The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-04-05
ENGLAND AND VENEZUELA.

England is seemingly disposed to take
immediate steps to bring to head her
long drawn ont controversy with the re-
public Of Venezuela over the boundary
line between that country and the
British possessions on the northern
South American coast.
The trouble between the little repub-
lie and the big empire dates back to
1914 when Holland ceded to England
her South America territory on the east
Of Venezuela. At the time of this
transaction Venezuela, as the sue
cessor of Spain, claimed, with
apparent justice, a boundary as far east
as the river Esequibo, the claim being
based on treaty entered into by Spain
and Holland as far back as 164S, which
defined the respective possessions which
have since become the republic Of Ven
ezuela and the English colony, British
Guiana. The correctness of the
boundary established by this treaty
was later confirmed by various
diplomatic transactions and is
today apparently established by the
evidence Of various official records, in
cluding the official correspondence OF
the British diplomatic agent at Caracas,
who, in 1886, acknowledged Venezuela's
right of domain on the Atlantic coast
east of the Orinoco delta, and by Brit
ish law court in Demerara which made
formal acknowledgment of Vene-
zuela's undisputed jurisdiction over the
Orinoco river and by a similar formal
acknowledgement by the authorities of
British Guiana az late as 1874.
While, however, Venezuela claims
and with apparent right, that her
boundary extends to the south and east
as far as the river Esequibo, England
claims territory to the north and west
we'll up toward the delta of the great
Orinoco. The section thus placed in
dispute is believed to be rich in fields of
gold and other valuable mineral. but the
chief result of England's success in
establishing her claim will be to
control the great valley of the Ori-
noco, magnificent navigable stream,
which, with its tributaries, is the key to
the entire eastern section OF the South
American continent as a glance at the
map will demonstrate. To control the
mouth of the Orinoco means to control
ooa third 20 tba Go,th Aynaricap cop-
tinent.
England's course in this matter has
been characteristic of England. From
insidious beginnings to an aggressive
and bullying attitude was not slow
step. Venezuela torn by revolutions has
had but small opportunity to give close
attention to the smooth advances of
British diplomacy which were
gradually eating into her territory.
Beginning with flimsy pretensions,
England has come to actually occupy
parts of the disputed territory, encroach-
ing year by year farther on Venezuelan
ground and working up toward the
Orinoco. British bad faith has been
demonstrated in the matter from time to
time, until the little republic, now
governed by soldier and a statesman,
who appears to have the united support
of his people, has taken a stand which
compels the big empire to show
its hand outright. having already taken
steps that should have long ago been
arbitrated. Giving assurances to Vene-
zuela that there was no intention on the
part of the British Government to oc-
cupy the disputed territory, an English
engineer was sent out to locate line
for the boundary claimed. ScHoM-
BuRGK was the name Of this engineer,
and the line he located reached almost to
the mouth Of the Orinoco and to this line
Great Britain has sent constables who
have arrested Venezuelan citizens and
sent them prisoners to Georgetown
while the protests of the Venezuelan
government were replied to with British
insults. The great and rich territory
between the Essequibo and the Orinoco,
while still in dispute, has become de facto
und er the dominion of Great Britain.
In word, the British government has
appropriated the territory while the con-
troversy was still unsettled. Arbitra-
tion, once talked about, has been thrown
to the winds since Great Britain was
probably aware that her claims would
never stand the test and the shortest
way to settle the matter was to bully
the weaker nation into submission.
Since the breaking Of Dip
lomatic relations between the two
countries England has still more firmly
established herself on the disputed
ground, attempting a jurisdiction over
land which England herself had already
acknowledged was Venezuelan do
minion. Venezuela has never been, and,
of course, is not now able to protect her
sely by force against this robbery of her