The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-12-20
HANDS OFF VENEZUELA.
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PRES
IDENT CLEVELAND.
He TELLS Congress that Great Britain
Seeks to Violate the Monroe Doc
trine and Must Be Stopped,
by Force Unnecessary.
THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN
OLNEY AND SALISBURY

Presenting Eully the Points of Dispute
England Refuses 20 Arbitrate-rAnd
the President Says the Only Thing "a
DO Is for This Country TO Appoint a
Commission and Lay Out the Line amd
The n Forbid Ensinnd's Crossing It,
President Cleveland sent special
message to congress Tuesday. as
prom ised in his annual message, traps
mitting the correspondence with the
British government over the Venezuela
boundary dispute and since England
refuses to arbitrate ii in any fair way,
recommending that the United States
appoint q commission to investigate it
and upon such 4 d,t rmination of
what appears TO be right, resist any
further aggression by England on the
territory of the South American re
public. The president says the Mon
roe doctrine upon which we stand Is
strong and sound because its enforce
ment is important to our place and
safety as nation and is essential TO
the integrity of Our free institutions
and the tranquil maintenance Of our
distinctive form of government. 1t
was intended to apply to every stage Of
our national life, and cannot become
obsolete while our republic endurrs.
II the balance of power is justly q
cause for jealous anxiety among the
governments Of the old world, and a
subject for our absolute non-interfer
encc. none the less is an observance of
the Monroe doctrine Of vital concern
to our people and their government. "
If a European power, by an exten
sion of its boundaries, takes possession
Of the territory of one of our ncighbor
ing republics against its will and in
derogation of its rights, ii is difficult
TO see why, to that extent, such
European power does not thereby at
tempt 10 extend its system of govern
ment to'that portion II this continent
which is thus taken. This is the pre-
else action which President Monroe
declared to be ''dange., us to our peace
and safety and it can make no diff
ference whether the European system
is extended by an advance of frontier
or otherwise.
In answer to Lord Salisbury's con
tention that the Monroe doctrine has
never been embodied in international
law or received the formal assent of
other nations, and that mo statesman
however eminent, and no nation. how
ever powerful, are competent to insert
into the code of international law a
novel principle which was never rec
ogniZed before, and which has not
since been accepted by the government
Of any other country the president
says:
Practically the principle Tor which We con
tend has peculiar if not exclusive relation to the
United States. II may not have been admitted
IN 50 many words TO the code Of International
law, but since in the international cOunscis
every nation is entitled 10 the rights belonging
10 it, il the enforcement ot the Monroe doctrine |
Is something we may justly claim, 1t has Its
place In the code of International law as Ger. |
ainly and as securely rs il il were specifically |
and when 'hc United States Is q
-utor before the high tribunal that administers !
International law the question to be determined |
Is whether or not we present claims which the |
nsicc Of that code of law can find to he right |
md valid.
Even Salisbury admits this in effect |,
when he says, while denying its pres
mt application, that at the time of |
President Monroe's promulgation, it |
received the entire sympathy of the |
British government of that date and |!
hat he now concurs with the view |
which President Monroe apparently en-
that any disturbance of the |
Existing territorial distribution in that |
by any fresh acquisitions !
IN the part of any European state,
would he highly inexpedient |
'hange. 1t was upon this principle
hat our government proposed TO Eng
and the arbitration of the whole dis
,ute, and the president says:
1T will be seen from the correspond
nee herewith submitted that this
,roposition has been declined by the
3ristish government, upon grounds
which in the circumstances seem to
ne to be far from satisfactory. 1t is
eeply disappointing that such an ap-
eal actuated by the most friendly feel
ngs toward both nations directly
addressed to the sense of
ustice and to the magnanimity of one
I the great powers of the world and
Duching its relations to one compara-
lively weak and small, should have
no better results.
THE course to be pursued by this
overnment in view of the present con
ition does not appear to admit of
,rious doubt. Having labored faith
llly for many years to induce Great
ritain to submit this dispute to i'm.
artial arbitration and having been :
ow finally apprised of her refusal to !
o so, nothing remains but to accept {
he situation, to recognize its plain Z
,quirements and deal with it accord
Ugly. Great Britain's present prop
sition has ever thus far been regard )
as inadmissible by Venezuela, !
lough any adjustment of the bound
y which that country may deem for
sr advantage and may enter into of
er own free will. cannot of course be
,iected to by the United States. i
Assuming, however, that the e
titude of Venezuela will remain un-
Hanged. the dispute has reached such i
stage as to make il incumbent upon
e United States to take measures to !,
,termine with sufficient certainty q
r its justification what is the true
visional line between the Republic 4
Venezuela and British Guiana.
THE inquiry To that end should Uf
urse be conducted carefully and ju-
cially. and due weight should be a,
ven to all available evidence. records IN
d facts il support of the claims of :.