The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-12-22

/ on himself for the tremendous SITUATION
in which he has placed this country.
-----------------------
SOME OF MR.. OLNEy's DOCTRINES.
When Secretary Olney came to the
hcroics In his dispatch of last July to
Lord Salisbury upon the Venezuelan ques-
ton. he told him that THE people of
the United States have a vital interest
In the cause of popular self-government.
which they have secured at the cost Of
fnAnite blood and treasure. IL is in
that View" said he, more than any
other, that they viii not tolerate the
political control of American States by
the forcible assumption Of a European
power" and he continued. "the mischiefs
to be apprehended from such source
are none the less real because not i'm
mediateiy imminent in any specific case.
| All this Is very fine, and would be en-
tirely in order. II MIR. Olney were per-
spring upon hot Fourth-of-July. and
endeavoring TO make his audience under
stand how very wide, indeed, the Ameri-
! can eagle Is able TO spread his wings.
But we are not quite able to perceive
! it's relevancy to the matter that he had
in hand. The particular matter under
enquiry was whether the United States
Government should take part with vene-
zuela in a war between her and Great
Britain, I'm fer effort to take possession
Of a certain area OF territory adjoining
the possessions OF both, which both
claimed to be their property. Now, II
II was going TO imperil that popular
self-government which the people OF
the United States have secured at the
cost Of infinite blood and treasure" for
| Great Britain to hold the disputed terri
| tory. to the exclusion of Venezuela, then,
| of course, it would have been entirely
| in order for Mr.. Olnoy to read Lord
Salisbury a homily upon the store the
American people set by their popular
| self-government, secured at the cost OF
infinite blood and treasure" But If Mr..
Olney had looked into the matter he
would have learned that in 1853, the states
| General of Holland formally demanded OF
the King of Spain that he concede that
the boundaries of Dutch Guiana included
the very territory in dispute, and that
the King of Spain. upon looking into the
matter. gave it up, and conceded what
the Dutch demanded, and he would then
have asked himself how tnat same 'popu-
lar self-government secured at the cost
Of infinite blood and treasure" was put
In any more peril by leaving Great Britain
to assert her inherited claim than 1t was
in before. If he had asked himself this
question seriously, and had made a seri-
Gus attempt at answering IT, he would
have been compelled to admit that the
popular self-government," etc, would
stand in exactly the same fix after ne
dropped his impertnent intermeddling
with Great Britain's affairs as It stood
in before he commenced il, and that II
was really not concerned in the business
in any way whatever.
There is one other thing in this very
notable dispatch of Mr.. Olney's that
calls for the attention of Americans.
He tells Lord Salisbury: To-day the
United States is practically sovereign in
this continent. and its fiat is law upon
the subjects TO which it confines its in
terpostion," and then he tells him that
the reason this is so is because its in
finite resources. combined with its isolat-
ed position, render it master Of the situa-
ton and practically invulneraDle against
any and all other powers" Now, for
one we repudiate this whole declara-
ton. with horror and disgust. We deny
that the United States are practically
sovereign on this continent and that
their fiat is law all over this continent.
The United States are sovereign within
the limits Of the United States, and with
I'm the limits Of our Constitution. and
they have absolutely no power or au-
thority outside of our boundaries, ana
none whatever, except such as is con-
fcrred upon them by the Constitution.
Mr.. Olney means, Of course, that the
United States, upon this continent, are
the big boy amongst the little ones-the
CULVER amongst the LilliDutans-and
that they can compel all the little fell
lows over here to do whatever they
choose to order. The bare sugg sstion
that the United States might be made
20 play the bully, that seems SO com
handing to MIR. Olney. is too shocking
TO contemplate. We are almost prepared
TO say, and say passionately, that the
United States cannot do any of the
atcocious things that Mr.. Olney thinks her
physical power equal TO, because no pa
triotic American can believe it possible
that his Government could ever be made
TO occupy the position Of the truculent
bully that Mr.. Olney thinks she may
at any time become
There is one passage in our diplomatic
correspondence that is the match OF this,
but the American people had hoped the
possibility of anything like IL in the fu-
ture had ended with its author the late
James G.. Blaine. In Mr. Blaine's dis
match 10 Lord Granville Of November 10,
1881. discussing the respective rights of
Great Britain and thel United States
under the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, TO con-
troll the Nicaragua Canal, he said: THE
military power of the United States. as
shown by the recent civil war. is without
limit, and in any conflict on the Ameri-