The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-01-03
THE BOUNDARY LINE.
DOUBT THAT THE VENEZUELAN CON-
MISSION CAN LOCATE IT.
Meager Facts TO support Either Claimant.
The New National Library Building.
Senate Committee Rooms-Advantages
OF the Party In Power.

The New National Library Building.
Senate Committee Rooms-Advantage
OF the Party In Power.
WASHINGTON Jan 2.-lSpecial. Il
learn from high official sources that there Is
grave doubt whether or not the Venezuelan
boundary commission appointed by the
president will be able 60 locate a divisional
line between the possessions OF Great Bril-
tain and those Of Venezuela. 1t Is rather
an extraordinary state of affairs that SO lit.
tie actual evidence concerning the bound
airy In question Is available. The sugges.
tion has been made that the British gov.
eminent may have found important rec.
ords In the archives at Madrid. but this Is
pronounced impossible by Senior Andrade.
the Venezuelan minister here. Senior An
drade says all the Spanish records are
known TO his government He admits that
they do not set up an incontroveri BILE case.
but argues that the evidence much
stronger In support Of the clr> Of his
government than In favor OF the British
claims Senior Andrade looks upon IL as
quite probable that the commission will
have difficulty In locating line. In fact
1t is generally admitted that 1t cannot do
so except on the principle of equity
Lack of Documentary Evidence.
The British acquired their territory in
Guiana from the Dutch, and Venezuela &C
quired hers by attaining independence from
Spain. Great Britain took possession of
the establishments of Demerara, George
town and Essequibo, while the Venezu-
clans Inherited the captaincy general of
Venezuela, as the province was known to
the Spanish records. But the border be-
tween the Dutch possessions and the Span
ism was never fixed, and for a long time
there existed between them a wide stretch
of country uninhabited and then consider
ed undesirable. During the last century
settlement has made it's way into this strip
of territory from both sides, and naturally
both Venezuela and British Guiana have
set up claims to the soil. So far as the
original descriptions and surveys go the
United States commission will discover a
lamentable lack of evidence There are
some collateral facts which strongly sup
port the Venezuelan claim, but these are
not conclusive Some good lawyers who
have looked into the case think there is no
proper way to settle the matter except by
referring the question to an umpire, whose
decision would have to be based more upon
the rights acquired by settlement than
upon any actual title possessed by either
disputant.
IL this view of the case be taken by the
United States commission, of course Eng
land will be accorded large slice of the
disputed tract. Members of the cabinet
with whom have talked say they would
not consider it humiliation to this gov
eminent If the finding of the commission
should chance TO be in favor Of Great Brit
ain. On the contrary, they think that
would be evidence of our high mindedness
and honesty Of purpose. Other critics do
not take so mild view. They say that it
might at least have been better to ascer-
tain as nearly as possible what the facts
were before raising SO much excitement
all over the world over the danger of war.
A New Object of Interest.
The national capital has q new show
place Added to the White House, the
war and navy departments, the treasury,
the pension and patent Offices the Smith
sonian and national museum, the dead
letter Office, Cabin John bridge, the sur
gical and medical museum, the fish COM
mission and congress, is a new and most
brilliant attraction. l speak of the new
national library building, now nearly fin
ished and open daily TO visitors. Every
day hunSfeds of men and women throng
its spacious corridors, where the workmen
are still engaged putting in the marble
decorations, and go away delighted with
what they have seen and prouder than
ever of the country. No one can visit this
superb structure without a feeling that he
lives in great and progressive land. 1t
Is without any doubt the finest library
building in the world. 1t is, moreover,
one of the very fiIest specimens of archi-
lecture to be found anywhere on the globe
have travelled to some extent, and / am
free to say that this new library is the
most beautiful building 1 ever saw. The
new parliament house in Berlin Is next to
1t, but is excelled by the Washington struc-
ture in simplicity and grandeur. The two
palaces are not unlike. The only thing
dislike about the new library Is that the
architects who designed it are still petit
tioning congress for adequate payment for
their work.
Among the improvements talked of in
the national capitol Is an extensive water
power at the Great falls Of the Potomac.
Engineers report that there is <power
enough In the falls to furnish all tM cleo
trio light and power needed for the city of
Washington. 1t is proposed to run the
street cars and to light the city by means
Of electricity transmitted over the IA miles
Of line, problem presenting no difficult
ties that ye not been successfully over
come elsewhere. 1t Is also proposed to
make an effort to introduce in this city
light manufacturing Heavy manufactur
ing is not desired, and doubt If any sort
of factories will find encouragement among
the citizens.
Loss of Gorgeous Quarters.
Democratic senators are dreading the
loss OF their fine committee rooms In the
senate wing of the capitol. They mourn
the necessity which compels them to give
up their gorgeous quarters within the cap
itol itself and seek accommodations i'm the
senate annex or Maltby building, which
stands across the park and a street, several
hundred feet from the senate chamber
That Is one of the advantages of control
ling the organization of the senate. The
senators of the party in power all get COM
mittee chairInanships and committee
rooms In the capitol. The minority mem
bers, with a few favored exceptions, are
compelled to go outside for their rooms
In fine weather this is no great hardship,
but when the storms beat down upon the
capitoline hill the minority senators plod
through snow or rain with anything but