The Portland daily press., 1896-11-12
THE VENEZUELA SETTLEMENT.

The details of the treaty through
which the virtual settlement of the
Venezuelan boundary question has been
arrived at have not been made public, but
the substance of it has leaked out. There
are to be five arbitrators, two to be select
ed by the United States, two by England
and the remaining one by the other four
from some European country. The whole
territory including the settled portions,
ia to be submitted to the arbitration
board, but it is to be rule of the arbi-
tration that fifty years bona fide &C.
cupation of any part of the territory by
settlers from Great Britain or Venezuela
is to be held as creating prcscriptive
title which the arbitrators shall not dis
turb. The chief difficulty in the way Of
arrangement between the United States
and England has grown out of the dis
triots settled by .EnRlishmen. The Eng
lish government has all along been per-
fectlY willing to arbitrate as to the I'm
settled districts, hut has held that it
would be unjust to English settlers who
H"A SSoI AA po5SCoHlOit I'VE AAouy yCREo
and were living under English laws to
turn them on er to Venezuela. 1t would
be an abandonment on the part Of Eng
land of her subjects which could not be
thought of. There was undoubtedly
much force In this position, for undenia-
bly, the English government is far supe-
rior to the Venezuelan and under Eng
lish laws the settlers enjoyed many ad-
vantages which they could hardly expect
to keep under government SO unstable
as that Of Venezuela. Mr.. Olney seems
to have felt that there was Justice in the
English position. and in a measure assent
ed to it by his proposal that settlers who
had been In possession sixty years should
be practically exempted from the arbi-
tration, for that is the sub stantial effect
of the agreement arrived at. Lord Sails
bury proposed 20 years, and finally q
compromise was agreed upon, which fixes
the period at fifty years.
When the victory lies in the negotia-
tions, whether with the United States or
England, only the jingoes will care or
seek to know. The great mass Of the
American and English people will derive
their satisfaction from the fact that a
peaceful solution. honorable to both
parties, has been found, and all danger
OF rupture between the two countries
averted. Whether Lord Salisbury is
more astute diplomat than Secretary
Olney, or vice versa very few persons on
either side of the water will seek to in
quire. 1t is enough for the most of us to
know that they have both been rational
enough. and astute enough, to discover
some common ground on which the two
countries can stand, and when found to
promptly place themselves upon it. The
expressions of public sentiments which
followed Mr.. Cleveland's message of last
spring, both in this country and Eng
land. showed clearly enough that the in
telligent and thoughtful citizens of both
nations would not tolerate any rupture
OF amicable relations between thu two
countries over the Venezuelan boundary
line. That manifestation had un-
doubleday much influence in bringing
about the settlement that bias been
arrived at. Had either nation bsen
anxious to fight, had the lingo spirit
proved the prevailing one in either or
both nations. instead of recording new
triumph for ar bitration we might now
be giving daily news of com bats on the
sea and on the land, attended by the
loss OF thousands of lives and tho
destruction of millions upon millions of
property. 1t is very lucky for the people
Of both nations that there was an over
number Of sober minded and
rejecting men and women in the United
States, to arrest the strange jingoism
Of the President and Congress before a
fatal step had been taken.