New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-19
DR.. Lyons
PERFECT
Tooth Powder
AN ELEGANT TOILET LUXURY.
Used by people of refinement
Tor over a quarter of century.
WHO WILL COMPOSE ITf
CANCELLATION AS TO THE PERSONNEL OF
THE VENEZUELAN COMMISSION.

~,,es or CHIEF JUSTICE FULLER. EX-
SENATOR EDMuNDs AND GENERAL HARR-
CON MENr1oNED-T1IE WORK MIGHT
nE DONE IN WASHINGTON.
uyosb,noton Dec 1S-There was considerable
oor,otion among members Of the House to-day
., % tho personnel of the commission which the
President If the bill passed by the House be-
ooroos n law will appoint investigate the di-
is,ora, line between Venezuela and British
Guiana Had not the House adjourned al so
carly an hour 1t was the purpose OF MT NC
Crearv. of Kentucky who has three times peeh
chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
IN offer a resolution that the number OF commis-
e,oners shall be ve tnet they shall report 10 the
President as soon as practicable. ana that they
he authorized to take whatever action may DE
necessary and proper to perform the outies as
signed to them. This would also permit tneh 10
visit the disputed territory If. In their judgment
such course were advisable. On this point
there is a wide division Of sentiment among rep
resentatives. 1t Is not denied that all the Data
necessary to intelligent understanding Oh the
subject are already available. and for TINS rea-
son It IS said that occasion exists TOT Visiths
Venezuela On the other hand. IT is asserted
that personal inspections are frequently MADE by
iuries in disputed land cases where the evidence
on both sides is strong and conflicting. and that
If this Is done in civil suits between private in
dviduals the greater is the necessity for taxing
similar action in a case Of such gravity as that
in question.
While the sentiment Of the House is strongly
in harmony with the Presidents recommends
tions. there is disposition on the part of the
Ia host cln Nr1V
Already gossip Is busy connecting the names
of Chief Justice Fuller. of the Supreme Court,
ex-Presdent Harrison. ex-senator Edmunds Of
Vermont and other well-known men with the
proposed commission But in the mean time the
resolution has to run the gantet of the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations, some OF whose
members have manifested disposition to load
1t down with important amendments.
An old diplomat who has given much attention
TO the Venezuelan boundary question: expressed
himself tonight at some length respecting the
work of the proposed commission TO examine and
determine the true divisional line between the
Republic of Venezuela and British Guiana He
said:
The question cannot be elucdated by visit of the
commission to Venezuela. That would simply waste
time. The controversy must be settled by the docu-
mentary history of the case. Whatever documents
there are in that country bearing Upon the asnd
10 the United States, copies Of them, that they
might be examined here If any visiting is to be
done il be to Europe TO examine the originals
of papers in Spain and Holland. The situation Is
just this: If Great Britain claims territory about
which there was no dispute between Spain and Hol-
land from the. latter of which Powers she derives
title then her claim must be conceded TO be good
But If the territory claimed shall have been the sub
ject of dispute between those countries; or II 1t be
within the limits OF the territory under Spanish
Jurisdiction at the time Venezuela became an indie
pendent State, then the claim is proper one for
arbitration. And the arbitrary assertion by Great
Britain of Jurisdiction the disputed territory is
an INVASION Of the Monroe Doctrine. which the
United States is justified in resenting.
A fact In the situation which has not been made
prominent Is that In all the years during which the
has existed Great Britain has never developed her
case Lord Salisbury says that Schomburgk ran
his boundary line upon data furnished by the Gov
eminent But what that data is has never been
disclosed. and the correspondence just published
fails shed any light on 1t. There Is suspicion in
some quarters that Great Britain may possibly
possess a secret document from Holland which Will
support her claim.
But the course of Great Britain from the first has
been such as to warrant the belief that the claim
she makes is not well founded. The commission
suggested by the President will determine that
question. Should Great Britain refuse. Lord
Salisburys note TO Sir Jul an Pauncefote indicates
that l.. WILL to disclose any testimony from the
evidence points to unwnrranted aggressions by her.
and the present controversy leads to war the opin
ion Of the world would justify the United States.
We have not said that Great Britain's claim is UNI
has refused to arhtrate II. thereby raising pre-
sumption against the equity and Justice Of her posi-
ton. But II the commission should find from the
evidence that Great Britain is right. then the United
States Government viii promptly, Il not cheerfully.
acquiescc in it.