Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-07-21
VERY IMPORTANT.
Counsel Storrow Presents His Report
to the Venezuelan Commission.
The Papers Full Of lnterest--Many New
Points Brought Out.

Washington, July 20.-Venezuela's
brief. prepared by Counsel Storrow
and presented to the Venezuelan com
mission and British counsel. today, is
the most important paper that has Sc
far appeared in the case. For the first
time the true divisional line in accord
ance with the evidence is laid down
and Lord Salisbury's cotention as to
settlements is shown to be mere dip
| lomatic bubble and utterly unsup-
ported by law or fact, and unworthy
| of any consideration by the commits
sion.
| Mr.. Storrow demonstrates that there
never has been any British sover-
eighty in the disputed territory: that
| the Dutch never gained the slightest
| foothold in the Ornoco basin, and,
| therefore. never transferred what did
not exist to Great Britain. and caps
BIS strong arguments by demon
strating that the Schomburgk line as
| held by Lord Salisbury was a forgery
| perpetrated by the British govern
| ment 20 years after Schomburgk s
death
The brief assumes. for the sake of
| argument, that England may have the
right by occupation to settlements on
the alluvial land at the mouth of the
Esquibo, but shows that the Spanish
held possession of all Guiana from the
discovery in 1900 until Venezuela sue
ceeded to the territory, and Spain sue
cessfully resisted all efforts of the
Dutch, as well as of Sir Walter RAJ
leigh and other freebooters," to effect
Judgment.
Mr.. StCrrow says that the British
claim has confessedly no basis except
the occupation. and the rules of law
applied even to facts alleged not only
give no support to the British attempt
to extend the boundary. but are spe-
cihcally and aflirmatively fatal to it
He demolishes the so-called tempo
rary post in the Cuyuni basin and at
Barima Point by showing that they
were mere trading stations quietly
destroyed by the Spanish, who main
tanned sovereignty over the region
and proves that the actual settlements
of the Dutch and Spanish were always
separated by $50 miles of forest
The Oregon boundary case, which
made so much international law, il |
applied TO the existing dispute. and
the British arguments in that cele-
hrated case are turned squarely |
against Lord Salsburys present con- |
tentions by showing that. while pri-
vate occupation may in time give a |
private title. no occupation can create |
sovereign dominion. unless it be di-
rectly authorized or adopted by his |
government at the outset and for the
Of t,f,
eleignty. Evidence is adduced to turn
all Prof. Pollock's arguments of law
agaist his case. When the English, as
they have done. conceded that |
the Spaniards controlled the ORR
noco. they lost their last argument
upon which they could claim Barima
Mr.. Storrow quotes Lord Stowell, the
highest English authority, in the case
Of the Mississippi river to show that
those who own the watershed thereby
possess the Delta. islands and the
shores below. though these have never
been nha bited
MIR. Stcrrow finds that the British
blue book leaves part of a sentence
out Of Schomburgk memoir therein
quoted. which shows that Schomburgk
had no idea that his line would amount
t. anything. until its termini at least
were agreed upon by the disputants
Venezuela never agreed to any of it,
After Barima had been suggested as
orc end Of the line and
NeneZuela protested in 1856 and the
colonial office discovered" that all the
maps We're wrong; that Schomburgk's
line went around by great bend of
the Cuyuni. 1t compelled st. Naoford |
to conceal the existing maps and change
plate by erasing the boundary which
went across the headwaters of the
Barirna and across the Cuyuni and by
inserting another which went around
the great bend. The maps so changed
in 1856 still bore the date of 1873.
This brief says. is perilously near al
tcration of ancient landmarks and
spoliation of records. Lord Salisbury.
February 12. 1890, asserted it to be a
line surveyed by Sir r. Schomburck.
in ISL. He did not survey this line
in lS41 or any other year.
1t must be pointed out. the brief con-
tinues. that in 1850 two nations agreed
that there should be occupation of the
disputed territory by either and in 1884
and subsequently Great Britain invaded
1t with an armed force and took a posi-
ton up to the expanded "Schomhurgk
me 1t is shown that this line was
never altered until the discoveries of
gold outside of the original line gave
new speculative value to the region