Smyrna times., 1896-11-18
VENEZUELA DISPUTE
SETTLED.
a Satisfactory Arrangement Agreed
Upon by Great Britain.

There never was case to which this
saying seems more appropriate than as
applied to the happy ending promised
of the Venezuelan difficulty. A con-
trOversy long pending between Great
Britain and Venezuela, and which had
resulted years ago in the breaking off
of all diplomatic relations between
them, and which less than a year ago
threatened to become cause of quar-
rel between this country and Great
Britain, it is now authOritativelv an
nOunced, is in fair way of peaceable
and satisfactory adjustment. Two
great natiOns-the foremost in the race
OF civilization and progressive CON
tlnents, we may say-will rejoice to
have the pleasing intelligence CON
tlrmed. The sentiment of Great Brit
ian has already found expression in the
favorable comments with which Lord
Salisbury 'sallusions to the subject in
his speech at the Goildhall banquet
have been received Some of the de-
tails of the settlement agreed upon
which Lord Salisbury was not able to
furnish have since been supplied in
press dispatches from Washington.
The credit of the settlement, first
and foremost, belongs to the people of
both countries-the great English
speaking public of Great Britain and
the United States, which last winter,
through so many channels and organs
of public opinion, declared that war
would beamOnstrous wrong and should
bean impossible thing between thetwo
nations over a question of disputed
boundaries in South America. Great
credit is due next to the statesman who
have dOnethe handling and have brought
about the settlement of the question
upon basis honorable to both coun
tries, fair and just to Venezuela, and
which promises the adoption of similar
pacific methods of adjustment of future
possible controversies. When we re-
member how wide apart in their views
Lord Salisbury and Secretary Olnev
appeared to be one year ago, their pres
ent rapprOch6meat is in the highest
degree creditable to both of these es-
peclally hard-headed negotiators.
While the spirit of cancellation has
been so fully manifested on both sides
that it would be invidious to claim the
result as a diplomatic triumph, it is
impossible for Americans not to feel
pride in the recognition which the set
tlement affords of the substantial
soundness of the position taken bv
President Cleveland in advance of his
message of last December. That mes
sage, which, as well as the dispatch of
Secretary Only of July, 1895, which
accompanied it, was deemed by many
persons at the time to be unnecessarily
and unduly abrupt and even minatorv
IN its tone, was based upon this funda-
mental idea, that an unsettled boundary
dispute between a powerful natiOu like
Great Britain and a weak state like
Venezuela ought not to be arbitrarily
determined in its own favor by
the stronger party, but in all fairness
and justice ought to be submitted to
impartial arbitration. This PROPOSE
ton, to which the President had en-
deavored to secure the consent of the
British government, Lord Salisbury
had declined to accede to. 1t is now
accepted and made the basis of the
proposed settlement. The whole mat
ter is to be referred to the arbitrament
of tribunal of five persons, to be nom
mated by the Lord Chief Justice of
England, NOrd Russell two by the
Supreme Court of the United States.
(Chief Justice Fuller while the
learned and fairminded King Oscar of
Sweden and Norway is nominated, it
is understood, as the fifth member of
the court. One may almost say that
this should prove an ideal tribunal.