The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-06-06


In it the Secretary traced the various
efforts made by Venezuela to arrive at
settlement of the boundary dispute and of
the United States to secure its submission
to arbitration, bringing the history down
to the latter part Of the year, when the
important features of the situation were
summarized by him as follows
l. The title to territory of indefinite,
but confessedly very large extent, is in dis
pute between Great Britain and Venezuela.
,. The disparity in strength of the
parties is such that Venezuela can hope
to enlist her claim only through peaceable
means.
3. The controversy has existed for
half century, despite Venezuela's efforts
to establish boundary.
T. Venezuela for qnarter of CEN
tury has striven for arbitration.
5. Great Britain has continuously re-
fused, except upon the remuneration in her
favor of large part of Venzuela claims.
6. The United States has made it
clear to Great Britain and the world by
frequent interposition of good offices that
the controversy is one in which its honor
and its interests are involved, and the con-
tinuanee of which it cannot regard with
indifference.
To this communication of Secretary
Olney's, the Marquis of Salisbury dis
patched to our government the reply of
Great Britain, in the shape of two notes.
Both were dated the same day (Novem-
Der 26th, 1895, the one of the most i'm
portance being the one which is directed
to Secretary Olney, as in it Salisbury goes
broadly into diagnosis of the Monroe
Doctrine and its application to the dispute
that caused the correspondence.
This communication is as lengthy a.
that of Secretary Olney's, and only few
salient points can be quoted We review
only number of the most important:
l. The dangers which were appre.
hended by President Monroe have no re.
lation to the state of things in which We
live at the present day. There is ne
danger of any Holy Alliance imposing it.
system upon any portion of the American
continent, and there is no danger of any
European state treating any part of the
American continent as fit object fol
European colonization.
,. "'The disputed portion of Venezuli
has nothing to do with any of the ques
tions dealt with by President Monroe
1t is not a question of the colonization by
an European power of any portion O
America. 1t is no imposition upon the
communities of South America of any
system of government devised by Europe
1t is simply the determination of the from.
tier of British possession which belonged
to the throne of England long before the
republic of Venezuia came into existence. -
3. Though the language of President
Monroe is directed to the attainment Of
objects which most Englishmen would
agree to be salutary, it is impossible tC
admit that they have been inscribed by
any adequate authority in the code of in.
ternational law; and the danger which such
admission would involve is sufficiently ex
hibited both by the strange development
which the document has received at Mr.
Olney's hands, and the arguments by
which it is supported. in dispatch unde
reply.
This reply of England Premier being
considered by the American government
as final and one In which he bluntly re.
fused to submit the matter to arbitration,
OR to lessen the British claim to any ex.
tent, engendered an angry feeling through.
out the American republic, and aroused
the Chief Elective of the nation to sense
of duty in the matter that required him tt
present the merits of the controversy tc
the American Congress and people in an
able and dignifed special message on the
18th of December, the merits of which
and the recommendation therein contained
we will present to the public in part the
fifth of our article.
Pikesrlie, Nd, June 1896.