The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-12-19
Naval Authorities Likely to Abandon
ron and Keep the ships at Home.
VIEWS OF WELL-KNOwN MEN
COL. II. w. THOMPSON DOES NOT
THINK THERE WILL BE WAR.
Prof. woolsey Ridlcules President
Cleveland's Position and Prof. Beale
Takes an Opposite View.

WASHINGTON, Dec 1s-President Cleve-
land had many callers to-day, mostly Sena-
tors and Representatives, who came to con-
gratulate him on the attitude he had
sumed In his message. The kilograms which
began to come in yesterday. commencing
his course, were supplemented to-day by
letters coming through the mails. Secretary
Olney also had his share of callers.
Although there Is nowhere a suggestion Of
any abatement Of claims. and, indeed,
it is generally recognized that by announc-
ing his determination to hold Great Britain
outside of the boundary to be defined by
our commission, the President has left no
avenue for retreat. it is still confidently
believed here that the difficulty can and viii
be settled peaceably and with honor to all
parties concerned. This belief is based
the expectation that Great Britain, as Lord
Salisbury has indicated in his last note.
will re-establish diplomatic relations with
Venezuela. AS the revolution In that coun-
try has been quelled and the international
peace Lord Salisbury demanded as a condi-
ton to resumption Of Venezuelan negotia-
tions is restored, he viii treat the subject,
it is believed, and. as he practically prom
ises in his note. in a more complaisant
spirit than the British government has ex-
hibited heretofore In the negotiations, and
thus speedily reach an agreement satis-
factory to Great Britain and Venezuela,
and SO, as a natural result. acceptable to
the United States. In this way Great Brit
ain would avoid any concession of the right
of a third party to interpose and likewise
escape an admission Of the acceptability or
applicability Of the Monroe doctrine. 1t is
entirely probable that Great Britain will
abstain from presenting any evidence in
support of her title to the commission, for
by so doing she would admit our right to
interpose, which is the vital point in the
controversy, that the commissions re-
port is likely to fall subject to the same
criticism that Lord Salisbury applied to
Secretary Olney's statement, namely, that
1t is ex parte and based entirely the
Venezuelan records. One source of present
danger which gives some apprehension to
the element that looks for a peaceful solu-
ton of the problem lies with Venezuelans
themselves, as it is feared that, carried
away by enthusiasm, they NAV be led to at
tack the British outposts of the Kuruan.
Lord Salisbury's responses to Secretary
Olney's arguments are not regarded In CHI
cial circles in Washington as being weighty
or logically strong. The parallel he seeks
to draw between the Alaskan boundary
question and the Venezuelan boundary con-
troversy utterly falls, it is said, when
viewed in the light of the definition of the
Alaskan boundary given in the Russian
treaty of cess.on. AS for his objection
to the injection of the Monroe doctrine
into international law and the making of
new international uaw by the United
States 1t is recalled that international law.
as Speaker Reed once remarked OF parlia-
mentary law, "is not an exact science"
that IT is made and amended from time
to time by nations able to support their
views and that the United States has
sound right to apply this doctrine to
American affairs as had some of the
European powers by combination TO. regu-
late affairs in Europe and force their
views upon Oriental nations.
1t is improbable that Secretary Olney
will make a response to Lord Salsbury's
notes at this time beyond mere formal
acknowledgment of their receipt and the
President probably will await the action
of Congress upon his suggestion looking
to a commission before proceeding further
with the negotiations.
AS the north Atlantic squadron corre-
spends to the British channel squadron in
being charged with the defense Of our
most important coast line it may be that
the authorities will take the view prudence
would seem to necessitate, the abandon
ment of the proposed evolution cruise,
which would take the ships away from
home and leave the coast defenseless and
also would cut them off from their base
of supplies in the event of trouble. the
principal coal ports in the waters where
the drills were to have taken place be-
ing in British hands. The plans for the
squadron, however, will not be fixed until
Secretary Herbert returns to Washington.
The armored cruiser Maine was to-day at
tached TO the North Atlantic squadron.
The message of President Cleveland was
prepared with remarkable rapidity consid-
ering the length of the document and the
Importance of the subject treated. The
President wrote every line of 1t without
having recourse to dictation. Returning to
Washington Sunday afternoon he had
conference with Secretary Olney and Sec
retary Lamont that night. and then sit
ting down to his desk he worked unremit-
tingly until nearly o'clock Monday morn
ing. The result was fifteen pages of manu-
script in the Presidents peculiarly small
hand. and it all in print before IL
o'clock that same morning.