Message from the President of the United States.

 

JULY 13, 1897.—Read, referred to the Select Committee on International Expositions, and ordered to be printed.

To the Senate of the United States:

I transmit herewith, in response to the resolution of the Senate of July 28, 1897, a report from the Secretary of State, with accompanying correspondence, showing the action of the Department of State in behalf of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition to be held at Omaha, Nebr., front June until November, 1898.

WILLIAM MCKINLEY.

EXECUTIVE MANSION.

Washington, July 13, 1897.

The PRESIDENT:

The Secretary of State, to whom was referred the resolution of the Senate of June 28, 1897, reading as follows:

That the President be, and he is hereby, respectfully requested, if in his judgment it would not be incompatible with the public policy, to invite by proclamation, or in such other manner as he may deem most proper, foreign nations to make exhibits at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, to be held at the city of Omaha, in the State of Nebraska, between June 1 and November 1, anno Domini 1898,

has the honor to lay before the President, with a view to their trans-mission to the Senate, should his judgment approve thereof, copies of the following correspondence:

1. Mr. Olney to Mr. Wattles, January 2, 1897;

 

2. Mr. Sherman to Mr. Mercer, April 10, 1897;

3. Invitations to the several foreign Governments, issued under date of June 15, 1897.

This correspondence will disclose fully the Department's action on behalf of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition to be held at Omaha in 1898. As the act of Congress approved June 10, 1896, providing for the holding of that exposition, does not authorize the President to issue a proclamation, I have to direct your attention to the paragraph contained in my letter to Mr. Mercer of April 10, 1897, in which I refer to that law and say as follows:

Its provisions are substantially the same as the two preceding acts, concerning the expositions at Atlanta and at Nashville. so far as the responsibility of the Government of the United States is concerned. It contains no provision directing the President to issue a proclamation, and in the absence of such authority it is extremely doubtful whether the President would feel inclined to adopt that course.

Respectfully submitted.

JOHN SHERMAN.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, July 8, 1897.

Mr. Olney to Mr. Wattles.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, January 2, 1897.

GURDON W. WATTLES, Esq.,

President of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, Omaha, Nebr.

SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of December 24, 1896, stating that the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition Corporation had complied with all the requirements of the act of Congress approved June 10, 1896, entitled "An act to authorize and encourage the holding of a Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition at the city of Omaha, in the State of Nebraska, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight." It is to be opened from June to November, 1898, and you say that you wish this Department to invite the States of this Union and all foreign countries to participate.

The Department will use its good offices to the extent of delivering to the several foreign Governments, through its diplomatic representatives, such invitations as you may cause to be prepared and forwarded hither. It is of the opinion, however, that the invitations intended for the States of this Union can best be forwarded directly from the Exposition authorities. The names of the governors can readily be obtained by consulting the almanac for 1897 issued by one of the New York daily newspapers.

It will be necessary in regard to the foreign invitations to accompany them with such regulations in reference to the importation of all articles for exhibition on that occasion as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, pursuant to section 2.

Concerning the particular form of announcement to which you refer, the Department offers, by way of suggestion, that the invitation be couched in such language as you may deem appropriate, and that it be accompanied by a copy of the act and of the regulations prescribed by   the Secretary of the Treasury under said section 2. This form is especially desirable for all invitations to be sent abroad. I inclose a list showing how the European sovereigns may be addressed. In the case of Republics, it is only necessary to follow the form—

"To His Excellency the President of the Republic of France, Paris, France."

Upon the receipt of these invitations addressed to the Governments for which they are intended, the Department will take pleasure in causing them to be delivered through our diplomatic officers. In doing this it will be incumbent upon the Department to invite particular attention to section 8 of the statute, by which all liability or responsibility of the United States is specifically denied.

Trusting that these suggestions may be found of service,

I am, etc.,

RICHARD OLNEY.

Mr. Sherman to Mr. Mercer.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, April 10, 1897.

