4. The Commissioner of Indian Affairs shall require the officer under whom a probationer may be serving to carefully observe and report in writing upon the services rendered by and the character and qualifications of such probationer as to punctuality, industry, habits, ability, and adaptability. These reports shall be preserved on file, and the Commission may prescribe the form and manner in which they shall be made.

5. In case of the sudden occurrence of a vacancy in any school during a school term which the public interest requires to be immediately filled, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs is authorized, in his discretion, to provide for the temporary filling of the same until a regular appointment can be made under the provisions of sections 1, 2, and 3 of this rule, and when such regular appointment is made the temporary appointment shall terminate. All temporary appointments made under this authority and their termination shall at once be reported to the Con mission.

INDIAN RULE V.

Until promotion regulations shall have been applied to the classified Indian service promotions therein may be made upon any test of fitness determined upon by the promoting officer if not disapproved by the Commission: Provided, That preference in promotion in any school shall be given to those longest in the service unless there are good reasons to the contrary; and when such reasons prevail they shall, through the proper channels, be reported to the Commission: And provided further, That no one shall be promoted to any grade he could not enter by original appointment under the minimum age limitation applied thereto by Indian Rule II, section 2, and that no one shall be promoted to the grade of physician from any other grade.

INDIAN RULE VI.

Subject to the conditions stated in Rule IV, transfers may be made after absolute appointment from one school to another and from one district to another under such regulations as the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, may prescribe.

INDIAN RULE VII.

Upon the requisition of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, through the Secretary of the Interior, the Commission shall certify for reinstatement in a grade or class no higher than that in which he was formerly employed any person who within one year next preceding the date of the requisition has through no delinquency or misconduct been separated from the classified Indian service: Provided, That certification may be made, subject to the other conditions of this rule, for the reinstatement of any person who served in the military or naval service of the United States in the late War of the Rebellion and was honorably discharged therefrom, without regard to the length of time he has been separated from the service.

INDIAN RULE VIII.

The Commissioner of Indian Affairs shall report to the Commission

(a) Every probational and every absolute appointment in the classified Indian service.

(6) Every refusal to make an absolute appointment and the reason therefor, and every refusal to accept an appointment.

(c) Every separation from the classified Indian service and the cause of such sepa ration, whether death, resignation, or dismissal.

(d) Every restoration to the classified Indian service.

These rules shall take effect October 1, 1891.

BENJ. HARRISON.

CUBAN GUERRILLAS AND SPANISH SOLDIERY

The opening paragraphs of the article, "Spanish-American War," which appears in the Encyclopedic Index, contain Grant's, Cleveland's and McKinley's views of the Cuban Insurrections which occurred during their administrations. Spain's rule was unquestionably despotic and cruel, even to the extent of destroying what little value Cuba had as a colony; but the ragged hordes of ignorant, mongrel natives who harassed the Spanish soldiery bore no resemblance, either mental or physical, to the farmers who fired the shot that rang around the world at Lexington. They too often used the pretext of revolution to cloak brigandage. The group in the upper panel are officers awaiting the arrival of General Garcia, their war-worn old leader, at Siboney. The conduct of the Spanish soldiers in the war was good. They stood their ground bravely under long-range fire, but retired in confusion whenever hand-to-hand fighting seemed imminent. The intrepid charges of our troops at Las Guasimas and San Juan puzzled them sorely; such methods violated all their notions of civilized warfare. After the affair at Las Guasimas a citizen of Santiago asked one of the participants if the "Yankee pigs" could fight. "Fight!" he exclaimed, with a gesture betokening disgust. "Fight! No! They tried to catch us with their hands.”

The article, "Spanish-American War," gives a complete history of the occurrence in brief form. President McKinley's narrative is more detailed, and considers not only the military operations but also the diplomatic and economic questions involved.

AMENDMENT OF CIVIL-SERVICE RULES.

OCTOBER 9, 1891.

General Rule III, clause 6, is hereby amended by striking out the words "under such regulations as the Commission may make" and substituting therefor the following: "under regulations to be approved by the President;" so that as amended the clause will read as follows:

So far as practicable and useful competitive examinations shall be established in the classified civil service to test fitness for promotion under regulations to be approved by the President. BENJ. HARRISON.

Whereas civil-service rules for the Indian service were approved to take effect October 1, 1891; and

Whereas it is represented to me by the Civil Service Commission in a communication of this date that no persons have as yet been examined for appointment to that service, and that it seems probable that complete arrangements for putting said rules into full effect will not be made sooner than March 1, 1892:

It is therefore ordered, That said Indian rules shall take effect March 1, 1892, instead of October 1, 1891: Provided, That said rules shall become operative and take effect in any district of the Indian service as soon as an eligible register for such district shall be provided, if it shall be prior to the date above fixed.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, October 13, 1891. Upon the recommendation of the Commission the foregoing order is approved.

BENJ. HARRISON.

AMENDMENT OF CIVIL-SERVICE RULES.

NOVEMBER 24, 1891.

Special Departmental Rule No. 1 is hereby amended so as to include among the places excepted from examination the following:

In the Department of the Treasury, in the Bureau of Statistics: One confidential clerk to the Chief of the Bureau.

BENJ. HARRISON.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, December 4, 1891.

SIR:* In my message to the first session of the Fifty-first Congress I said:

I have suggested to the heads of the Executive Departments that they consider whether a record might not be kept in each bureau of all those elements that are covered by the terms "faithfulness" and "efficiency," and a rating made showing the relative merits of the clerks of each class, this rating to be regarded as a test of merit in making promotions.

Addressed to the heads of the Executive Departments.

In some of the Departments this suggestion has been acted upon in part at least, and I now direct that in your Department a plan be at once devised and put in operation for keeping an efficiency record of all persons within the classified service, with a view to placing promotions wholly upon the basis of merit.

It is intended to make provision for carrying into effect the stipulations of the civil-service law in relation to promotions in the classified service. To that end the rule requiring compulsory examination has been rescinded. In my opinion the examination for promotion of those who present themselves should be chiefly, if not wholly, upon their knowledge of the work of the bureau or Department to which they belong and the record of efficiency made by them during their previous service. I think the records of efficiency kept from day to day should be open to the inspection of the clerks. Very respectfully, yours.

BENJ. HARRISON.

THIRD ANNUAL MESSAGE.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, December 9, 1891.

To the Senate and House of Representatives:

The reports of the heads of the several Executive Departments, required by law to be submitted to me, which are herewith transmitted, and the reports of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney-General, made directly to Congress, furnish a comprehensive view of the administrative work of the last fiscal year relating to internal affairs. It would be of great advantage if these reports could have an attentive perusal by every member of Congress and by all who take an interest in public affairs. Such a perusal could not fail to excite a higher appreciation of the vast labor and conscientious effort which are given to the conduct of our civil administration.

The reports will, I believe, show that every question. has been ap proached, considered, and decided from the standpoint of public duty and upon considerations affecting the public interests alone. Again I invite to every branch of the service the attention and scrutiny of Congress.

The work of the State Department during the last year has been characterized by an unusual number of important negotiations and by diplomatic results of a notable and highly beneficial character. Among these are the reciprocal trade arrangements which have been concluded, in the exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the tariff law, with the Republic of Brazil, with Spain for its West India possessions, and with Santo Domingo. Like negotiations with other countries have been much