Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-05
THE VENEZUELA QUESTION.


OF course Secretary Olney made no
such demand upon the court of st. James
as has called forth the sarcasm and
sneers of the British press, but it is not
at all improbable that the concession
made to the subjects of the United States
within the despoiled territory may give
rise to serious complications. 1t appears
that in September, 1898, Venezuela grant
ed to C. c. Fitzgerald, in behalf of the
Manoa company, the exclusive right to
colonize such national lands as were in
Guided within a tract which on the side
of the Orinoco river extended so far as
the boundary of British Guinea as de-
fined by the Nenezuelans. The purpose
of the concession was to develop agri-
culture, cattle breeding and mining.
Within few months and before the COM
pany had actually entered upon the de-
velopment of it's concession, the acting
government of Demarara, British OIL
cial notified Mr.. Fitzgerald that the CO.
1onial government exercised authority
and jurisdiction over the territory includ-
ing this concession and that any persons
disregarding or acting in contravention
of the laws of British Guinea within those
limits would be liable to prosecution
One month later, hearing that the Manoa
company proposed to set up saw mill
at the mouth of Baramia river. British
commissioner served formal notice in
two letters that no such thing was to be
permitted and two months later than
this the British legation at Caracas ad-
dressed the Venezuelan government di-
rectly on the question, requesting 1t to
take steps to prevent the Manoa COM
pany from asserting claims or interfering
with British territory and threatening
to instruct the British government to en-
ploy police force to prevent 1t. This was
supplemented by suggestion that in
view of the tendency of the boundary
dispute it was important that such Incl
dents calculated to cause grave incon-
yenience should be prevented. This last
action was taken in 1885 and apparently
prevented the exercise by the American
concessionares of any assertion of their
claim from that day until the present
time. although the facts were fully
known to the State department.
In the following year-October 81. 1856
the British colonial office issued the de-
cree which is in the nature of one of our
presidential proclamations:
"Whereas, The boundary line between
her maiestys colonies of British Guinea
and the Republic of Venezuela Is in dis
pute bewteen her majesty's government
and the government of Venezuela, ana
whereas il has come to the knowledge OF
her ma jesty's government that grants OF
land within the territory claimed by her
majesty's government as part OF the said
colony have been made or purport to
have been made by or in the name OF
Venezuela; notice is hereby given that no
title to lands or to any right on. in or
over or affecting any lands within the
territory claimed by her majesty's gov
eminent as forming part of colony of
British Guinea purporting to be derived
from or through the government of Ven
eZuela orany officers or person authorized
by that government will be admitted or
recognized by her majesty or by the gov
eminent of British Guinea, and that any
person taking possession of or exercising
any right over any such lands under color
of any such title will be liable to be
treated as a trespasser under the laws of
the said colony"
This is the decree that faces the Manoa
concession, the holders of which. ii is re-
- ported, to meet in New York shortly to
endeavor to commit this government to
support of it's claims. Contrary to pop
,llar belief the issue which they propose
to raise is by no means new, as is fully
disclosed by the correspondence had in
past years on this subject by the State
department with Great Britain and Ven
ezuela, and the decree above quoted was
especially drawn to fit the case of the Ma
noa company. If the British claim is cor
rect and her title to the despoled terrific
ry is paramount to that of Venezuela
then the concession to the United States
people falls to the ground and they must
come to terms with the lawful owners of
the territory