Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-10-26

Secretary oiney's Letter TO Great
Britain Concerning Venezuela.

New York. Oct. 25.--A special TO the
Herald from Washington says: Add
tional particulars have just been as
certained concerning the contents of
Secretary oney's dispatch to Great
Britain on the Venezuelan matter.
1t Is = communication of about 5000
words and contains a full review of
the efforts which the United States has
repeatedly made to secure settlement
of the long standing dispute between
Great Britain and Venezuela. 1t de-
scribes the history of the Monroe doc
trine, points out the applicability of
this doctrine to the boundary dispute
in Guiana and declared the principle
which is the vital part of the note and
the great principle for which the Unit
ed States is now contendins. namely
that no European power shall enlarge
Its territorial dominion on the Amer
lean continent by means of force. From
this basis Secretary Olney proceeds to
declare that arbitration obviously is
only tho just measure by which Great
Britain can hope to reach a settlement
of her dispute with Venezuela.
Such arbitration. he says, the United
States is now, as formerly, willing to
promote. But he is as emphatic as
language permits in the declaration
that any attempt to reach a settlement
OF the contention by force would he
lF6dAht4 10 " Wv CAAhtt
States.
Secretary olney is careful to point
out in this note that the United States
has no opinion to offer concerning the
merits of Great Brltains dispute with
Venezuela So far as the United
States knows either party in the con-
tention may be in the right But he
reviews the history OF the territorial
Misunderstanding between Venezuela
on the one side and Great Britain
on the other in order TO show most
conclusively that doubts do exist as
to the right of either disputant, that
Great Britain has at various times
herself admitted the existence of this
doubt. arising through n series OF
complications and indefinite treaties.
He establishes. as II appears. beyond
contravention. that the dispute is OF
that character where no absolute right
nor clearness Of title exists with either
party, and that the quarrel is essen
tally one OF those Misunderstanding
between nations which BY innumerable
international precedents are properly
10 be adjusted by means OF arbitration.
Having thus effectually stopped any
possible plea that the territory in ques-
tion is indisputably British soil and
therefore coming within the rule that
no nation can submit TO arbitration Its
title TO its own. Secretary Olney again
declares that through the Monroe doc
trlne the United States has a right to
a voice in the settlement of this mat
ter. and this voice is raised to urge
that the dispute be settled by arbItra-
ton.
The secretary takes the ground that
arbitration may confirm Great Brit
aims jurisdiction over all the disputed
territory. If this should be the finding
az a tribunal the United States would
henceforth respect that decision. But
until Great Rritaln's title shall have
been passed upon by such tribual the
United States Is AMI VIII continue TO
be a party to the question.
Ten or eleven weeks have now clap
sed since this important communica-
ton was placed In the hapds of the
british government and no other re-
spouse has been received than for