SIR: The President has caused to be referred to this Department your letter to him of the 1st instant, accompanied by one from Mr. C. S. Montgomery and Mr. Grundon W. Wattles. president of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, which is to be held at Omaha, Nebr., from June until November, 1898. Mr. Montgomery's letter is dated the 19th ultimo and Mr. Wattles's the 23d. They invoke the aid of the Government of the United States in behalf of the enterprise, and you appeal to the President to issue his proclamation in its behalf, citing certain precedents for his guidance.

These have been examined, with the following result:

1. The Philadelphia Exhibition of 1876.—It was provided for in the act approved March 3, 1871 (U. S. Stats., vol. 16, p. 470), entitled "An act to provide for celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of American Independence by holding an international exhibition of arts, manufactures, and products of the soil and mine in the city of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania in the year eighteen hundred and seventy-six."

Section 8 of that act, page 471, says:

That whenever the President shall be informed by the governor of the State of Pennsylvania that provision has been made for the erection of suitable buildings for the purpose, and for the exclusive control by the commission herein provided for of the proposed exhibition, the President shall, through the Department of State, make proclamation of the same, setting forth the time at which the exhibition will open and the place at which it will be held: and he shall communicate to the diplomatic representatives of all nations copies of the same, together with such regulations as may be adopted by the commissioners, for publication in their respective countries.

2. The New Orleans Exposition in 1889.—The law in this instance is entitled "An act to encourage the holding of a World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-four." (See U. S. Stats., vol. 22, pp. 413, 414.)

Section 8 of that act contains a provision identical with that above cited, authorizing a proclamation to issue for the Centennial Exposition.

3. The Chicago Exposition of 1893.—The law approved April 23, 1890, provides as follows: "An act to provide for celebrating the four hun- dredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus   by holding an international exhibition of arts, industries, manufactures, and the product of the soil, mine, and sea in the city of Chicago, in the State of Illinois." (U. S. Stats., vol. 26, p. 62.)

Section 10 of that act is practically the same as section 8 above cited.

In accordance with these provisions of law the President issued his proclamation, announcing the dates of the opening of the respective expositions.

4. Atlanta Exposition of 1895.—The act approved August 18, 1894, entitled "An act making appropriation for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1895, and for other purposes" (U. S. Stats., vol. 28, p. 372), makes provision for the "Cotton States and International Exposition, Atlanta, Ga."

It does not authorize the President to issue a proclamation. On the contrary, it distinctly restricts the liability of the Government of the United States. No proclamation was consequently issued in regard to the opening of that exposition. The Department of State did, how-ever, use its good offices in transmitting the invitations of the exposition company to the different nations through our diplomatic and consular officers. The instruction of transmittal concludes with the following language:

In delivering this invitation to the minister for foreign affairs for presentation to the President you will inform him that it is the intention of this Government to make an exhibit, and that one of the principal objects of the exposition will be to secure closer commercial relations between this country and those of Central and South America and Mexico, and the West Indies.

5. Nashville Exposition of 1897.—The law in this instance reads: "An act to aid and encourage the holding of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition at Nashville, Tennessee, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, and making an appropriation therefor." (Approved December 22, 1896. (Public, No. 1.) Pamphlet Laws, p. 477.)

Its provisions are practically the same as the act in regard to the Atlanta Exposition, and the same course was followed in the matter of inviting foreign countries to participate. The concluding paragraph of the instruction transmitting the invitation differed slightly. It reads:

You will take early opportunity to informally deliver this invitation to the minister of foreign affairs, to the end that it may reach its high destination. You should be careful to explain that, although your good offices have been sought as a more direct method of its communication, the proposed exposition is in no wise under the auspices of the Government of the United States.

6. Omaha Exposition in 1898.—I find that the act approved June 10, 1896, is entitled as follows: "Au act to authorize and encourage the holding of a Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition at the city of Omaha, in the State of Nebraska, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight."

Its provisions are substantially the same as the two .preceding acts concerning the expositions at Atlanta and at Nashville, so far as the responsibility of the Government of the United States is concerned. It contains no provision directing the President to issue a proclamation, and in the absence of such authority it is extremely doubtful whether s the President would feel inclined to adopt that course.

