The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-20
THE VENEZUELAN BOUNDARY
TREATY.

Were it not for the all absorbing in
terest in Cuba. the Venezuelan ques-
ton would attract far more attention
than it does. News from Caracas
makes it evident that the Venezuelans
do not like the terms of the settlement
arranged between this country and
Great Britain for the settlement of the
boundary dispute. They gladly well
coined the interference. but they do
not so gladly welcome the settlement;
they feel that their country has been
a secondary consideration all the way
through. A Venezuelan of more or less
prominence says that the American
government has looked largely to its
own interests in arranging the terms of
settlement, and that it has not full
filed it's promise.
Minister Andrade and Mr.. Storrow,
chief counsel for Venezuela, are re-
turning to Washington and bear with
them the protocol upon which the An
gloVenezuelan treaty is to be based.
While this is said to have the sanction
of the Venezuelan cabinet. it must still
have the sanction of the Venezuelan
congress before it can become oper-
alive
All this indicates that a hitch is pos
sible. If it should occur, what would
be the attitude of this government to-
wards the Caracas government? Would
it necessarily be that of protectorate?
The English papers have claimed right
along that protectorate was the log
zeal result of the course pursued by
this government OF course. nothing
is more. certain in politics than that
actual results are most generally quite
different from logical results; in fact,
logical results are about the last thing
that happen in politics or anything
else. If the United States do not choose
to assume a protectorate over Vene-
zuela. they cannot be compelled to.
So far as we have observed, but one
paper in this country has taken the
stand that the United States have as
suined protectorate over Venezuela.
That paper is the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
1t says:
1t is not unnatural that the people of
Venezuela should chafe a little under
the virtual protectorate, in information
al affairs, of the United States. The
American people would not like the
idea of being protected from interna-
tional robbery by the Intervention of
some other nation. For instance, sup
posing Russia should say to Great
Britain: You shall not wrest from
the United States any part of Alaska.
except as it may be adjudged yours by
arbitration" The United States would
probably give Russia to understand
that it might mind its own business:
this country could take care of itself.
But Venezuela is a very small nation.
and what would be inadmissible in one
case is clearly right and necessary in
the other The United States is a more
powerful nation than all Latin America
would be if united in one republic Be-
tween the Rio Grande and Cape Horn
there is not the making of an equal to
the United States. And Venezuela is
one of the smaller of the many nations
south of us. Its area is small, its popu-
laJtion smaller. and il would be down.
right madness for ii to reject the
friendly overtures of the United States.
If a protectorate has been assumed.
then it is the duty of this country 10
see that the country over which it has
been assumed performs its obligations.
It would no doubt be as CALLING to
Venezuela to do the viii OF the United