Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-10-23
ANSWER.
IS Foreshadowed by a Previous Official
Stateinent.

Washington, D. c., Oct. 19.-The an
sWer of Venezuela to the British ultl-
matum appears to be clearly foreshad-
owed in an official statement from the
Venezuelan minister of foreign relations.
This has peer received at Washington.
1t states with positiveness the attitude
and policy of Venezuela upon the exact
subjects covered in the ultimatum an6
in Minister Chamberlain'S letter to the
governor of British Guiana.
These official statements disclose that
the present ultimatum III Il repetition OF a
demand made by Great Britain in Novem-
Der last. As great Britain had no minis
fer in Venezuela, relations being broken
off, the German minister consented to act
in presenting the British demand. Vene-
Zuela promptly rejected the demand anG
refused to give the assurances Great
Britain asked. The refusal was accom-
panied by a reinstatement OF all N~eneZuela
claimed. The circumstances OF the dc,
mand and refusal are given as follows IL
the official statement of the Venezuelan
foreign office received here:
I'm September last the government
knew that he high authorities of Denle-
rara, British Guinea, were ready 10
make protests and raise questions pc
cause some Venezuelan soldiers had
crossed the river Cayuni for the place
where the so-called English station is
and had felled timber on the right bank
of the river. Information has been re-
ceived there that this movement began
by some threats of the colonial agents to
n certain Venezuela citizen who had re-
sided at that point for q long time. 1t
was also known that a band Of Venezue-
Ian soldiers had crossed the river only
for the purpose of celebrating the na>
tional festivity of July ) in the house of
some friends of their residing in that
territory. The British colonial agents,
who have exercised their authority since
the day in which the government of De-
merara wrongfully decided to occupy
that part of the Venezuelan territory,
were allowed to continue in their place
without being m0lested by the forces of
Venezuela.
"Such was the state of affairs when,
in the early part Of last November, the
German legation, which was IN charge
of the protection of British interests IN
Venezuela, received a telegram from Ber-
lin in which. in the name of the British
cabinet. mention was made Of a sup
posed violation of the colonial frontier.
and assurances were urgently demand
ed that in the future no Venezuelan sol
diers should be allowed to cross the
stream on that side and go to the right
bank of the Cuyuni river.
"A declaration of this kind by Venezu-
Ella would nave been equivalent to al inn
piled recognition of the alleged rights
of Great Britain to the possession of
that territory and would have also i'm
piled the withdrawal of the several pro
tests made by Venezuela ever since 1887
against any infringement or abridgement
of her territory. Under these circum-
stances no hesitation was possible and the
answer was given by that department
of foreign relationsn, far from giving
the assurances demanded by the British
cabinet, making a repetition of all that
the republic of Venezuela had said against
the claims of Great Britain, although stat
ing at the same time the desire Of the
government to avoid new difficulties
through a just and fair settlement of the
nJ,oct3o5, y