The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-11
The Corresnondence.

WASHINGTON, Nov. i0-Two let
tiers which were exchanged between
the United States and Great Britain
regarding Venezuela since the presen-
tation of Mr. Olney's counter-proposi-
ton of June r. were given to the
press at the state department this
afternoon, and help materially to clear
UP the situation.
In a dispatch of May %, 1896, Lord
Salisbury had proposed an evenly
divided commission to report upon the
territory in dispute, outside the So
called settled districts, and Secretary
Olney had suggested the provision
quoted heretofore in these dispatches
for a commission of unequal numbers.
The next dispatch was from Lord
Salisbury to Sir Julian Pauncefote. 1t
bears date of July g. and referring to
MIR. Olney's argument that, lit appears
TO be a fundamental condition that the
boundary line decided to be the true
one by the arbitrators shall not oper-
ate upon territory bona fide occupied
by a British subject shall be detected
in every case so as to make such terri
tory part of British Guiana, Lord
Salisbury declares this was not the in
tention of his proposals, which were
that the tribunal should not have
power to include such districts as the
territory of Venezuela" but he did not
propose that they should necessarily be
assumed without further proof, to be
part Of British Guiana. I only stipu-
lated" writes Lord Salisbury, that rhe
ownership of them was not to be de-
cided by the tribunal which in our
judgment was inadequate for this pur-
pose, though it was adequate for the
assignment of the unsettled districts.
The settled districts shown TO be in
dispute by the inquiries of the COM
mission were to be disposed of by sub
sequent negotiation. The claim of
Venezuela is so far-reaching that it
brings into question interests and
rights which cannot properly be dis
posed of by an unrestricted arbitration.
Il extends as far as the Essequibo; it
covers tWo-thirds of the colony of Brit
ish Guiana; ii imDeaches titles which
have been unqCestioned for many gen
erations.''
Confirming further, Lord Salisbury
wrote: The view of her majesty's
government is that where the matter
in issue is of great Importance. and in
wolves rights which belong to a con-
siderable population, and are deeply
cherished by them, special precautions
against any miscarriage of justice are
required, of which I have indicated the !
general character in this correspond
ence, but which are not required |
where tile to unoccupied territory is !
alone an issue. 1t is for this reason (
that her majesty's government pro-
posed to except these districts from the {
jurisdiction of arbitral tribunal, I
though it could deal adequately with
the disputed claims to territory that
is not occupied. But they did not in (
tend by that stipulation to ask the |
government of the United States to /
prejudice any questions which had /
been raised, or might be raised, with |
respect to the ownership of settled dis I
tricts. This part Of the subject, con-
fessedly the most difficult part, would
have been reserved for separate ex-
animation"
Secretary Olney, in reply to this let
ter, referring briefly to that part of
Lord Salisbury's letter intended to
make clear his meaning in the dispatch
of May p. is more pointed concerning
the references to the far-reaching
4