The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-01-16
CANNOT COMPROMISE
Venezuela's Attitude in Her Con-
troversy with England.
CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION,

The Republic Cannot Yield Any Part OF
Her Territory without Violating the
Principles Upon Which the Republic
Was Founded.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.-New and impor
tant information on the Venezuelan ques.
tion, having direct bearing upon the pos
sibilities of settlement of the boundary
dispute by the two interested governments
without the assistance of other powers,
and seemingly discounting the probability
Of such an ending to the controversy, is
pointed out by Mr. Heatwole, of Mime
sofa, a member of the house committee ON
foreign affairs
The British government, according to
the most recent, and apparently inspired,
utterances of its semi-official organs has
turned to the policy of bringing about a
resumption of diplomatic relations with
the South American republic, and then
proceeding to direct negotiations with the
republic to determine the boundary, as the
most feasible path by which it can emerge
from it's present position without prac-
tical retraction of Lord Salisbury's refusal
to arbitrate.
In the light of precedents established by
her most distinguished authorities it is
difficult to see how the government Oh
Venezuela can consent to enter upon any
agreement to compromise her territorial
claims with Great Britain, or, as it has
been suggested by recent London dis
patches, to part with any portion Of her
claims for financial consideration, for
no less an authority than Guzman Blanco
is ON record as declaring such u course to
be distinctly unconstitutional.
Mr.. Heatwole, who has given some at
tention to the Venezuelan question, has
procured Il copy Of an important document
published in 1887 for the government of
Venezuela, embracing all the correspond
ence between its representatives and those
of Great Britain upon diplomatic matters
between the two governments from the
years 1888 to 1887, when the most active
efforts TO reach determination Of the
boundary line were under way.
In this correspondence Venezuela re
peatedly affirms, by her minister of for
eign affairs, Rafael Seiias, and afterward by
Guzman Blanco, acting in the capacity Of
special envoy, that it is impossible for her
to compromise the boundary claims by
any treaty or convention because Of the
laws of her national constitution. 1t was
! her adherence to this position that largely
frustrated the attempts to arrange "a gen
eral treaty between the two governments
and seems to have led to the severance of
diplomatic relations in 1887.
This proposition was most clearly enun-
ciated by Guzman Blanco in 1883, when in
a memorandum to Lord Salisbury then
foreign secretary, he says:
"Venezuela has repeatedly held forth to
Great Britain her impossibility to ALLEVIATE
any part whatever of the territory Of the
republic such a thing being explicitly pro
hibited by the constitution, SO that there
remains but arbitration for bringing the
dispute about the boundary to an end"
This was partly in answer to the British
offer of 1881 of a compromise boundary,
and it appears further from the CORE
spondence that the Venezuelan govern.
ment of that day regarded any settlement
by treaty involving the relinquishment ol
part of her claims as under the cOnstitu
tional prohibition of alternating her lands
In 1884 General Guzman Blanco went
to England as a special envoy to settle the
differences, and in q memorandum to Sin
Julian Pauncefote, then secretary of the
foreign office, he said of the boundary
question:
'The states of the confederation of Ven
ezuela bind themselves to ALLEVIATE to n,
foreign power any part of their territory
Therefore it is impossible for them to maxi
or accept any treaty in which are no
recognized the same limits which in th
year 1910 belonged to the former captainc,
general of Venezuela.
Venezuela now proposes instead o
the arbitration of friendly power tn
sentence of a commission of jurists com
posed of persons chosen respectively by tn
parties, to decide according to the merit
of the proofs adduced, and each side to los
the territory to which it had no right"
Earl Granville in reply informed hin
that the plan of commission presente
constitutional difficulties and the pla
was dropped from the discussion. In it
place came general treaty, which SCENE
about to be completed when the govern
ment changed. Lord Salisbury succeede
Granville, and he expressly disavowed an
construction of the treaty or understand
ing by which it could apply to the bounc
airy dispute, so the whole negotiation fe
y.