St. Paul daily globe., 1895-10-21

to evacuate and the empire under Max
1millian consequently fell.''
Coming down to the present compli-
cations the senator said: "The aggres-
s1ons of Great Britain upon Venezuela
have been continuously perpetrated for
nearly fifty years. They have been so
frequent and aggressive that diplo-
matte relations have not existed be-
tween those countries since 1907 The
claim or preteXt of Great Britain
arises as folllows: The Dutch held title
to Guiana down to 1874 under the treaty
of Munster concluded in 164S. In the
dividing of Europe in 1874 by the SOW
ereignties which were formed or pro-
vided by 1.-The Holy Alliance" the new
kingdom of the Netherlands was erect
ed, composed of Holland and Belgium,
and as part of the arrangement there
were ceded to France and England por-
tions of what had BEEN Dutch Guiana.
The cession to England was the most
northerly portion.
LAS laid down in nearly all the Amer
lean aliases up to the last few years,
British Guiana is a narrow territory,
fronting north on the Atlantic ocean,
bounded on the west by a river lying
between it anC Venezuela, which touch
Orinoco river, which for many hun
dreds of miles flows entirely through
Venezuela territory and empties into
the ocean within it's territory. Up to
1910 there was little or no question as to
tho boundary between the countries
ceded to Great Britain and Venezuela.
That river was the EssiGuibo. About
the year 1910 Great Britain began to as
sert extended claims and to follow up
such ASSERTIONS by gradual occupancy
until at the present time she claims the
territory westward for several hum
dreds of miles, nearly to the south or
east bank of the Orinoco, and to the
bank of that river at it's mouth.
PROGRESSIVE AND AGGRESSIVE.
During this long contention Great
Britain has steadily enlarged her
claims, until she now stands upon her
present eXorbitant demand of about
two-thirds of Venezuela, south and
east of the Orinoco. AS / estimate it,
it reduces the area of Venezuela by
nearly 10000 square miles. A map
showing the boundary lines which
England has claimed from time to time
is perfectly bewildering in the number
of changes of asserted boundary, but
IL SuOWS Will p6IlGCl ClSdIllSSS llldC
her demands have been progressive and
aggressive. Venezuela, .powerless to
resist, has over and over again of
fered to submit the question to arbi-
tratfon. The United States and Spain
and ten of the Spanish-American re-
publics have made the same request,
but Great Britain has repeatedly refus-
ed, and has continued her encroach-
ments.
1.-THE ultimate Importance of the sit
uation, under these considerations, is
very apparent. The Orinoco, with
it's affiuents, is one of the
greatest systems of river navi-
cation on the planet. 1t is naviga-
BILE for the largest ships of war for
400 miles from the sea. A naval sta
ton at it's mouth, a force upon its
shores, will command the entire sys-
tenn. 1t reaches all of South America
north of the Amazon and east of the
Andes; it actually communicates, at
certain seasons of the year, with the
navigable waters of the Amazon, and
thus with the entire system of that
river. The mouth of the Orinoco river
is the key to one-third of the entire
South American continent, and Eng
lands hand is upon the key. In a mil
itary sense Great Britain proposes to
flank and take in reserve one-third Of
South America. The antagonism of
this to our interests and safety cannot
be doubted. Venezuela is our nearest
neighbor in South America. Its cap
ftaE is six days journey from
Washington; the mouth of the
Orinoco is about six days voy-
age by steamship from New
York. Our commercial relations with
Venezuela are most encouraging and
increasing in value. Her coast 'front.'
ing on the Caribbean sea, looks
towards the Gulf of Mexico, ia
maica, the Windward islands and
the outlet of the Nicaragua canal. Con-
sidering this situation and what has
taken place recently respecting the
seizure of Corinto, which modifies the
outlet of the Nicaragua canal, it is my
opinion that the United States ought
to intervene in this business and as
sert the Monroe doctrine, or abandon
it as a scarecrow which will no longer
threaten
4