention was again called to this island and to the
unregulated condition of things there by a letter from a colored
laborer, who complained that he was wrongfully detained upon the island
by the phosphate company after the expiration of his contract of
service. A naval vessel was sent to examine into the case of this man
and generally into the condition of things on the island. It was found
that the laborer referred to had been detained beyond the contract limit
and that a condition of revolt again existed among the laborers. A board
of naval officers reported, among other things, as follows:

We would desire to state further that the discipline maintained on the
island seems to be that of a convict establishment without its comforts
and cleanliness, and that until more attention is paid to the shipping
of laborers by placing it under Government supervision to prevent
misunderstanding and misrepresentation, and until some amelioration is
shown in the treatment of the laborers, these disorders will be of
constant occurrence.

I recommend legislation that shall place labor contracts upon this and
other islands having the relation that Navassa has to the United States
under the supervision of a court commissioner, and that shall provide
at the expense of the owners an officer to