Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-04
THE VENEZUELAN BOUNDARY
Great Britain Declines to Submit the Matter
to Arbitration.
She Regards 1t M q Subject In Which
That Country and venexuela
Are Alone Concerned.

1t Is understood that Ambassador Bayard
has failed to impress the British govern
ment with the desirability Of submitting the
Venezuelan boundary dispute to arbitration.
and that he has been informed that Great
Britain will persist in regarding the subject
as one In which only that country and
Venezuela are concerned OF course, the
idea was set out very automatically and
courteously so as to avoid giving oifense
as far as possible, while still making 1t
plain that the United States could not be
regarded as having any proper interest in
the matter. Thus the British government
still insists upon its absolute title and right
to occupy all of the territory to the east
ward Of the Schomberg line, while pro-
Tossing willingness to submit to arbitra-
ton its claims to the lands lying west Of
that line. This was the offer made to Vene-
zuela years ago. and it has not been
modified in any respect since, notwithstand-
ing Mr.. Bayard's efforts.
The Right to Intervene.
1t has been intimated that the United
States might acquire a right to intervene
in behalf of Venezuela by declaring pro-
tectorate over that country, with the assent
of its people, and behind this suggestion is
at least one of the great European powers,
who would be glad to have its relations
Central America placed on a stable basis,
SO that 1t might look to some thoroughly
responsible highly civilized government to
insure the permanence Of trade and prevent
frequent revolutions. But. to concede the
necessity for such a protectorate as pre-
requisite to interfering to prevent the ac-
QUESTION of American territory by Eu-
ropean power, would amount to a renuncia-
ton of the Monroe doctrine by the United
States. and this cannot be contemplated by
the administration.
There are indications that the British
foreign office officials are willing to discuss
this feature of the case with Mr.. Bayard at
length, and so the negotiations may drag
along for many months, unless collision
occurs between the British and Venezuelan
forces in the disputed territory or the new
Minnesota company forces an issue by be-
ginning operations under the large conces-
sion 1t has obtained from Venezuela OF
lands in that section.
Diplomats Here Interested.
1t is apparent here that the progress OF
Mr.. Bayard's efforts are being watched
with intense interest by all Of the diplo-
matte representatives of the South and
Central American countries stationed in
Washington. for they realize that the issue
may be of vital importance to all of them
in the future. They had expected that the
administration would be called upon to as
sumo i definite position in respect to the
extent it would permit the European pow
lean republics in the recent San Dominican
affair, but the United States was enabled
to avoid the issue owing to concessions on
the part of France, resulting in an AMIGA
BILE adjustment of her differences with the
Dominicans. One of these diplomatic rep
resentatives, in speaking upon this sub
ject, remarked that the majority of the
southern republics we're staggering under
foreign debts and were unable longer to
meet their obligations. They could not
meet the interest on these debts. much less
could they pay off the principal, owing to
the terrible commercial depression Some
of these countries had defaulted on their
interest on foreign debts, and in others,
notably Costa Rica, ii was now proposed
to repudiate at least half of the debt.
The Question for These Countries.
The question confronting these countries
is whether the United States will protect
them against the collection of these debts
by force Meanwhile to strengthen their
claim for protection upon the United States
there is in progress among the smaller re-
publics movement to entangle their in
tereStS with our own, SO as to make ii a
matter of deep concern to our people
should any European power attack them.
The first indication of this policy was seen
in the claim of San Domingo to exemption
from the French demand upon her reve-
nues On the ground that these had all been
farmed out to an American corporation,
which would be ruined by compliance with
the French demand. Then there is the re-
cent concession made to an American cor
poration by Venezuela to force the United
States into the issue between her and
Great Britain by motives of direct self-in-
tereSt, and in other countries there has
been adopted a policy of farming out to
right to import tobacco and opium and the
collection of customs duties.