Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-12-06
The President and Venezuela.


The Presidents treatment of the Ven
ezuelan questions in his message was
pleasant and agreeable surprife. His
habitual custom of refusing to insist up
on American rights abroad, his previous
indifference to the Monroe Doctrine and
his weak trucking to the larger powers,
especially Great Britain. are in sharp
contrast to his decided stand on this
question. He says:
The tradit on n and established policy
of this Govern me At is firmly opposed t.
a fOrcible incle Use by any European
power OF its terlitolil ii possessions on
this 90 ltiuent; that this policy is as well
founded il principle as it is strongly
supported by numerous precedents; that
as a consequence the United States is
bound to protest against the enlarge.
ment OF the area of British Guiana in
derOgation of the rights and against the
will of Venezue a; that, considering the
disparity in strength of Great Britain
and Venezuela. the territorial dispute
between them can be reasonably settled
only by friendly and impartial arbtra-
tiOn, and that the resort t. such arbitra-
tiOn should include the whole cuntrO-
VeTsy, and is not satisfied if one of the
Powers concerned is permitted to draw
an arbitrary line through the territory in
debate and to declare that it will submit
to arbitration only the portion lying on
one side of it. In view of these conclu-
sions, the dispatch in question called up.
on the British Government for a definite
answer TO the question whether it would
or would not submit the territorial CON
l., 4 6 l..
its entirety to imI a tia arbitration.
The President has simply affirmed the
Monroe'Doctrire A position less strong
would have been ii cowaldIy evasion of
his duty, for, as he says: "The estlb-
lished policy of this Government is firm
ly opposed to fOrcible increase by any
European power of its territorial pos
sessions on this continent; that this pol
icy is as well founded in its principles as
it is strongly supported by numerous
precedents."
The attempt of Great Britain to fOrci-
bly, seize at least a third of Venezuela's
territory is as fiagrant disregard of this
doctrine as has been seen since the at.
tempt of the French to seize the Mexican
throne.
When in 1914 Great Britain acquired
Guiana from the Dutch, the Essequibo
River was generally recognized as the
boundary between that province and
Venezuela. as it haG been recognized by
HOll nd and Spain for nearly two hun
dTed years. A little bit of territory west
of that river, extending to the Pomaron,
was all the most aggressive Englishman
dreamed of claiming. But about 1910,
claim was suddenly made of everything
westward to the OrinOco River Infor-
nation had been received that that cOun-
try was rich in silver and gold, and it
was also seen that it would be a good
stroke to get possession of the mouth of
the OrinOcO, and so control the COM
merce and navigation of that great river.
Against this outrageous demand VeEe-
Zuela protest vigorously. Thereupon
Great Britain sent over Sir Robert
Schomburgk to survey and mark the
boundary. He did so without the as
sent or cooperation of Venezuela,
and the work was done with regard to
nothing but British interests. This gen.
tleman drew fanciful line, beginning
at the mouth of the Orinoco and curving
around to the west and south so as to
take from Venezuela about one-third of
her entire territory. He admitted that
he had no reason for drawing the line
where he did excepting desire to gain
for British Guiana as much good land as
possible. Later his line was materially
altered. Lord Granville had an entirely
different boundary staked out; Lord
Rosebery one or two more. The whole
region between the Orinoco and the
Essequibo is marked with British
"hOundarV lines ~ dated 1914 1910 1S43
1874, 1884,, 1886, 1890, 1893 and 1895, no
two agreeing, and not one of them hav-
ing any better excuse for existence than
the demands of British greed.
1t is to be borne in mind that the Es-
sequibo River is the true historic east
ern boundary of Venezuela and that all
land acquired by Great Britain to the
west thereof has been unjustly acquired;
that Venezuela has offered, for the sake
of peace, to let the new line be drawn
along the sixtieth meridian, thus yield
ing to the aggressOr strip Of lard a
hundred miles wide and five hundred