In a letter of January 2, 1897, to Mr. Wattles, upon the subject of the Omaha Exposition, I find that my predecessor made the following statement:

The Department will use its good offices to the extent of delivering to the several s foreign Governments, through its diplomatic representatives, such invitations as you   may cause to be prepared and forwarded hither. It is of opinion, however, that the invitations intended for the States of this Union can best be forwarded directly from the Exposition authorities. The names of the governors can readily be obtained by consulting the almanac for 1897 issued by one of the New York daily newspapers.

It will be necessary in regard to the foreign invitations to accompany them with such regulations in reference to the importation of all articles for exhibition on that occasion as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, pursuant to section 2.

Mr. Olney made other suggestions to Mr. Wattles which I approve, but which do not appear to have been followed in the matter of the invitations to be sent out, and offered upon the receipt of such invitations to cause them to be delivered through our diplomatic officers. "In doing this," says Mr. Olney, " it will be incumbent upon the Department to invite particular attention to section 8 of the statute by which all liability or responsibility of the United States is specifically denied."

Such assistance as the Department is able to render under the law to the Omaha Exposition will be cheerfully extended.

Respectfully, yours,

JOHN SHERMAN.

Hon. D. H. MERCER,

House of Representatives.

Instruction sent to all embassies and legations of the United States abroad.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, June 15, 1897.

To —— ——

SIR: I transmit herewith a letter dated May 1, 1897, addressed by the president of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, extending a cordial invitation to His —— —— and the subjects thereof to take part in an exposition to be held at Omaha, Nebr., from June 1 to November 1, 1898, agreeably to the act of Congress, approved June 10, 1896, " for the exhibition of the resources of the United States of America and the progress and civilization of the Western Hemisphere, and for a display of the arts, industries, manufactures, and products of the soil, mine, and sea."

I inclose several copies of a circular issued by the Secretary of the Treasury on January 11, 1897, which not only embodies the law of Congress upon the subject, but prescribes the regulations under which all articles imported from foreign countries for the sole purpose of exhibit ion at the proposed exposition, and on which duties are to be collected under the laws of the United States, shall be admitted free of the payment of duty, customs fees or charges, except, of course, whenever any such dutiable articles may be sold or withdrawn for consumption in the United States.

According to section 3 of the act aforesaid, there shall be exhibited at the Omaha exposition by the Government of the United States from its Executive Departments, the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Fish Commission, and the National Museum, such articles and material as illustrate the function and administrative faculty of the Government in time of peace and its resources as a war power, tending to demonstrate the nature of our institutions and their adaptation to the wants of the people.

It is the earnest wish of the executive head of the Trans-Mississippi and Inter-national Exposition that the Government to which you are accredited (and its colonial dependencies) may find it practicable to participate therein in a manner befitting the importance and character of the enterprise.

You may take an early occasion to deliver the inclosed invitation to the minister for foreign affairs, to the end that it may reach its high destination. In doing this, and in making known to him the statements herein contained, you may express the satisfaction it would give your Government to know that the Government of His —— had consented to accept the courteous invitation. You should, however, be careful to explain that although the Government of the United States purposes to be rep-resented in accordance with the cited provision of the law, the proposed exposition is in nowise under the auspices or patronage of the Federal Government; neither is the latter held in any manner liable or responsible on account of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition Association.

Respectfully, yours, JOHN SHERMAN.

 

[Department Circular No. 7. 1897. Division of customs.]

OMAHA TRANS-MISSISSIPPI AND INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY,

Washington, D. C., January 11, 1897.

To Collectors and Other Officers of the Customs:

The following act of Congress (No. 199) was approved by the President on June 10, 1896:

AN ACT to authorize and encourage the holding of a trans-Mississippi and international exposition at the city of Omaha, in the State of Nebraska, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight.

