The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1896-01-15

no intention to nccupy or encroaoh upon
the territory in dispute"
! Venezuela accordingly gave the desired
assurance, and thus vas established the
celebrated status quo Of 1880, which Ven
ezuela has always adhered to In good faith,
and which England, during tho last dozen
years, has violated without scruple OF
| bounds-
On Sspt. 10, 1881, Lord Granville, in a
note to Senior Rojer, vcnsauela's diplo-
matte agent In England, suggested On
agreement on a boundary line to begin
| ON the csa.st 80 miles cast from the mouth
Ct the rirer DnTina. The starting point
thus intk Gated Is we'll to the east OF the
Orinoco mouth, aud, In fact Granville ex-
plicitly suited that he had endsavored to
satisfy the reasonable preensions and
claims Of Venezuela, giving to her the 60
called DnrGnneiles OF the Orinoco and the
complete dominion OF It's mouth.
England Repudixted the Treaty.
| Then followed tho memorable events
| lending to Guzman Blanco's mission to
| England his actual negotiation of q
treaty embracing the arbitration principle
| and tho subsequent population of that
treaty by England. In 1881 Venezuela
| imposed an additional duty OF 30 pOr cent
on all n!erc handiSe from tho British colo.
nies. This was intended ~ an aggressive
lnoye,nsnS for .crippling British West In
dian trade. 1t had tho desired effect. Tho
British governments thcreupon invited
Venezuela t. send u diplomatic Representa-
aive Of high rank to London for tho pur
pose OF settling all questions at issuo b.
tween the Ovo countries. and Guzman
Blauco WIS dipa,chod accordingly. After
| protructed Negotiations ho induced Lord
Granville. ON June IL, 1885, to approve a
treaty which, provided (article 15) that
| any differences between Veneuola and
EnSland which could not bo adjusted In
ordinary ways should le settled ny nrbi-
trntion. but on July 81 Of the same year
Lord Salisbury. tie Tories having come
into power meantime informed General
Blanco that ITO engage to refer to arbitrn-
eion all disputes and controversies what-
soeter would be without precedent in the
troa.ies luade by Great BritniA. Questions
might nrise, suoh as those involving the
tit!s Of the British CROWN to territory or
other sovereign rights. which her majesty 4
government could DOT pledge themselves
beforehand to refer 10 arbitration.
TherofUN Lard Salisbury deliberately re-
pudLtcd tho Granville treaty, and all sub.
soquenv efforts 10 revive 1t wero unavail-
Ing
But Notwithstanding this hnrsh action
tho Liberal ministry. which SOON took the
plsce of Salisbury's government, showed q
Hicrur{e&rr, TN tNo t,>f, -
British pretension to sovereignty ut the
mouth of thu Orinoco. Lord Roasbery, on
July 20. 1855, wrote in spirit Of concilia-
ton, proposing boundary limo starting
somewhere to tho east Of tho Orinoco
mouth, meraly remarking that her nnjcsty
attached rpecinl Importance to the posses
sion Of thu river GnaimA. with the proviso,
however, that tho river Orinoco should be
"sa,tirsly FREQ to commerce navigation"
Tho foregoing detailed review Of tho his.
t0rifzsl aspoc,s OF highlands claim appears
b show that Lord Salisbnry's present IN
s!stence on the Schomburgk line rs the
boundary between Dri*ish Guiana and
Vonczuela is merely tho development Of
an arbitrary course determined on within
tho past ton years, in conten,pt Of tho
traditions and also the formal record made
In tho ~ years from 1914 TO 1885,
In justification of Eng'aDds present at
titude IL Is now urged that tho territorial
limits have always boon IN debate; that
sho has really claimed all the time do
minion ~ far west on tho coast ns Point
Dasin,a; that the various AbNrdQGp, Gran
vll!s and Rnsrbsry ooA,pro,ni.e PROPOSE
tions were only tentative and concilintory
and never SURRENDERED England's real
claim to joint ownership Of the Orinooo
mouth, which claim she has cvn- bean
prepared to assert and establish. and that,
In View Of her recognized do fncto oocupa-
tion, for ten years Of ell tho country cost VI
tho Schonburgk limo, shc should not be
asked TO submit the proprietorship Of that
country TO arbitration NOW.
Such is tsaSut Britain's defense. vene-
suela'a sole reply ia that this contention,
while worry convenient fur the interests of
England, utterly igrnrts har own national
rights, which arr founded on historical
truths who's. great weight nobody in his
senses can doubt.
E1-Ninisser scruSEs Views,
william l.. acruggs, for many years
United Stnsss minister to Brazil, in a late
magazine article on tho subject, says:
"Tbe real issue involved IN tho present
phase OF the controversy between England
and vcnezncln ia very simple. Briefly
stated, II Is about this: Whether, under
pretaxts afforded BY the Incidents Of
boundary dispute which she has persist
emily refused 70 settle upon any Just or
reasonable basis, Great Britain shall be-
permitted to dismMnber m American re-
public, menace tho safety Of others ada.
cent, aud thus 70 Indefinitely extend her
colonial system On this continont In open
violation Of public law and In total disro-
gnrd OF the principles Of tho Monroe doc
tfine.
"Fhis language may seein little
strong. coming as It does from an impaY-
tlnl source, but it will be found to be
fully justified by tho facts and circum-
stnncnu Of tho case. II Is AN axiom of in
tcrnational ethics, sanctioned by general
usSg,. that all boundary disputes arising
from imperfect surveys or from adverse
constructions Of treaty provisions, or
which turn exclusively upon ascertainnbie
historical fao.s, OF which involve questions
Of prescriptivo right, are, in tho last resort,
properly refgrabIs to Joint commission
or n outside friendly arbitration. The
present ease fnlls clearly within these pro-
Visions and should constitute no axcep-
ton
A Queer Cemete1y.
A correspondent Of tho Boston Traveller
dcecribes tho queer cemetery Of the Mexi-
can city of Guanaj ,ato There Is hardly
room In Guanajuato for the living, 80 II
behoovcs her people to exercise rigid econ
ony in the disposition of her dead. The
burial place Is on the top Of a steep hill,
which overlooks the oity, and consists Of
an area ENCLOSED by what appears from the
outside TO he high wall, but which dis