Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-30
Those Who Object to the Presidents
Venezuelan Procedure.
BE SHOULD BAVE FIRST MADE INQUIRY
The Case of Austria and Hungary
Brought Up.
TO STAND BY THE COMMISSION

Some of the American criticism, limited,
of the Presidents attitude in the Venezue-
Ian matter has been leveled more at the
form of his procedure than at the essence
Of his contentiur,. He has been accused of
going too fass-of becoming bellicose upon
mere assumption. From no quarter prob
ably has it been insisted that the disp lted
boundary line is no concern of Che United
States whatever. 1t has not been co.. sid
cred monstrous that in controversy be-
tW cen a small American republic ana Great
Britain the United States should feel and
express some interest in the results. But
the complaint made is that the President,
in taking up the question, went far beyond
the limits of mediation, and, in advance of
any ascertainment of the facts, quite dis
placed Venezuela as partyNto the quarrel.
He transferred the drama by one stroke of
his pen from Caracas to Washington, and
has himself become the leading actor in it.
His Method Criticised.
Now that the furry produced by the cpl
sode has very greatly subs;ded on both
sides of the water, these critics of the Pres
ident offer suggestions as to how he should
have gone about the business. Why, they
ask, did he not follow somewhat in the
line of President Tay,or's procedure In the
case of Hungary? That case was recently
quoted by The Star: President Taylor was
anxious to recognize the Hungarians as bel
ISerehts in their revolt against Austria, but
found himself hampered by lack of knowl-
edge of the true situation. There was no
sort of agreement, of course, between the
statement of the case as made by Hungary
and that made by Austria. 1t ievoved up
on President Taylor, therefore, if he was
openly to take sides in the contest, to pro-
ceed upon Information obtained by himself
he ID not first assume that Hungary was
lnH fn I,
send an envoy OYER to investigate and re-
port but he sent the envoy first, and was
awaiting his report when the ENJOYS blum
der in executing his commission gave rev
turn tic the transaction. Austria formally
complained, and spirited correspon ience
between the two governments followed But
the attitude of this government was mater
iaily strengthened throughout by the desire
which President Taylor had manifested TO
secure all possible reliable information
bearing on the revolt before committing
ms government A double triumph was
achieVed. American sympathy for people
struggling for freedom found expression and
the American desire for facts was shown,
Should Have First Made Inquiry,
Applying this case to the boundary case.
President Clevelands critics regret that he
did not put a commission, or a special
envoy, to work before instruct!ng Mr.
Oiney to take so advanced a position as
that taken In the note of July last to Lord
Salisbury. They consider that the gravity
OF the case even then stood plainly re-
Vealed. III this government was to sug-
gest arbitration to the extent Of insisting
upon II, some accurate knowledge of the
case was absolutely essential. And such
knowledge was as easily obtainable then
as II Will be now. The records would have.
been as freely spread before any properly
accredited tribunal then as they will be
now. The President might safely have
proceeded then in that way. The state
Department has large fund upon which
1t may draw in state emergencies and had
tne sum necessary have exhausted that
and even called for more. Congress, as has
Just been shown, would promptly have
made an ample appropriation to cover the
whole bill Great Britain. had she been
have complained for along with the notice
mus given of the unusual interest the
United states was taking in the contro-
Tersy would have gone the notice that the
United states wanted and was seeking all
the light obtafnable on the subject before
committing itself definitely to demand
for arbitration.
Will Stand by the Commission.
But, however American opinion of this
description may find expression today. il
does not go to the extent of threatening
any obstacle to the work or to the report
OF the commission now that it has been
authorized. Whether the fullest dipo-
matte skill has been shown or not in the
business so far, the commission will be
the representative of the country, and
what it may find will become the guide for
future action. And in this will be eX-
hibited that united front which is the
only true basis for the successful handling
OF foreign questions. If the republican
House of Representatives had refused ali
consideration of the Presidents message
simply upon the ground that his course
OF procedure did not appear to have been
lost prestige in the eyes of the whole world.
But the House, considering that the coun-
try, through the President, stood com
mitted III the premises, wisely waived all
matters of mere form, and acted only
upon the principal proposition involved
the everyday and non-technical American