New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-21

SUPPORTING ENGLAND-NO f'h-
TIER STEP CAN BE TAKEN
WITHOUT AUTHORITY
FROM CONGRESS-.
inv TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrBUNEI
,uos,,no,or Dec 2o.-The pessage to-day by
tho Senate without amendment or division OF
So tI,,, bul 70 empower the President to APP
,nt q commission to investigate and report
,,or tho true divisional line between Vene1'
uo,o and british Guiana and appropriating slVV''
coo for the EXPENSES of the Commission disposes
of that matter for the present. as far as |"n
eress is concerned. Nothing further can OF wiz
be done by that body In regard 70 IL UNI" ai'e'
the report of the Commission snail nave pee"
submitted to the President and transmi''eu ~
Congress which, it is reasonable to expect VIII
NO. take action until after full consideration
and careful deliberation
As for the bill Itself. 1t Is difficult 10 uhoer-
stand why II should have raised sucn com""-
ton and caused worldwide excitement. 1. cos'
ORC no menace: conveys threat. 1t Simply
authorizes the President OF the United states 10
emplov eminent special counsel TO investigate
and rsnort upon a subject in which the United
states ,s deeply interested, and II appropriates
o sum NJ money for the payment OF such coun-
90, and their expenses only that and notnps
moro Under the circumstances, Congress couio
not we'll afford to do less than II has done, or 70
do II less promptly While there were diner'
ences of opinion among Senator's IN regard 70
the form the b'll should finally assume such
differences did not follow party lines ana the
opposition TO immediate action was not strong
or pronounced enough to make itself felt or
heard.
CRITICISM OF THE MESSAGE.
The bill is one thing and the Presidents
Message Is another and very different thing'
The former passed Congress with slight ooJec-
ton and wholly without open opposition; the
latter in the form Of declaratory resolution
would probably not fare so well. Many strong
able and influential men in Congress-botn Re-
publicans and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the tone OK
the Message and disagree with several OF ina
statements therein made They do not believe
that the matter had reached stage which
justified the tone Of parts Of the Message ana
they do not wholly accept President CIeveand's
INTERPRETATION of the meaning of the Monroe
Doctrine.
The foregoing are plain statements Of existing
facts well known u careful and intelligent OBJ
servers in Washington-facts which preclude the
idea that Congress will act hastily or incon-
siderately in dealing with the Venezuelan ques-
tIon And 1t Is well to remember that no further
action except in he way Of inquiry and In
vestigation can be taken by or under any other
authority than that of Congress
COMMENTS OF THE FOREIGN PRESS
This feature of the case may not be as well
or as clearly understood abroad as it Is at home.
and tnat may account for the comments OK
some of the newspapers published in Continental
Europe. In relation to these comments as pub
llshed in the United States. it may be observed
that they all pass through English hands be-
fore transmission to the United States. and II
Is perfectly safe as well as fair to assume that
only such ire transmitted as reflect and support
the British view Of the controversy Indeed.
the only Information In regard 10 the attitude
of the German press On TINS question that mas
been received In Washington from an independ-
ent source appeared Berlin dispatch in
The New-York Morning Journal" of to-day.
and il alone furnishes sufficient proof that II Is
only by tapping Independent sources of infor-
nation that the truth IN regard to the attitude
of the public press in Europe outside the United
Kingdom can be obtained
NOT ALL SUPPORTING ENGLAND.
According to the dispatch referred to, the Ger
man newspapers by no means unanimously sup
port the British view OF the Venezuelan case
on the contrary. several leading and influential
journals take opposite view. and intimate
that If Great Britain had good case she would
rot refuse the request OF the United States to
submit it to impartial arbitration. 1t is alto
ge:her probable. although in the abseLce OF in
formation from impartial sources II cannot be
asserted as a fact. that inspection OF the
French newspapers would result in showing that
they also by no means unanimous In sup
port Of the British view. In short, parte
statements from English hands of the opinions
of the Continental press On the Venezuelan Ques-
tion are daily spread before the readers OF news
papers in the United States to the exclusion OF
everything that does not support the British
contention and these statements have undoubt-
edly produced some effect in Washington, de-
spite the strong disposition among Senator'S and
Representatives to doubt their fairness and dis
count them.
THE DEBATE IN THE SENATE.
The debate in the Senate to-day drew great
crowds to the Capitol and was attentvely lis
tened to by everybody who could obtain admission
to the chamber Several effective speeches were
delivered, and while cons derable diversity Of
opinion appeared in regard to the details of the
bill, there was no division either on the motion
TO lay on the table the amendments proposed by
the Committee on Foreign Relations or on the bill
Itself.
Senator Platt's cogent and convincing speech
In opposition TO the amendments proposed by
the Committee Foreign Relations evidently
produced a deep impression on the minds OF some
Senators who had been wavering and inclined
to support the proposed changes and after Sem
ator Chandler had declared that he had changed
his mind since yesterday and was now In favor Of
the House bill and had delivered a strong and ef-
fective speech on the main question. the fate Of
the amendments sealed. Both he and Sem
ator Lodge who withdrew the amendment he Of
fered yesterday TO fix date on which the Com.
mission should make i.s report. referred to and
commented upon the threats Of English financiera
to unload their American securities on the United
States market In the hope OF preventing action
on the bill
NO REPUBLICANS DISSENTED.
Senator sherman again pleaded for delay bua
the only expressions Of dissent to the measure Il.
self came from the Democratic side OF the cham
THE EAGLE AND THE LION
Our advice to them both Is the Punch's