Whereas it is desirable to encourage the holding of a, trans-Mississippi and inter-national exposition at the city of Omaha, in the State of Nebraska, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, for the exhibition of the resources of the United States of America and the progress and civilization of the Western Hemisphere, and for a display of the arts, industries, manufactures, and products of the soil, mine, and sea; and

Whereas it is desirable that an exhibition shall be made of the great staples of the trans-Mississippi region, which contributes so largely to domestic and international commerce; and

Whereas encouragement should be given to an exhibit of the arts, industries, manufactures, and products illustrative of the progress and development of that and other sections of the country; and

Whereas such exhibition should be national as well as international in its character, in which the people of this country, of Mexico, the Central and South American Governments, and other States of the world should participate, and should there-fore have the sanction of the Congress of the United States; and

Whereas it is desirable and will be highly beneficial to bring together at such an exposition, to be held at a central position in the 'Western part of the United States, the people of the United States and other States of this continent; and Whereas the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition Association has under-taken to hold such exposition, beginning on the first day of June, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, and closing on the first day of November, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight: Therefore,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That a trans-Mississippi and international exposition shall be held at the city of Omaha, in the State of Nebraska, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, under the auspices of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition Association: Provided, That the United States shall not be liable for any of the expense attending or incident to such exposition, nor by reason of the same.

SEC. 2. That all articles which shall be imported from foreign countries for the sole purpose of exhibition at said exposition upon which there shall be a tariff or customs duty shall lie admitted free of payment of duty, customs fees, or charges, under such regulation as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe: but it shall be lawful at any time during the exhibition to sell for delivery at the close thereof any goods or property imported for and actually on exhibition in the exhibition building, or on the grounds, subject to such regulation for the security of the revenue and for the collection of import duties as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe: Provided, That all such articles when sold or withdrawn for consumption in the United States shall be subject to the duty, if any, imposed upon such article by the revenue laws in force at the date of importation, and all penalties prescribed by law shall be applied and enforced against the persons who may be guilty of any illegal sale or withdrawal.

SEC. 3. That there shall lie exhibited at said exposition by the Government of the United States, front its Executive Departments, the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Fish Commission, and the National Museum, such articles and material as illustrate the function and administrative faculty of the Government in time of peace, and its resources as a war power, tending to demonstrate the nature of our institutions and their adaptions to the wants of the people; and to secure a complete and harmonious arrangement of such Government exhibit a board shall be created, to be charged with the selection, preparation, arrangement, safe-keeping, and exhibition of such articles and materials as the heads of the several Departments and the directors of the Smithsonian Institution and National Museum may respectively decide shall be embraced in said Government exhibit. The President may also designate additional articles for exhibition. Such board shall be composed of one person to be named by the head of each Executive Department and Museum and by the President of the United States. The President shall name the chairman of said board, and the board itself shall select such other officers as it may deem necessary.

 

SEC. 4. That the Secretary of the Treasury shall cause a suitable building or buildings to be erected on the site selected for the Trans-Mississippi and international Exposition for the Government exhibits, and he is hereby authorized and directed to contract therefor, in the same manner and under the same regulations as for other public buildings of the United States; but the contract for said building or buildings shall not exceed the sum of fifty thousand dollars. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and required to dispose of such building or buildings, or the material composing the same, at the close of the exposition, giving preference to the city of Omaha, or to the said Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition Association, to purchase the same at an appraised value to be ascertained in such manner as may be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury.

SEC. 5. The United States shall not be liable on account of said exposition for any expense incident to or growing out of same, except for the construction of the building or buildings herein before provided for, and for the purpose of paying the expense of transportation, care, and custody of exhibits by the Government, and the maintenance of the said building or buildings, and the safe return of articles belonging to the said Government exhibit, and other contingent expenses to be approved by the Secretary of the Treasury upon itemized accounts and vouchers, and the total cost of said building or buildings shall not exceed the sum of fifty thousand dollars; nor shall the expenses of said Government exhibit for each and every purpose connected therewith, including the transportation of same to Omaha and from Omaha to Washington, exceed the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, amounting in all to not exceeding the sum of two hundred thousand dollars: Provided, That no liability against the Government shall be incurred and no expenditure of money under this act shall be made until the officers of said exposition shall have furnished the Secretary of the Treasury proofs to his satisfaction that there has been obtained by said exposition corporation subscriptions of stock in good faith, contributions, donations, or appropriations from all sources for the purposes of said exposition a sum aggregating not less than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

SEC. 6. That the commission appointed Ender this act shall not be entitled to any compensation for their services out of the Treasury of the United States, except their actual expenses for transportation and a reasonable sum to be fixed by the Secretary of the Treasury for subsistence for each day they are necessarily absent from home on the business of said commission. The officers of said commission shall receive such compensation as may be fixed by said commission, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, which shall be paid out of the sums appropriated by Congress in aid of such exposition.

