The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-10-24
THAT is WHAT ENGLAND APP
PEARS TO BE AIMING ATTN
VENEZUELAN AFFAIR.
REDRESS FOR INSULT A Willy
RUSE.
Uruan Incident Occurred in Disputed
Territory-If Venezuela Yields Repa-
ration She Acknowledges Eng
lands Title to Said Territory.

Washington, Oct. 22.-Great Britain's
radical steps on the Venezuelan question
continues to excite lively interest in dip
lomatic circles. The demand has not vet
Inached Caracas, as is evident from the
trct that Minister Andrade has not heard
tom his government on the subject.
President Crespo, who has been absent
from the capital on vacation, has start
ed back for the purpose, it is believed,
of filling the four vacancies in his cabinet
which occurred recently. One of these
new officers is the minister of foreign af-
fairs. There is no doubt entertained
here that Crespo's new minister will share
the views of his predecessor, as no min
istry or administration could survive in
Venezuela which did not make resistance
to British aggression its foremost policy.
Some of the latest reports from London
cause comment and criticism among Of
tcials here. One of these statements at
tributed to Ambassador Bayard the de-
claration that the Uruan incident is in
dependent of the boundary question and
that the United States can take no part
in the former incident. 1t is pointed out
here that the two questions are insepera-
bly, connected. The Uraun incident is
based on a claim that the Venezuelans
arrested Sergeant Behrens of the British
constabulary on British soil and that this
indignity must be repaired. The Vene-
zuelans claim that it occurred on Venezu-
elan soil. The gravity of the case de-
ponds on ownership of the territory where
the trouble took place. 1t is therefore
considered to involve the entire terrific
rial question, although it is a specific in
cident arising in the disputed territory.
In speaking of the answer of the first de-
mand for reparatiOn on this incident Min
lister Andrade said that the reparation
was refused because it would be a sur
render of all the claims Venezuela ever
had made.
ENGLAND'S ARTFUL SCHEME.
Washington, Oct. 22-As it becomes
more and more evident that the British
government is disposed to make it ap-
pear that the Uruan incident is parallel
to the COrinto affair, and may therefore
be treated in the same fashion without
leading to the intervention of the United
States, officials here are pointing out two
essential points of difference, and Mr.
Bayard will doubtless be instructed to
emphasize these on his further represent
tation of the subject to the British for
eign Office In the first case Great Brit
ain demanded and obtained an indemnity
from Nicaragua on the ground that her
national honor had been outraged by the
summary expulsion of her representa-
tive, although the latter was only an
humble consular agent. The United States
consented to stand aloof on this occasion
on the theory that nation had right
to redress an insult.
But in the Uruan affair it can not be
maintained for AN instant that the Brit
ish government has a right to demand a
redress for the arrest of it's officials unless
it shall be first established that they were
within British territory, and thus the
whole issue is raised as a preliminary. If
these British officers were on British ter
ritory then Venezuela must apologize and
make any further reasonable reparation,
but before she can be rightfully expected
to do this that fact must be cleared up,
and nothing but an agreement, amicable
or enforced, upon the exact location of
the boundary line can settle this point.
Therefore the attempt to shift the issue,
involving as it does, a prejudgment of the
rights of Great Britain to territory claim
ed by Venezuela, it is not likely to secure
the countenance of our state department.