The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-10-10

Washington, Oct. 5.-The United
States and Great Britain have at last
came face to face in Venezuela. Sec
i>tary Olrey has prepared a dispatch
to Ambassador BayIr I'd which will
soon bring to an Issue tie long-mooted
question Of boundary between Eene-
Zuela and British .GuiLa. This dis
patch is Of such a positive and I'M
equiyocal pature that 1t threatens dis
ruption of the Harmonious relations ex-
listing between the two great English
speaking countries. AS soon as il shall
have been placed before the British
government it will raise an Issue
which can be settled only by the re-
treat Of ne or the other, or by the sew
france of friendly neutrality-suspicious.
by war. The stand taken by the Unit
ed States In this dispatch is one which
involves one Of the oldest and most
sacred traditions If the governmental
principle which the American people
will with one voice demand to have
sustained, and therefore retreat cannot
come from this side of the Atlantic.
The great question in Washington is:
"Will Great Britain yieldT' Secretayr
Olney's dispatch is, In substance, a
declaration in the most positive Ian
guage that the United States will new
er consent to British occupation Of the
disputed territory in Venezuela, unless
that nations right thereto is first de-
termined by arbitration. While this
declaration Is similar to the one which
was made some months ago, and TO
which the British foreign office replied
with n statement that while E~ngland's
right to a part of the territory I'm ques-
ton could be submitted to arbitration.
the right TO another part of the region
In question could not be submitted to
such adjudication, the matter has now
been brought to a critical stage.
When Great Britain took this ground
the question which President Cleve.
land and his advisers had to decide
was whether the United States was
bound by the Monroe doctrine and by
her dignity TO insist that all of the ter
ritory in dispute should be submitted
To arbitration. OF whether by conced-
ing EnSland'S contention this country
should virtually abaLdCn the field and
cave Venezuela to fight it out alone.
Few more serious questions have pre-
sented themselves to an American ad-
miniStratiOn within recent years. The
decision Of the president and his cabi-
net advisers, after careful discussion
and ~painstaking investigation. is that
the bold and consistent policy shall be
adopted,and this policy has been form
ulated in the dispatch which Ambassa,
dor Bayard, as soon as he returns from
his present journey to Scotland, will
lay before the British government. The
dispatch meets England's rejoindeI
with a reatfirmation of principle of the
original contention, expressed in
phrases which leave no possibility of
doubt as to the meaning or the ear,
nestness of the United States. 1t does
more. In polite but firm and signin.
cant words Secretary Olney declares
1T to be the belief Of the United States
government that the territorial claims
which have been set up In Venezuela
are not the result of natural misunder
standings. and the dispute concerning
them is not the proper location of
boundary between the two countries
but, under the guisa Of d boundary dis
pute Great Britain is really attempting
q seizure Of territory on the American
continent. The secretary points out
the two horns OF the dilemma, leaving
Great Britain to choose which Il will
accept.