St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-17
IN REGARD TO VENEZUELA.
Plain Intimation That Arbi-
tration Must Be Agreed
To.
BRiTAIN'S CLAIM DOUBTED.
1t Is Cited That the Lands
Were Not in Dispute Un-
til Recently.

WASHINGTON, April 16.-The
only reference in the published cor
respondence Of the state department
for 1894 touching the Venezuelan
boundary dispute is found in two
letters addressed by Secretary
Gresham to United States Ambassa-
dor Bayard, at London, one dated
July 18 last, and the other bear
ing date of December 1, last.
The first begins: During your in
cumbency of office of secretary of
state, you became acquainted with
a long pending controversy between
Great Britain and Venezuela, con-
cerning the boundary between that
republic and British Guiana. The
posed in 1881, having been supported
by your predecessors, was in turn
advocated by you in spirit of
friendly regard for the two nations
involved. In the meantime, sue
cessive advances Of British settlers
in the region admittedly in dispute
were followed by similar advances of
contesting and supplanting Vene-
zuelan claims to exercise authority
therein. Toward the end of 1887 the
British territorial claim, which had
as it would seem, been
SILENTLY INCREASED
by some $4,000 square miles between
1885 and 1886, took another compre-
hensive sweep westward to embrace
the rich mining district of Yuruari
as far as Guacipati, and this called
forth your instructions to Mr..
Phelps Of February II, 1888, respect
ing the widening pretensions of
British Guiana to possess territory
over which Venezuelan jurisdiction
had never heretofore been disputed.
Since then, repeated efforts have
been made by Venezuela as a direct
ly interested party and by tne
United States as the impartial friend
of both countries, to bring about a
resumption of diplomatic relations,
which had been suspended in conse-
quence Of the dispute now under con-
sideration. The proposition to re-
sumo such relations has, however,
been intimately bound up with the
ultimate
QUESTION OF ARBITRATION.
Until recently, Venezuela has in
sisted upon joining to the agreement
to arbitrate a stipulation for the
restoration of the status quo of 1850,
pending the proposed arbitra tion; ;but
it seems that this condition is now
abandoned. On the other hand,
Great Britain has ON several oc-
casions demanded, as a preliminary
to an understanding touching arbi-
tration, that Venezuela shall def
initely abandon all claim to a large
part of the territory in dispute, and
limit the eventful arbitration to that
portion only to which Great Britain
has more recently laid claim"
Secretary Gresham goes on to
give at length history of the vari-
Gus attempts that have been made
by the United States and by Vene-
zuela herself to bring about a set
Element by arbitration of this dis
pute, bringing it down to Oct. S, 1893,
where it now rests, when he says:
1.-THE president is inspired by a
desire for a peaceable and honorable
adjustment of the existing difficult
ties between an American state and
powerful transatlantic nation.
and would be glad to see the re-es-
tablishment of such diplomatic re-
lations between them as would pro-
mote that end. I can discern but
two
EQUITABLE SOLUTIONS
to the present controversy. One is
the arbitral determination of the
rights of the disputants as the re-
Spective successors to the historical
rights of Holland and Spain over
the region in question. The other is
to create a new boundary line in
accordance with the dictates of mu-
tual expediency and considera tion.
The two governments having so far
been unable to agree on a conven-
tfonal line, the consistent and con-
spicuous advocacy by the United
States and England of the principle
of arbitration, and their recourse
thereto in the settlement of impor-
tant questions between them have
made such a mode of adjustment es-
pecially appropriate in the present
instance, and this government will
gladly do what it can to furnish a
determination din that sense. With
these considerations I commit the
matter to your hands, leaving it to
you to avail yourself of any con-
venient opportunity to advance the
adjustment Of the dispute in oues-
tion."
HIS LAST LETTER.
In his letter of last December, Sec
retary Gresham thus addressed Mr..
Bayard; "In conference with Senior
Andrade, during your visit home, he
doubtless expressed the earnest de-
sire of his government for a speedy
determination of the question by ar
bitration. I cannot believe her mai
esty's government will maintain that
the validity of their claim ito terri
tory long in dispute between the
two countries shall be conceded as
a condition precedent to the arbftra-
ton Of the question whether Vene-
zuela is entitled to other territory,
which, until very recent period, was
never In doubt. Our interest In the