SEC. 7. That medals, with appropriate devices, emblems, and inscriptions commemorative of said Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition and of the awards to be made to the exhibitors thereat, shall be prepared at some mint of the United States for the board of directors thereof, subject to the provisions of the fifty-second section of the coinage act of eighteen hundred and ninety-three, upon the payment of a sum not less than the cost thereof; and all the provisions, whether penal or otherwise, of said coinage act against the counterfeiting or imitating of coins of the United States shall apply to the medals struck and issued under this act.

Sec. 8. That the United States shall not in any manner, nor under any circumstances, be liable for any of the acts, doings, proceedings, or representations of said Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition Association, its officers, agents, servants, or employees, or any of them, or for service, salaries, labor, or wages of said officers, agents, servants, or employees, or any of them, or for any subscriptions to the capital stock, or for any certificates of stock, bonds, mortgages, or obligation of any kind issued by said corporation, or for any debts, liabilities, or expenses of any kind whatever attending such corporation or accruing by reason of the same.

That nothing in this Act shall be so construed as to create any liability of the United States, direct or indirect, for any debt or obligation incurred, nor for any claim for aid or pecuniary assistance from Congress or the Treasury of the United States in support or liquidation of any debts or obligations created by said commission in excess of appropriations made by Congress therefor.

Approved, June 10, 1896.

1. In order to secure the privileges of free entry above accorded, every package destined for the exposition should have affixed to it by the foreign shipper one or more labels representing the flag of the country to which it belongs. This label should be about 8 by 12 inches in size, and should bear across the face, in plain black letters, the inscription, "Exposition at Omaha."

All packages should be plainly marked as follows:

(1) "Surveyor of Customs, Omaha."

(2) "Exhibits for Omaha Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition."

(3) Name of consignee or agent at the port of first arrival in the United States.

 

(4) The shipping marks and numbers.

(5) Name and address of the exhibitor.

2. Every exhibit shall be accompanied by an invoice in duplicate, which shall show the name of the exhibitor, the marks and numbers of the packages, with a description of their contents, and a declaration of the quantity and the market value of each separate kind thereof in the country of production. This invoice must be signed by the exhibitor, but will require no further verification. One of the invoices will be transmitted by mail to the surveyor of customs at Omaha, and the other to the consignee of the goods at the port of first arrival.

3. As a matter of convenience, it is recommended that all packages intended for the Exposition shall be consigned to an agent, or forwarder. or commissioner, at the port of first arrival. who will attend to customs business incident to the transfer of packages from the importing vessel to a bonded route for transportation to Omaha.

4. The names of duly bonded companies will lie furnished by collectors of customs at the ports of arrival. The goods may be transported to Omaha by companies duly bonded for the carriage of either appraised or unappraised merchandise. Examination and appraisal of exhibits at the port of original entry are hereby waived.

5. The consignee of the merchandise at the first port of arrival must present at the custom-house the invoice above described, with a bill of lading and an entry in duplicate made out upon the special form to be prescribed for this purpose by the Treasury Department, which will show the name of the foreign shipper or owner, the name of the importing vessel, the marks and numbers of the packages, with a statement of the nature of their contents and of their foreign value, as declared in the invoice. The entry must also indicate the bonded route by which the goods are to be transported to Omaha, and must be signed by the consignee. No other declaration will be required. The consolidation of different shipments on one entry will not be allowed; such practice having obtained in regard to previous expositions has proved to be a fruitful source of confusion. Each entry will comprise. there-fore, the consignment of a single exhibit only. The goods will be consigned, on the customs entry, to "Surveyor of Customs. Omaha," and there need be no computation of duties upon this entry, but the amount charged against the bond of the transportation company shall be double the invoice value.

6. The collector will thereupon issue a special permit bearing the words " Omaha Exposition." authorizing the transfer of the goods from the ship to the bonded rail-road for transportation to Omaha, and will record and file one of the entries in his office, and send the other, by mail, with the invoice, to the surveyor at Omaha.

