The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-02-14

lurHI UeSluN EbnlIi'.l't' 'iS Hi''t
n thc decisive results Of intelligcn
40 British opinion on the Venezuela
q question. and demonstrated again tina
Mt Stanley is right when he says that il
or no other way but by such visoron
t. message as Clevcland's, compelling
vi popular attention to the subject, coult
y serious consequences have been avert
&c ed. For years while it was left o.
10 Eng part as q purely admins
n trative matter, the difficulty dragged
If along with steadily extending B,itisi
is aggression. and growingly insolcnt re
:. fusal to consider anybody else rights,
!. eliminating in Salisbury's refusal tc
h arbitratc anything but what he chose
II to carve out of the dispute
t Then came Cleveland's "call. and
s the British people looked into the
g matter and as soon as they dld so they
Q made short work of the Tory prcten
4 sions and sophistres and insoences.
They have magnificcntyj the
faith the Reformer expressed in them
two months agowhcn il said they would
$ never permit war to he inaugurated
over any such Stiffness as 4 refusal to
arb itratc u disputed iGostion,' and
the Tories would have to arbitratc or
be upset in favor of the Liberals who
would. At that time English public
sentiment seemed to be unanimous in
support of Salisbury's arrogance. Now
Salisbury and his Tory followers may
fairly be SAID to be undignifid in their
headlong haste TO keep up with the
Liberals in calling for arbitration and
amicablc adiustmentan all because
the British masses, now that they I'M
derstand the merits of the question, as
not ono in 1000 did before Clcveland's
message. will not tolerate anything
else. 1t is one of the grandcst demon
strations in all history OF the saving |
power Of democracy, of the virtue and
justice that resides in popular rule, as
distinguished from any other of more
limited character,
The Queens speech at the opening
of Parliament, really the official pro.
nouncement of the cabinet, stated that
the United States had expressed a
wish to cooperate in bringing To-
close tho difficulties AS it did in pro-
posing the arbitration which Salisbury
refused and II have expressed my
sympathy with the desire to come TO
an equitable arrangement. and ! trust
that further negotiations will lead Ia a
satisfactory settlement Sir WIN,
Vernon Harcourt. the Liberal leader ,
in the Commons, speaking for that
great and high idealled parts, left no
possible doubt of its position. He
admitted the right Of this government ,
to cooperate in any settlement and the ,
justice and applicability of the Monroe {
doctrine, continuing amid loud cheers /
The United States, following tins wise teach !
ings of Washington, have declared that they I
would not interfere in Euro can affairs, but II is
territorial and political rights of the American =
cannot under stand why Englands
feelings should he RULED by that. "A
1t cannot be denied that the ownership of =,
portion of the disputed territory is doubtful. 1t
is the business of dipomacy to settle the matter. Z
1t Is not credtablc that the question should be a
allowed TO tester until II shall break into dan n
-crous sore, breeding bad blood between the 4
Two great nations. 1t is the first duty of the gos
to aadori measure without delay to \
heal the trouble. The country without distinc ii,
ion Of party demands the carlic.t solution OF v
he question. There are two methods of settle Il
ncnt. One Ivy an amicabic convention setting p
I'd urrlair
aimed, what objection can there he 10 refer :,
,ncc to the arbitration Of third power The q
United States and Great Britain, to their honor, Il
profess 10 be great advocates of arbitration Il
throughout the world, There are questions be- -,
'ond tho reach of Arbitration; This Is not one VI
II them. According to Lord salisbury dispatch 81
# November, 1t is question OF the limitation Of A.
lou ought not to be too strict and -
rbitrary. 1t is not for one party 10 dispute to d
cine what Is In dispute. "
These are the words of the loftiest 1t
reaching we'll towards :,
summers conception of the true gran 4
eur of nations, the craftsmanship that "
ccognizcs the laws Of right and honor b,
mong nations as we'll as individuals \,
nd that seeking justice can afford to n,
Luorc the clamor of mere lingoism. &C
tut Arthur ]. Balfour thu Tory leader in NJ
he Commons was hut little behind ~ ~
larcourt: tr,
II is Impossible to ioresec what general con ey
usions the American commission or those who me-,
C inquiring into the business there may arrive -
F. but ! am certain that every one, American ISt
British, who Is impartiay considering the ia
biect will be convinced that there never has @
zen and Is not now the slightest intention on =,
c part of England to eventually attack the sub Il r
ancc of the Monroe doctrine. No illegitmatc t.
nbtion nor unworthy greed for territory or b.,
sire to step beyond the due limits of frontiers t'
the empire has ever animated the British ".
cy throughout this long controversy; The lar
untry anu inc Pubic ophion ol ine WplIu VIII sOr
nit of q general system of arbitration. If that
all be the result of these controversies shall
Ell that all the evil dono will have been more
IN compensated for, and that u permanent :
arantec of the good will of the English speak 4.
, peoples on both sides of the Atlantic will -
We been obtained for all time. DO!
In the House of Lords Roscbery and trli
lisbury. speaking for the two par nar
s. took the same ground, making it Co,
,ar beyond pcradycnturc that what Ma
or the method may be. the dispute pee
going to be settled peacefully. ero
comes lne pubiIca- pur
m of the correspondence showing by
at this ground has been reached stoi
ambassador Bayard eli
ne weeks ago transmitted tn Sails nc,
ry the invitation of the commission
st organized in this country. to in.
stigatc the question. that England -
ice before it any documents, maps
other information or evidence in her
session bearing upon the boundary
,,1 Ill, 81, |