The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-08

ready abled, treaty is partly concluded to
America, Canada and the British En- bas-
sador in Washington have all assented,
placing this matter in direct way of set
tlement. l observe that the statement is
to-day cabled from London that this
treaty is blocked by Canadas refusal. The
statement is entirely baseless. Canada
has formally and finally agreed. 1t only
awaits thesassent of the Foreign Office for
this treaty to become operative. l re-
assert there is both surprise and regret felt
here at the delay. 1t is urgently desirable
that this treaty be pressed forward. As
soon as this is done the first difficulty will
have been removed.
"The second difficulty is the English
feeling that any action taken now would
appear to be due to American threats. In
reply to this it is quite certain that neither
Mr.. Cleveland nor Mr.. Olney consider
themselves to be threatening England.
They only desired, after years of fruitless
diplomatic discussion, to make the atti-
tude OF their own country clear beyond
the chance of further misunderstanding
| If Lord Salisbury has any doubts upon
this point an inquiry through the regular
diplomatic channels to Mr.. Bayard or Sir
Julian Pauncefote will, | am convinced,
ernment deliberately adopted menacing
| attitude improper in diplomatic commu-
nication. Moreover, if Lord Salisbury is
aggrieved by the expressions of the Ameri-
can Government the American Govern
ment in its turn considers itself legiti-
mately aggrieved by Lord Salisbury's tone
and his virtual pooh-poohing a doctrine
which they had formerly declared they
| cd vita To 20
Therefore the sentiments balance each
other, and there is every ground for mutual
agreement and assurance that no offense
was intended.
"These two are the only things in the
path leading to grand recognition before
the whole world of the principle of arbi-
tration between civilized nations. The
British public is ready; I am confident
that the American public is equally ready,
and | know the American Government
is ready. This being so what blocks the
way to an almost i'm mediate removal Of
Venezuela from the field of International
discussion and the complete restoration of
cordial relations between the two people
: who, while only too ready to fight for
principle, are even more ready to agree on
civilized settlement henceforth and for
ever? If Lord Salisbury is able to move
dipIomatically in the direction indicated
it is certain that the meeting of the Vene-
zuelan commi ission would be instantly ad-
iourned until the time was ripe for COM
mon discussion of the question, when the
treaty should become law. l will only
add if it were my last word it would be a
!, amentable mistake for England to be-
! lieve that there is any division of opinion
worth considering in this country. Wash
ington, far more than New York, is the
pulse of the United States, and 1 have
been feeling that pulse for over week,
and | assert, despite criticism or contra
diction, that America will speak with
) practically one voice in support of the
Cabinet in the Venezuelan matter If
Lord Salisbury decides that it is impossi-
BILE to take any step let him and England
at least recognize what is the alternative" !"
: The Times editorial, cabled to the
papers here to-day, is calculated to pro-
duce great and most favorable effect. A
few more such wise, conciliatory and
statesmanlike utterances on both sides
and the nations will be marching hand in
hand down the Christian road of peaceful
,, negotiation.
Commenting on the foregoing dispatch
the Chronicle will tomorrow say:
The vital and absorbing feature of the
controversy is that America desires arbi-
: trat;on and we cannot refuse the request
1t is slowly, we hope surely, entering the
minds of our statesmen that in order to do
justice to the American case we must look
at the Monroe doctrine from the American
point of view. Here the hair-splitting of
ingenious lawyers and academic essayists
help very little. We have to take into ac-
count deep-rooted National sentiment,
which has way of getting itself recog-
nized in policy and in action without the
sanction of theoretical rules
, Lord Salisbury may argue this, that
the American doctrine is not incorporated
in the code of international law The
American answer is: What we call inter-
national law is merely the customs OBJ
served by European states in their reIa-
tlons with each other, which have been de-
termined by the dominant powers
England has been foremost as maker
of international law. 1t requires no ex-
ceptlonal gift OF perception to see that the
United States aspires to the same leading
role in politics on the American continent
England filled Europe with glory and was
herself benefit to mankind in the period
of Napoleonic wars. The international
law which is to govern the American con-
tinent is in progress OF formation, and we
cannot shut our eyes to the fact that since
the United States is the dominant power
on that continent they will not fail to
exercise that paramount influence which
is incidental to the position"
ARBITRATI Is PROPER
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