7. The permit will be taken by the agent or consignee to the inspector on board the importing vessel, who will thereupon send the goods, by a cartman duly licensed, to be delivered under the supervision of a customs officer to the transportation company.

8. The consignee will also prepare a manifest of the goods, which, after being duly certified, will be handed to the conductor of the car containing the same, and a duplicate copy must be sent by mail to the surveyor of customs at Omaha. Upon the arrival at Omaha of any car containing such articles, the conductor or agent of the railroad company will report such arrival by the presentation of the manifest to the customs officer designated to receive it, who shall compare the same with the copy received by mail, and superintend the opening of the ear, taking care to identify the packages by marks and numbers, as described in the manifest.

9. These regulations will also apply to goods sent to the Exposition from foreign contiguous territory. All articles destined for the Exposition arriving from Canada or Mexico, on through cars, under consular seal, must be consigned by the foreign shipper to the "Surveyor of Customs at Omaha."

10. The buildings and spaces set apart for the purposes of the Exposition are constituted " constructive bonded warehouses and yards," and all foreign articles placed therein under the supervision of the customs officers, and which have been specially imported for exhibition therein, will be treated the same as merchandise in bond. No warehouse entry will be required at Omaha in order to obtain entrance for such goods, bat the latter will be kept under customs supervision, inn accordance with the general regulations governing merchandise in bonded warehouses.

11. Under the special act of Congress establishing the Trans-Mississippi and Inter-national Exposition, sales are permitted during its continuance, but delivery of goods sold is to lie withheld until the close of the Fair. The enforcement of this latter restriction devolves properly upon the Exposition authorities, who, being in control of the local police, are responsible for the protection of the exhibits. When the ditties have been received by the surveyor upon the merchandise contained in any exhibit, he will regard such exhibit as released from customs control, except so far as concerns the supervision necessary to secure export with refund of duty.

12. At the close of the Exposition all goods intended for exportation will be trans-ported in bond to the seaboard or exterior port, and exported therefrom under the general regulations for immediate export in bond, as modified by special regulations to be in due time provided.

 

13. Any merchandise imported by an exhibitor in excess of the articles duly installed as exhibits will be placed and retained in a storage warehouse at the expense of the importer until duly entered for payment of duty or exportation. Withdrawals of merchandise stored under these conditions, if made for the purpose of placing the same within the Exposition, will be treated under the provisions for entry on arrival at first port of entry, and no duty will be required to be paid. Such merchandise must he delivered at the Exposition in charge of a customs officer.

Goods which have been imported by exhibitors in excess of those used as exhibits and stored on their account, may be withdrawn at any time for consumption on payment of duty and charges. Whenever duty-paid goods of this class shall be exported without having left the custody of the surveyor, the duty paid thereon, less 1 per cent, will be refunded, provided the duty paid on any such exported package shall have amounted to *50. Exhibits entered for exportation without payment of duty are not subject to appraisement.

14. Articles brought by proprietors or managers of theatrical exhibitions for temporary use may be entered free of duty upon the filing of satisfactory bonds for their export within six months after such importation, as provided for in paragraph 596 of the tariff act.

15. It is to be distinctly understood that the United States is not liable for any loss, casualty, or injury to the merchandise imported as exhibits at the Exposition, nor for any debt, contract, or expense incident to the transportation, care, or treatment of such merchandise.

16. All entries, invoices, permits, abstracts, and reports relating to merchandise imported under the act of June 10, 1896, must be separately made, and must he stamped with the words " Omaha Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition."

17. Additional special regulations will be provided in due time covering the withdrawal of exhibits for consumption, transportation, or exportation at the close of the Exposition.

18. The privileges granted by virtue of these regulations are intended solely for the benefit of exhibitors at the Omaha Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, and with the view of relieving them, so far as practicable, of delays and vexations in connection with the customs business pertaining to their importations.

Any attempt to take advantage of these regulations in order to evade the tariff laws of the United States will subject the offender to all the penalties prescribed by those laws, including confiscation of goods and fine and imprisonment.

S. WIKE, Acting Secretary.