Evening star., 1895-12-18
HAD MANY CALLERS
The President and Secretary 0lney
Congratulated for Their Attitude.
4 PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT POSSIBLE
North Atlantic squadron's Cruise
May Be Abandoned.
ADMIRAL BUNCE COMING

TIL, Venezuelan issue was still the alb
sorbng topic of interest at the White
House and uptown departments today, and
there was an eager demand on the part of
CongI essmen and public officials for copies
of the full message and correspondence.
President Cleveland had many callers,
mostly Ser ators and Representatives who
came to congratulate him upon the atti-
tude he had assumed in his message. and
the kilograms which began to come in yes
terday CORN ending his course were sup
plemented today by letters coming through
the mails.
Secretary OIney Commended.
Secretary Olney also had his share of
callers, among others Justice Harlan and
Mr.. VIM. L. Scruggs, ex-minister to Venez-
uela under Harrison. who had no hesita-
tion in stamping tie SeCretary's famous
letter of last July as the ablest statement
of the Monroe doctrine ever put on record
1t may be proper at this point to note the
fact that up to the beginning of last spring
the United States had never gone further
in the NGIeZueldn matter than to extend
its good offices.
At that point Mr.. Olney. then holding the
office of Attorney General, initiated new
and important phase of the controversy by
boldly taking the ground that Great
Britaih's course was in violati of the
Monroe doctrine
There is nowhere suggestion of any
abatement of our claims. and. indeed it is
generally recognized that by announcing
his determination to hold Great Britain
outside of the boundary to be defined by
our own commission the President has left
no avenue for retreat.
a Peaceful Settlement Expected.
1t is still confidently asserted here, how
ever. that the difficulty can and will be set
tied peaceably and with honor to all par
ties concerned. This belief is based upon
the expectation that Great Britain will, as
Lord Salisbury has indicated in his last
note. re-establish diplomatic relations with
Venezuela, and, as the revolution in that
country has been quelled, and the internal
peace he demanded as a condition Is re-
stored, he will probably treat the subject
as he promises, in more compliant spirit
than the British government has hereto
fore exhibited in the negotiations, and
thus speedily reach an arrangement salts
factory to Great Britain and Venezuela,
and. as a natural result. acceptable to the
United States. In this way Great Britain
would avoid any concession of the right OF
third party to interpose. while likewise
escaping an admission of the acceptability
of the Monroe doctrine.
There will probably be ample time for
Great Britain to carry out this program dur
ing the long interval that must elapSe be-
tween the authorization and appointment
of our boundary commission and the pre-
Sentation of its report. 1t is entirely prob
able that Great Britain will abstain from
presenting any evidence in support of her
title to the commission, for by so doing she
would admit oursrisht to interpose, which
is the vital point in the controversy, SO that
the commissions report is likely to fall sub
ject to the same criticism that Lord Sails
bury applied to Secretary Olney's statement,
namely, that 1t is eX parte, and based en-
tirely on the Venezuelan records.
One Source of Danger.
One source of present danger which gives
some apprehension to the element that
looks for peaceful solution of the problem
lies with the Venezueans themselves, and it
is feared that. carried away by the
thusiasm aroused by President Cleveland's
message and Secretary Olney's note of
July last they may be led to attack the
British outposts on the Yurnan, once be-
fore the scene of trouble, without awaiting
the findings of the United States commits
sioners to the real boundary lire.
SnIisbury's Responses Not Weighty.
Lord Salisburys responses TO Secretary
Olneys arguments are not regarded here as
being weighty or logically strong. The par
allel he seeks to draw between the Alaskan
boundary question and the Venezuelan boun-
Diary controversy utterly falls, it is said,
when viewed in the light of the definition Of
the Alaskan boundary given in the Russian
treaty of ces;sion. AS for his objection to
the injection of the Monroe doctrine into
international law and the making of new
international law by the United States, it is
recalled that international law. Speaker
Reed once remarked of parliamentary law,
sis not 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 as sound a right to apply
this doctrine to American affairs as had
some of the European powers by combina-
ton to regulate affairs in Europe and force
their views upon ori entail nations.
1t is improbable that Secretary Olney will
make a response to Lord Salisbury's notes
at this time, beyond a mere formal ac-
acknowledgement of their receipt, and the
President will probably await the action of
Congress upon his suggestion looking to a
commission before proceeding further with
the negotiations.
Feeling in the Navy.
Assistant Secretary McAdoo, who is act
ing secretary of the navy, in the temporary
absence of Secretary Herbert, declines most
positively to discuss the question of the pos
sbility of war with Great Britain over the
Venezuelan affair. Naval officers generally,
and especially the younger officers, make
no secret CT their great admiration for the
patriotic stand taken by the administration
as affording possible opportunity for a
practical test of the value and strength of
the new navy and the courage and capabili-
ties of the officers and men of the naval
establishment. The younger element is
naturally eager for the fray, and MANY of
their older and more experienced associates
also show decided inclination to again en-
gage in active work.
The North Atlantic Squadron.
AS has been already stated in The Star,
the North Atlantic squadron fleet is un-
der orders to sail from Hampton Roads on
or about the 21st instant for practice
cruise In the West Indies, extending as
far south as the Gulf Of Paria, off the
coast Of Venezuela. The itinerary Of the
fleet was finally arranged last week and
was published in The Star at the timo
II asmuch as the relations between Great
Britain and the United States are being
severely strained just at present, the ques-
tinn of abandoning the proposed cruise Is
being seriously cons idered, as it is not
altogether imp ohatle that the warships
may eventually be reeded for more serious
work than drills and exercises.
Although the progress of events may
q ri he Of