The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-03-30
E...f~.IN'S

Gus international Problem for the Ad
minisIrstion TO Solve.
WASHINGTON, March e5.-There j
absolute authority for the statement
notwithstanding guarded and technica
denials, that Great Britain's deInan,
upon Nicaragua is of such a charactc
as to merit very grave consideration
on the part of the government of tn
United States Inspection of :he tex
of Great Britain's demand, a copy O
which was brought to Washington by
Minister Barrios, the special agent sen
to London by Nicaragua, discloses TIL,
fact that the conditions imposed upor
this feeble and ~impecunious republi,
are harsh in the extreme.
Great Britain demands Els, 900 (S75,
00O) smart money" to be paid dowr
before April 16 next, for the affront tt
the British crown implied in the al
legged wrongfulezpulsion of the British
~proconsul, Hatch, from Bluetields
This is an imperative demand. There
is no suggestion of arbitration or loop
hole offered for compromise or delay.
Next. Great Britain insists that the
claims of Hatch and other British sub.
jects for damages alleged to nave been
sustained shall be submitted to a mixed
commission of three-one to be APP
pointed by Nicaragua, one by Great
Britain and the third to be selected by
them, but not to be a citizen of any
American republic"
This stipulation, as originally given
out by the Nicaraguan representatives,
was mot to be Il citizen of the United
States" This statement gave oppor-
tunity for a technical denial on the
part of the British representatives,
who said that no such undiplomatic
and insulting discrimination had been
made against the United States. But,
that Mexico, Chilli, Venezuela, Brazil
and other American republics are in
Guided with the United States in the
embargo, Ices not render the fact that
the United States is deliberately shut
u from participation in a matter of
this great Importance to the integrity
of the American continent any less Sc
rious.
Our interests in Nicaragua, espe-
cially in regard to the problem of 4
trans-isthmian canal, are SO great that
the presentation of excessive demands,
impossible of immediate compliance,
to be followed perhaps by the seizure
of territory as a guarantee of pay
ment, have brought the United States
face to face with a complication which,
taken in connection with the Vene-
zuelan boundary question, assume
Importance of the first magnitude.
The immediate question that may
confront the administration relates to
the extent to which Great Britain
shall go in enforcing the prompt pay
ment of this money, knowing hat
Nicaragua can spare no such sum from
its treasury, which, like those of most
of the Latin-American nations, barely
suftices to meet current expenses. 1t
remains to be learned whether Mica
ragua "a make the pecuniary apology
required or give any satisfactory as
of its future payment. Little
doubt is expressed that Great Britain
will seize something as security in
case of a default, and under the terms
of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty the
United States will nave 4 right t
know in advance just what Great
Britain proposes to do.
No such serious international prob
lem has been presented to 4 recent adj
ministration as the present one. Dis
cussing the matter last evening, a
leading official said:
Great Britain's exclusion of the
United States from participating in
the proposed arbitration is 4 distinct
and explicit recognition of the identity
of interests of the United States and
Nicaragua and of the influence of the
United States on this continent, as
well as a confession of Great B~ritain's
weakness among American republics.
1t is n statement in black and white
that England fears the influence of the
United States over Central
and South American governments
and their inhabitants. The re-
fusal to permit any man in
America to have the casting
vote of 4 judicial tribunal involving
only the small question OF damages to
a few misunderstanding advisers of a
miserable tribe of half-breed Indians,
is a clear statement that Great Britain
considers our national relations with
Nicaragua as differing only construc-
lively and in degree from our rela-
tions with one of our own states, and
that in her dealings with the little
republic she could no more than ex-
pect us to feel the deepest concern.
Il may be wrong in nay anticipa-
tions" said this official, but l believe
if the United States should demand an
explanation from Great Britain of
those words in its ultimatum, excluding
American citizens, the reply would be
that Great Britain desired to have a
thoroughly impartial tribunal and
that the question at issue was one
distinctly between Great Britain and
the American republics"
Death of Postmaster Dalton of the House
OF Representatives.
WASHINGTON, March 25. -Lycurgus
Dalton, postmaster of the house of rep
r~escntatiyes. died last night 9:45 o'clock
at his residence in this city of hron-
chial trOuble- Mr. Dalton WAS a ma