The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22

observations in the March number OF the
Nineteenth Century. We repeat the aver
ment OF this eyewitness that " In the entire
ambit Of this dreary portion Of the earth's
surface there are no cities, no towns, nor
even wayside permanent villages, save Mo-
rawhanna, a small place peopled mostly with
officials, standing on the Barima, where that
river by the Mora Passage finds its way to
the sea-" Referring to the statistics com
piled for the colonial Government by Mr..
RoDwAY, curator Of the Georgetown Mu-
scum, statistics based on the census OF
British Guiana taken in 1891, Mr.. CoMYN
points out that no population whatever is
assigned To the trans E~ssequibo region, the
dcbatablc land. He adds Mr.. RODwAY is
right, for, save indians and Boyianders I'm
dian half breeds, who do not count rs
British, there is no resident population"
Mr.. COMYN goes on to explain what he
means 10y resident as distinguished from
transient population. "The convicts in the
penal settlement ON the Mazaruni lat the
junction of that river with the Esscquibol,
the officials, their families and servants,
cannot be so considered. Nor can the gold
washers and prospectors, nor the negroes
they employ rs workncn, whose term of
service never exceeds four months, at the
end Of which all return to Georgetown"
So much for the facts as established by
an English witness. Admit, however, for
the sake of argument, that the facts are
otherwise, and that since the boundary CON
troversy started, some sixty years ago, Brit
ish colonists have continuously occupied
certain districts west OF the Essequibo,
which have been persistently claimed by
Venezuela during the whole OF that period,
it would be constitutionally impossible for
the Government to sell such districts to
Great Britain, il they were %adiudged by
arbitrators to form a part of Venezuela's
territory. This was not always true. The
Venezuelan Constitutions of 1880 and 1857
gave the Congress the power to decree the
alienation, the exchange, or the acquisition
of territory" OF the Constitution now in
force, however, Article XIII. establishes rs
one Of the foundations of the union of the
States forming the Venezuelan Confedera-
ton, that the States bind themselves not
to ALLEVIATE to any foreign power any part of
their territory" What is their territory
That question is answered by the Constitu-
ton in Article III. 1.-The boundary lines
Of the United States of the Venezuelan
Confederation are the same rs those which
in the year 1910 belonged to the Captaincy-
General of Venezuela" 1t is clear, then,
that, arbitrators having once defined what
was the boundary line between the Spanish
province of Venezuela and the Dutch now
British colony of ~Essequibo, the Caracas
Government will be prohibited by Venez-
uela'S organic law from selling one square
inch west of the said line.
That the Monroe doctrine binds us to OPP
pose the acquisition Of American territory
by a European power, through voluntary
cession or through purchase, has been re-
peatedly demonstrated in these columns. IL
will be membered that the interposition
of NAPOLEON III. in Mexico, and the estab-
of an empire there, were invited
and sanctioned by divers assemblies OF
n%otables, representing large landed and
religious interests in that country. In view
of that fact, we must recognize the posi-
bility that corrupt politicians, temporarily
controlling the Executive and Legislature
of a Latin-American commonwealth, may
for money to a European power "A
vital section of its territory. 1t is, there
fore, our manifest duty to use the utmost
in our Interpretation of the Mon
roe doctrine, lest we connive at the dismem-
of an American republic through
instead of force.