Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-12-27

Great Britain and asked that if tn
two parties could not agree then
selves they should submit the dispu1
to the arbitration OF neutral partie
These suggestions. have never bee
complied with.
The last Congress therefore instrucj
ed the state department to pres
Great Britain to settlement il posi-
| bic.
i Secretary Olney, in compliance
drew up careful statement Of til
case, as this country sees it, setting
forth the reasons whyit appears tina
Venezuela has rights in the disputet
territory and also deyoting much at
tention to the so-called Monroe dec
trine, on the strength OF which W,
claim the right to interfere.
Lord Salisbury replied in substance
that Great Britain was willing to ar.
bitrate the ownership Of certain por.
ton Of the territory, but would moi
submit to arbitration the tract east Of
the so-called Schomburgk line.
He also took occasion to resent the
interference of this governmental aim-
ing that the Monroe doctrine was not
to be recognized by European nations
at the present time and especially
that it does not apply to the Vene-
zuela question.
President Cleveland transmitted
the correspondence OF Secretary Olney
and Lord Salisbury to Congress last
week and accompanied it with a mes
sage in which he took strong ground
in opposition to Great Britain. He
recommended the appointment Of
commission by the president to exam
inc the history and records Of the
case more thoroughly than has yet
been doney the,commission to report
to the president whether in its opin-
ion the British have, as they claim, an
incontestable right to the section east
of the Schomburgk line.
The president advised that Congress
be prepared, if the decision was favor
able to Venezuela, to support such de-
cision-in other words to compel
Great Britain to arbitrate the whole
question, using force, If need be.
As we have stated, Venezuela claims
that the Essequibo river should be the
boundary.
The British Claim.
Great Britain lays claim to all the
and as far west Us the month of the |
but is willing to arbitrate
the western portion, provided Vene-
.uela will agree not to claim the east
I'm portion, within the Schomburgk
inc.
In other words, Venezuela must pay |
rs price for getting portion Of the
erritory under dispute submitted to
arbitration, her claim to the remain
ng portion.
She declines to do this.
Great Britain holds that her right is
within the Schombnrgk
inc.
This line was run in l84l by an
English engineer named Schomburgk.
II is said that Venezuela never nc.
nowlcdgcd this line as tho boundary,
ut at once protested against it and
hat the British ministry itself ADAM
oned it and tore up the landmarks.
If this is true, it is difficult to see
Thy England claims that her rights
vithin this line are absolute and not
} be arbitrated.
So far as our present information
oes, it would appear that the whole
'rritory is in dispute and that Lord }
alisbury ought to submit the whole
J arbitration.
The Monroe Doctrine.
But how is it that this country is so o
luch concerned in a question involv-
lg a few thousand square miles way '
own in South America? i
We claim the right to interfere m
er the famous Monroe doctrine, pro. !
lulgated by President Monroe in d G
essage to Congress in 1928.
Here it Isl c
"We owe IL, therefore, to candor
nd to the amicablc relations existing t
stween the United States and the 4
lied Powers to declare that we !:
lould consider any attempt on their
art to extend their system to any .
)rtion of this continent as danger s
is to our peace and safety. With
q existing colonies or dependencies Of .
~ European power we have not in !
g.. Il i 4 80 - X Il T.