The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-01-30
THE NEN. VS.. THE TRUE.
THE AMERICANISM OF TODAY
VS.. THE TRUE AMIERI-
CANISAI.
HOLST'S REPLY 70 SECRETARY 0LNEY
Won Hoist Asserts That Politics is Lux
ury That No State Can Indulge
in With Impunity-His In
teresting Letter.

ry no state can indulge in with impunity.
We may like it or not, the experience of
ages proves it to be a fact. History teens
with impressive object lessons and we
have added to the long array one of the
have treated the Venezuela controversy.
If the sea of international relations is to
be navigated with safety and to advan-
tage, all the hard facts must be the chart
and the true interests the needle by which
the ship of state is steered by steady
hands, guided by clear and unimpassioned
eyes. Carried off our mental and moral
balance by emotion we have blurred the
charts and pushed the needle awry, set
ting all the sails to the bracing lusty
breeze of sentiment and gloryying in the
yslnspiring power with which the keen PROV
cut through the foaming pillows. But
the eXultant shout of self-conscious PROV
ess and might was still DINING in our
intoxicated ears, when the breakers into
which we were plunging headlong dash
cd its SOLDERING cold spray into our faces.
PENALTY AS A BLESSING IN DIS
GUISE.
1t was blessing in disguise that the
disregarding the prime rule of sound
statecraft was so heavy and eXacted at
once. 1t is only too sure that there is
still long tail to the bill which nothing
we can do now can release us from. But
if the punish ment had been more tardy
and less severe there is no telling what
calamities we should ultimately have call
ed down upon our heads by pursuing
the wrong course so far that it would have
become practically impossible to retrace
our steps. And, much as it has and will
still cost us, we shall not have paid too
high price for the lesson if we but learn
it well enough TO keep us from repeating
the mistake. For, grave as the Venezu-
ella imbrogliO is, it is by no means what
ought to concern us the nose. As Il
symptom it is of infinitely greater mo-
ment than itself. If we merely care that
this storm blow over we shall be derelict
in our duty to ourselves and to human
kind. We must have the mental dis
cernment and the moral courage to lay
bare the deeper causes that have raised
it. We can do nothing that is more help
full toward getting us with untarnished
honor and unframed interests out of the
present crisis. and it is the only thing
that can guard us against being plunged
into deeper one at the next opportunity.
1t is no pleasant task, for, to attain
the end, we must probe to the quick. On
the other hand, it is for this reason i'm
perative to refrain from whatsoever need
lessy irritates. Bitter taunts, cutting
1 sarcasm, scathing invective, uncharitable
impugning of motives are two-edged and
! poisoned weapons. Whoever resorts to
} them lays himself open to the suspicion
of being by no means sure that the facts
and the arguments are not with the other
side. BY vituperation and Obloquy the
minority will not make Il single convert
tho inritv hn ynl from nltimn tn
defeat. Be it never so great, defeated it
will be, unless it is right about the facts
and its arguments are sound. That is
Jeifersonian, that is American doctrine!
Truth is sure to prevail if it is left free
to combat error. The minority-to use
formula, famous in church history and
substituting people for pope, "-ap-
melus informandum, strong in the I'M
shaken belief that in this case as so often
before the American people will not hes
itate to reverse their first verdict after
they have been better informed.
PRESIDENTS CASE Is BAD.
Facts outweigh arguments. No IA
tional person can dispute that, and to
admit it is to admit that the prima fncie
aspect of the presidents case is as bad
as it well can be. The whole argumcn-
tation of the dispatch of Mr.. Olney to
Lord Salisbury and of Mr.. Cleveland's
message, so far as it undertakes to prove
the right and the duty of the United
States to take the course recommended
In the closing paragraphs of that state
paper, falls fiat before the fact that the
Venezuelan boundary contention-the
direct offspring of a boundary dispute of
much older date-is of more than 80
years standing. If the Monroe doctrine
applies to it now it must have applied to
it from the first, and if it has not ap-
piled to it half n century it cannot apply
to it now. If the administration is right
Ill contending that it does apply, we have
the marvellous spectacle that a keen
Witted people like the American needs
more than half Il century to find out that
u basic principle of their international
p0ncy Is involved i'll certain issue.
What plausible explanation could be Of
Tered for such an astounding phenome-
non?
If anyone has attempted to meet this
question with Il plain and straight
forward answer it has escaped my no.
tce But let us suppose that salts
factory answer can be given. mat
would not touch in the least the real
issue between the president and those
who condemn his course. Grant for ar
Sument's sake that the Venezuela CON
troversy did from the outset come within
Stlll remain an incontestable historical
TACT that for over half a century it has
never occurred to the American people
that the National honor or vital Ma
tional interests were at stake in it, though
they have been far from ignoring it.
Ihey have given it their earnest atten-
tlon these many years, unstintingly lend
ing their good offices to bring about an
amlcable settlement between the parties.
BUT that in case they failed to attain
|, TINS laudable end the supreme duties of
SSelt.preservation and of vindicating the
National honor would make it imperative
mat they set themselves up as in
appealable judge and give the parties
solemn official warning that submission
10 their sovereign judgment would, ip
case of need, be enforced by war, they
~ never dreamed of before
Il VIII the indorsers of the president
course contend that for nearly two gen
eeratl0ns the American people were blind
70 What self-preservation required and
iost to the sense of National honor
surely not. There is. however, only
one other way in which that incontest-
aDle fact can be effectively disposed of
Dy them. Be the cloud of circumlocu-
lion never so dense in which they try to
conceal it to themselves as well as to
others. their whole stands in