The record-union., 1896-03-10


None Yet in the Hands of the
Venezuelan Commission-More May
Arrive, However, With the Next
Official Mail, ON Saturday.
WASHINGTON, March 9.--Four
copies of the Venezuelan blue book
reached Washington yesterday, hav-
ing been sent in advance of their publi-
cation in England. One came to Sir
Julian Pauncefote, exclusively for his
information, and not as was expected,
to be presented by him to the Vene-
zuelan Commission in the British case.
The three other copies came to the
State Department from ambassador
Bayard, to whom they were given by
Lord Salisbury over a week ago, it is
supposed simply as an act of personal
courtesy to the Embassador, as the
State Department officials are most
mysterious about the matter, and deny
all knowledge of the book.
In the meantime the Venezuelan Com
mission has to depend for information
on the subject to the full abstract cabled
Il
The copy of the document received
| at the British Embassy is in appear
ance a very imposing affair, with it's
accompanying maps, and is evidently
prepared with the direct end in view of
| the consideration by such a judicial
body as is constituted in President
| Cleveland's commission. Each chapter
dealing with the various phases of the
fs11n o1c
ment of what is demonstrated, and the
entire work seems to have been accom-
plished in most painstaking, careful
manner.
Those who have seen it say undoubt-
| edly it is an exhaustive statement of
Great Britain's claim and that it could
not be extended in any particular if
| England had consented to arbitration
and had expressed a willingness to let
her case stand or fall on the evidence
therein presented.
The fact that but one copy of the blue
book was sent to the British Embassa-
dor here, who alone would be the We
hicle of communication for such a
document to the United States Govern
ment, and the extreme reticence of the
State Department regarding the three
! copies which were transmitted unoffi-
cially by ambassador Bayard. con-
| firms the impression that England
while declining to recognize in any di-
rect manner the creation by President
Cleveland of a commission to designate
the true divisional line, would, in JUS
tiee Brewers words in his letter to
Secretary Olney inviting information
from the two Governments, "act the
i past OF an amicus curiae," and be
willing to throw light upon difficult and
| complex matters of fact
TO that request, which the commits
! sion made January 18th, Venezuela
responded by formally appointing coun-
sci and promising all the evidence OBJ
| tainable. Lord Salisbury's acauies-
cence, according to best reports, was
confined to personal assurances to Mr..
Bayard that Great Britain's case would
| be fully made up for the information
of Parliament, and that the entire world
would then be in possession of every
argument upon which Englands claim
to the territory was based.
AS appears in the United Press cable
/ grams, the preliminary edition of the
blue book on Friday, when it was de-
| livered to Parliament. was totally in
adequate to supply the demand. not
more than 100 copies being available
for distribution. This may account for
only one copy being forwarded to Sir
Julian Pauncefote and only three to
Secretary Olney
| Some speculation has been set afioat
as to what Secretary Olney intends to
do with his copies. Naturally he would
! wish to keep one for his own informa-
ton, as it replies more fully to his ia
nous dispatch of July I'd last than did
Lord Salisbury in his two rejoinders Of
/ November 18th. Another COPY might
so to the President informally, merely
| as matter of interesting literature.
/ but the destination of the remaining
copy is not yet permitted to be guessed
at The Venezuelan Commission, which
would under ordinary circumstances be
thought to be the most appreciatiye
repository for the third copy, claims to
be utterly dependent upon the United
Press cablegrams for information re-
garding the contents of the blue book
Although intended for the future
consideration of the commission whose
appointment brought it forth, than per-
haps for any other body, all the copies
nut one now in this country are appar-
/ emily shrouded in the most impene-
trable mystery. The hope, however. is
held out by those in authority that the
next official mail from London arriving
IN Washington next Saturday will bring
additional copies, and that the commits
sion may then be able Informally to get
the exact terms of the British argu-
ment, the evidence in all likelihood
already having been discovered through
the Commissioners labors in the past
two months.
In the meantime the Venezuelan side
| Of the case has not been presented.
nor is it positively known that it has
been completed, although Minister
/ Scruggs has been introduced officially
to the Commissioners as counsel for
| Venezuela.
CUBAN FTLIBUSTERS