The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-28

America-Opposition Not Strong At
All.
New York, December &c. Senior Jose
Andrade. Venezuelan minister to the
limited States, and James J. Storrow of
Boston, counsel for the Venezuelan gov
eminent before the boundary commits
sion. who went to Caracas with the pro-
tocol of the Venezuelan agreement for
the settlement of the boundary dispute
between England and Venezuela, and
to secure it's ratification by Presiden.
Crespo aud the Venezuelan Congress,
returned to this country today on the
steamer Caracas. They were met on
their arrival in Brooklyn by the Vene
zuelan consul general and an attaohe of
the legation at Washington. They left
shortly after their arrival for Washing
ton While both the minister and Coun-
sci Storrow. refused to make definite
statement, it was gathered that the
minister returns with the protocol an
proved by President Crespo, and that
he is ready to negotiate its ratification
with Great Britain. AS to the alleged dis
approval by Venezuela of the clause in
the agreement which fails to recognize
the soeyignty of the country by giving
| it direct representation on the commits
sion, sand the 50-year occupation provis-
ion. it was explained that these conten-
lions did not arise from the government,
but from a few sensational and ire
sponsible newspapers, which were clear
ly ignorant oftha trus meaning of the
document. When the agreement was
fully understood by the people. the most
able men of Venezuela publicly advocnt-
ed it and advised its unqualified APPROX
oil and there was a wave of applause
throughout the country. 1t was the gen.
aral sentiment that in the United States
Venezuela had a friend at whose
hands she would lose nothing.
Minister Andrade, when asked If he
anticipated any opposition from the Ven
ezuelan Congress when ii met in Fepru-
AIRY, to receive the treaty, said he did
not.
Senior Andrade then hand ed tho re-,
porter q clipping from Caracas Rows
paper which. he said, represented the idea
and views Of the people of his country.
1t said: sin the matter of the boundary
agreement, the unwarranted attacks up
on the government are based on no solid
argument and we are surprised to see
such rumors set afoat after everything
concerning the boundary question has
been settled satisfactorily. The Un its
States has been the friend and represen-
tatiye of Venezuela, or TO put it exactly,
Venezuela, through its friend, tho United
States, has negotiated the treaty. It is,
in all essential parts, the same treaty as
/ Venezuela offered to Great Britain 40
years ago, and which Great Britain re-
fused Under the 50-year clause the only
territory which Great Britain will have
are the settlements beJween the Esse-
guido ana the Pcmaroom river. The
/ 5O-year clause will exclude Great Britain
from the Orinoco country and the Curuni
river, which is the portion of the coun-
try Venezuela is especially DESTROYS of
| keeping."
| Mr.. Storrow was not inclined to dis
cuss the treaty. 'sTwo or three papers,"
he said, event off half cooked snd5wrote
articles against the treaty. Public
men, juristsS and diplomats wrote intel
| ligent articles on the agreement in the
newspapers, aud after awhile the people
understood it clearly and opinion quick
IL changed 1t was commended generally
just before we left the country, two ex-
ministers to England being among its
| advocates. The feeling in the country
is very friendly to the United States
and one hears kind words for Americans
on all sides. President Crespo ia especi-
| ally cordial toward the United States.
| He Ia a man Of powerful influence in
his country and he is very popular. His
| influence would alone go a great way to-
ward securing the adoption of the agree
ment. He received = very courtuons let
| ter from President Cleveland which
moved him greatly. He worte reply
in tho same strain. nnAs to the stories Of
q possible revolution in the country,
they are simply nonsense. If any such
outbreak was likely to OCCUR. I would
certainly not have left