The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-30

lar declaration to her majesty's govern
Inent-namely, that Venezuela herself has
no intention to occupy or encrOach upon
the territory in dispute"
Venezuela accordingly gave tho desired
assurance, and thus was established the
celebrated status quo of 1850, which Ven
ezuela has always adhered to in good faith,
and which England, during the last dozen
years, has violated without scruple or
bounds.
On Sept. 10, 1881, Lord Granville, in
note to Senior Rojer, Venezuela's diplo-
matte agent in England, suggested an
agreement on a boundary line to begin
on the coast 20 miles east from the mouth
of the river Barima. The starting point
thus indicated is well to the east of the
Orinoco mouth, and, in fact, Granville ex-
plicitly stated that he had endeavored to
| satisfy the reasonable pretensions and
claims of Venezuela, giving to her the so
called Dardanelles of the Orinoco and the
complete dominion of its mouth.
England Repudiated the Treaty.
Then followed the memorable events
leading to Guzman Blanco's mission to
| England, his actual negotiation of a
treaty embracing the arbitration principle
and the subsequent population Of that
treaty by England. In 1881 Venezuela
imposed an additional duty Of 80 per cent
on all merchandise from the British colo
MES. This was intended as an aggressive
movement for crippling British West In
dian trade. 1t had the desired effect The
British government thereupon invited
Venezuela to send diplomatic representa-
tive of high rank to London for the pur-
pose of settling all questions at issue be-
tween the two countries, and Guzman
Blanco was dispatched accordingly. After
protracted negotiations he induced Lord
Granville, on June 10, 1885, to approve a
treaty which provided (article 49, that
| any differences between Venezuela and
England which could not be adjusted in
ordinary ways should be settled by arbi-
tration. But on July 81 of the same year
Lord Salisbury, the Tories having come
into power meantime, informed General
Blanco that "to engage to refer to arbitra-
ton all disputes and controversies what
! soever would be without precedent in the
treaties made by Great Britain. Questions
might arise, such as those involving tho
title of the British crown to territory or
| other sovereign rights, which her majesty's
government could not pledge themselves
beforehand to refer to arbitration
Therefore Lord Salisbury deliberately re-
| pudiated the Granville treaty, and all sub
sequent efforts to revive it were unavail-
ing.
| But notwithstanding this harsh action
the Liberal ministry, which soon took the
place of Snlisbury's government, showed q
| disposition to recognize the injustice of
British pretension to sovereignty at the
mouth of the Orinoco. Lord Rosebery, on
| July 20, 1886, wrote in a spirit of concilia-
! ton, proposing a boundary line starting
somewhere to the east of the Orinoco
mouth, merely remarking that her majesty
attached special Importance to the posses
sion of the river Guiana, with the proviso,
| however, that the river Orinoco should be
''entirely free to commerce navigation
| The foregoing detailed review of the his
torical aspects of England's claim appears
| to show that Lord SaIisbury's present in
sistence on the Schomburgk line as the
| boundary between British Guiana aud
| Venezuela is merely the development of
an arbitrary course determined on within
the past ten years, in contempt of the
traditions and also the formal record made
| in the 70 years from 1914 to 1886.
In justification of England present at
titude it is now urged that the territorial
limits have always been in debate; that
she has really claimed all the time do
minion as far west on the coast as Point
| Barima; that the various Aberdeen, Gran
| vile and Rosebery compromise PROPOSE
| lions were only tentative and conciliatory
and never surrendered England's real
| claim to joint ownership of the Orinoco
| mouth, Whlch claim she mas ever been
| prepared to assert and establish, and that,
in view of her recognized de facto occupa-
ton for ten years of all the country east of
the Schomburgk line, she should not be
asked to submit the proprietorship Of that
country to arbitration now.
Suoh is Great Britain defense. Vene-
zuelas sole reply is that this contention,
while very convenient for the interests OF
England, utterly ignores her own national
rights, which are founded historical
truths whose great weight nobody in his
senses can doubt.
Ex-Minister ScruSgs' Views.