The morning times., 1896-01-25
IN SHAPE TO BEGIN WORK
Venezuelan Ill Commission Holds
- Its First Session.
rssa~ra
ROUTINE is MAPPED OUT
State Department Requested to Fur
nish All Official Documents in It's
Archives Bearing Upon the Ques-
tion In Hand-Geograp phical Maps
Furnished by Geological Survey.

The Venezuela commission, all its MEM
bers and its secretary attending. held prac-
tically It's first formal business session in
it's temporary quarters yesterday, and
made matters of record the results accom-
plished by its members acting independently
the pas two weeks. 1t was found that con-
siderable valuable informa tion both geo.
graphical, historical and of a legal na-
ture, had beea accumulated through the
efforts OF the commissioners working in
special lines, and that valuable collections
bearing on their work now in public and pri-
vate libraries would be made accessible
whenever desired.
great. mass of material had already
accumulated and the commission had no
doubt now that evidence sufficient 10 sup
port definite decisions. would toe fertile ON
ing. The principal formal action today
was Il direction issued TO the secretary TO
request the. Department of State TO furnish
the commission all the information bearing
on the Question now in its archives.
DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE
Secretary olney has already signified his
Willingness to place all the official docu-
nients of The Department at the disposal OF
great amount of diplomatic correspondence
much of which has hitherto been considered
confidential, will be made available. The
commission asked that the documents be
delivered after Monday next, when the per-
manent quarters viii be occupied, and when
safes win be provided to contain all articles
OF extreme value.
The building in which the commission
is located is the most thoroughly fire
proof in Washington, and nothing has been
left urdone to make absolutely secure all
material loaned to the commission. JUS
tice Brewer was compelled to leave the
session at noon, after nearly two hours
Attendance, i'll order to sit on the Supreme
Court bench when ex-President Harrison
argued the case in which he is counsel.
just before he left Director Charles ID.
walcott of the Geological Survey, ac-
companied by Marcus Baker, the chief
geological expert of the government, was
admitted to the session to deliver and ex-
plain the elaborate maps of the physical
conditions Of Senezuela and the northern
part of South America, upon wfsrh the
survey has been engaged for the past two
weeks under the direction OF Commissioner
Gilman.
BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS.
These maps, which are blank as far as
political divisions are concerned, give al
most infintesimal details of the rivers,
ridges, paths, mines, and settlements of the
disputed country and upon them as bases
all other maps OF historical Importance will
be studied. Director Wolcott and his ex-
perts are always within easy call OF the
commission for geographical advice.
The regular weekly conferences of the
commission are not to u disturbed by
visitors, rule having been made to that
effect On other days one or more of the
commissioners, as well as the secretary,
will always be In attendance 10 receive
evidence, advice or applications for infor-
nation. Several members of Congress,
among them Mr.. Livingston of Georgia
and number of attorneys, were con-
fronted by this rule today.
Justice Brewer on his way to the Capitol
after today's meeting, told reporter of
the United Press that the commission was
making excellent progress that while the
great interest taken by the public in its
proceedings was fully recognized and ap-
preciated, 1t would be extremely injudicious
TO attempt to make public bits of evidence
in haphazard way which might be exceed
ingly misleading and injurious to the work
In hand.
The commission would not rest until it
had secured sufficient information to en-
able an exhaustive consideration of the
merits OF the controversy, aud in this it
hoped 10 have the cordial cooperation of
all even remotely concerned. Then as
speedily as possible a judicial determina-
tion .wand be seeured.--