The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-12-25
VENEZUELA.


President Cleveland sent a special
message to congress December l6 on the
condition Of affairs between Venezuela
and England.
England acquired British Guiana oy
conquest from the Dutch In l79o. Ihere
was broad strip of territory at that
time in dispute between Venezueia
and the Dutch, and though England mas
succeeded in establishing her right to a
great deal Of this, a large territory mas
always since remained in dispute he-
Gently England has shown evidences OF
an intention to assert her claims 10
what she has always insisted was her
true lines, by force, and it is in oppoSi-
tion to this that the administration Is
understood to have taken its recent ac-
tiOn.
We have always been firm believer IN
the rights of the United States to lnslst
on and enforce the so-called Monroe doc-
trine according to the true 3ntent and
meaning, but we do not believe that one
American in hundred thousand ever
understood or imagined that the Monroe
doctrine meant that the Uuited States
government was bound to intervene Dy
either threats Of war or by actual war
every time one of these wretched, mong-
rel, South American or Central American
countries stretching all the way from
the Gulf Of Mexico to the Caribbean sea,
and from the Caribbean sea five thous-
and miles south to Terra del Fuego-be-
came involved in dispute with any for
eign country about the proper boundary
line between them; nor that 1t meant
that in all controversies not at all az
fecting our interests we had the duty OF
the right, without any regard to the
merits of the case, except our own 0pln
ions. TO force one or both sides to submit
the boundary lines Of their respective
territories to our arbitration, or the ar
bitration of somebody else. For o.
course if we have the right to force Eng
land to arbitrate, would we not have tn
equal right to force Venezuela to do 1t
OF course, il we are going to force then
to agree upon arbitration, we will hav'
to go step further and force them Il
agree upon an arbitrator. Can we d
that?
f. after we shall have had a long ant
bloody conflict with Great Britain I
compel her to arbitrate, how would l
work if Venezuela should then chang
her mind and not be willing to arbltrat
then at all? What are we going to d
about that? Or if by means OF the arbl
tration. Venezuela should lose a larg
strip of the territory she is claiming
England would necessarily acquire a
much as she loses.
We do not believe there is a statesma
in England that desires to do any inluS
tice either to this country or Venezuela
All they want is just what we would un
der similar circumstances. The pres
dent has announced himself as media
tor, but as a mediator must be accepte
by both parties, he has become dlcta
tor. Now while we have full faith L
the patriotism Of President Cleveland
and believe him to be honest in his cor
victions in this matter, we are in
clined to think that he has been a littl
too hasty. The circumstances connecte
with the case did not in our Judgmer
warrant the president in making tn
, demand in the first place. II he establls
, q precedent Of making such demands
where and when will it likely end? OF
motto is, "the United States first, la'
and all the time, and her interests carr
fully guarded"