The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-01-02
NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT IT.

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There are those who still persist IL
!. ridiculing the liability Of war between
the United States and Great Britain
Those who do, can not certainly un
derstand what has transpired.
The Venezuelan trouble has had its
several successive stages as follows:
In 1914 England acquired Guiana
from the Netherlands.
In 1910 Schomburg drew his line en-
croaching on Venezuela.
The same year Lord Aberdeen disa.
vowed that line for England.
In 1914 Lord Aberdeen for England
abandoned the Schomburg line.
In 1850 both Venezuela and England
agreed to keep out of the disputed ter
ritory.
In 1881 the Granville line for Eng
land was drawn.
In 1886 the Rosebery line for Eng
land was drawn.
In 1890 the Salisbury line for Eng
land was drawn.
In 1893 the second Resebery line for
England was drawn.
In 1856 Venezuela and England
agreed to arbitrate.
In 1886, Salisbury succeeded Glad
stone and the treaty of agreement was
not made.
| In 1887 Venezuela ceased diplomatic
relations with England.
In 1898 England agreed to arbitrate
all territory lying on the Venezuela
side of the last drawn line.
In 1882 America United States sug-
gested arbitration TO England
In 1884 America again offered arbi-
tration to England.
In 1889 America again offered Eng
land arbitration
On July 13, 1894, America again Of
fered arbitration 10 England.
On July 20, 1895, America again
offered arbitration. (Olney)
On November 26, 1895, Salisbury re-
fused to arbitrate.
On December IL, 1895, Cleveland sug-
Every one of these lines drawn by
England overreached the one preced-
ing it Every line has taken more and
more of the Venezuela territory. For
long time Venezuela fought the mat
ter alone. In 1882 the United States
took a hand. Its suggestions for ar
bitration have always been strong and
growing stronger each year. Secreta-
ry of State Frelinghuysen maintain
ed the Monroe doctrine; after him Mr..
Bayard maintained it; after him Mr..
Blaine; after Mr.. Blaine, Mr.. Olney.
But the other secretaries of state be-
fore Mr.. Olney looked to EngIand's
good sense and assumed that the mat
ter could be settled amicably. When
Mr.. Olney wrote TO Salisbury, he took
the other and only remaining honOra-
bic assumption-that England had no
decency or good sense and that the mat
ter would be arbitrated or England
would fight
In that letter to Salisbury, through
Ambassador Bayard, Olney defended
the Monroe doctrine, not as a matter
of right or law, but as a matter of pow
er. He held it to be dangerous that
a European nation acquire political
control over any further territory in
America and sustained that assumpt-
ion in the following startling and IA
nous paragraph.
The paragraph is as follows: 'The
mischiefs apprehended from such
source are none the less real because
not immediately imminent in any spe-
citic case, and are none the less TO be
guarded against because the combina-
tion OF circumstances that will bring
them upon us can not be predicted.
The civilized nations of Christendom
deal with each other on substantially
the same principles that regulate the
conduct of individuals The greater
ats enlightenment, the more surely ev-
cry state perceives that its permanent
interests require it to be governed br
the immutable principles of right and
Justice Each nevertheless. is only
too liable to succumb TO the tempta-
tons offered by seeming special op-
portunities for its own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
and each would raShly imperil its own
safety were il not To remember that
for the regard and respect of other
states it must be largely dependent
upon its own strength and power. To-
day the United States is practically
sovereign on this continent. and its
fat Is law upon the subjects TO which
it confines ITS interposition. Why?
II Is not because of the pure friendship
or good VIII felt for il. 1t is not sim
ply by reason Of It's high character as
civilized state, nor because wisdom
and justice and equity are th. invari-
able characteristics OF the dealings of
the United States. IL is because. in
addition TO al other grounds. its iufin-
lite resources. combined with it's iSo-
lated position. render IL master of the
situation and practically invulnerable !
as against any. or all other nations"
That Is remarkable statement. II
Is as strong probably as any ever put |
into STATE paper passing between two /
great nations. II was not penned idly I.
or careleSSly and il means simply that
the United States has declared herself 4
the defender and the champion OF the
western hemisphere. nor by the pro-
mitigation Of a theory or promise but /
by the straight-out threat OF the sword /