The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-16
Correspondence Between the Repub-
lie and Great Britain ON the SUBJ
ject from the Year 1883 TO 1887.
NO CHANCE FOR COMPROMISE
UNLESS VENEZUELA CHANGES THE
POLICY SHE HAS PURSUED.
President Guxman Blanco's Letters to
Lord Granyille-The Monroe
Doctrine Resolution.

| ton, having direct bearing on the possi-
| bilities of settlement of the boundary dis
! pute by the two interested governments
| without the assistance OF any other powers,
| and seemingly discounting the probability
| of such an ending to the controversy was
to-day pointed out by Mr.. Heatwole, of
| Minnesota, a member of the House COM
mittee on foreign affairs. The British gov
! ernment, 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 bound
ary as the most feasible path by which it
| can emerge from its present position with
| out formal retraction of Lord Salisbury S
| refusal to arbitrate. In the light of prece-
| dents established by her most distinguished
| authorities, it is difficult to how the
! government of Venezuela can consent 10
enter upon any agreement to compromise
her territorial claims TO Great Britain. or.
as it has been suggested by recent London
dispatches. to part with any portion of her
claims for a financial consideration, for no
less an authority than Guzman Blanco Is
on record as declaring such a course to be
distinctly unconstitutional.
Mr.. Heatwole, who has given some atten-
ton to the Venezuelan question, has pro-
cured a copy of an important document pub
lished in 1887 for the government of Vene-
zuela. embracing all the correspondence be-
tween its representatives and those of Great
Britain on the diplomatic matters between
the two governments from the year 1888 to
1887, when the most active efforts to reach
def ina inn Of he We
under way. In this correspondence Vene-
zuela repeatedly affirms, by her Minister of
Foreign Affairs Rafael Seijas, and after
ward by Guzman Blanco, acting in the ca
pacity of special envoy, that it is impossible
for her~to compromise the boundary claims
by any treaty or convention, because of the
terms of her national constitution. 1t was
her adherence to this position that largely
frustrated the attempts to arrange general
treaty between the two governments, and
seems to have led to the severance of dip
lomatic relations in 1887.
PLAINLY STATED.
This proposition was most clearly enun-
ciated by Guzman Blanco, In 1883, when in a
memorandum to Lord Salisbury, then For
eign Secretary, he says: Venezuela has re-
peatedly held forth to Great Britain her
impossblity to ALLEVIATE any part whatever
OF the territory of the republic, such
thing being explicitly prohibited by the con-
stitution, so that there remains but arbitra-
tion 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 correspond
ence that the Venezuelan government of
that day regarded any settlement by treaty,
involving the REIMBURSEMENT of part of her
claim as under the constitutional prohibi-
ton Of alternating her lands.
The correspondence begins with a letter
written Oct. 10. 1888. by c. f. Mansfield, the
British minister at Caracas, who says that
he ne is instructea by Lord Granville TO in
government to the questions now pending
between Great Britain and Venezuela" and
state tnat G IN dns OPTION ibS OF ner
early settlement of them should be arrived
at" The questions are stated to be: First,
the boundary between Venezuela and Brit
imposed on imports from British colonies;
third, the claims of the British creditors of
the republic. Mr.. Mansfield also writes:
Her Majestys government considers that
the questions to which Lord Granville re-
fers should be dealt with a whole, and /
am insoruC,eu ita 80 -, snmito nae;,. aetsIai
ment of them.
Rafael Seijas, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
the invitation to negotiate a treaty, but in
cidentally says: THE government was
anxious to overcome, by any means what
tuition or fundamental law of the republic
presents to the celebration OF treaties of
boundaries. 1t denies most implicitly TO its
high powers the faculty of alternating or
making cession of the smallest part of the
territory under the recognized dominion OF
the republic. in no case or manner what
ever even IL II were as an indemnifcatfon
in exchange"
Under date of March 20, 1894, Mr.. Mans
field says that he is instructed to state
aoV1f Dc not fnf M mi
that the boundary question should be re-
ferred to arbitration, and replying a few
days later Mr.; seijas resfhrms MS position, on
republic forbids all alterations OF terri
tory; and, there is a disagreement be-
tween the two sides as to the extent of
territory belonging 10 each. the decision OF
an arbitrator alone could determine whethey
the pretension of this country has or has
not any foundation" He refers fs.s Il to va various
mitted the questions of limits to ARBITRATOR,
and asks her TO without losing sight OF
the constitutional situation of Venezuela,
kindly select and point out another accept
able way of obtaining a settlement of this
difficulty, which the republic so anxiously
A BRITISH POINT
Mr. Mansfield. writing April s. 1894. ques-
toned whether a district about the SOW
ereignty OF which, since the earliest days
of the republic of Venezuela. there has ex-
listed a discussion with a foreign power, is
to be regarded as forming so internal a
portion of the territory of the republic as
TO preclude the possibility within the lim-
its of the constitution of a rectiication of
frontier by treaty" Continuing, he adds:
II make use of the latter term with in
tention and advisedly: the question appears
to me one essentially of rectihcation of
frontier, for neither in the proposals of
Lord Aberdeen nor in those made by Lord
Granville TO Senior Rojas, does her Majesty's
government suggest that the whole of the
territory, which at one time was assumed
to be comprised in our possessions as In
herited from the Dutch. should now be de-
clared to be British territory
In reply, Seijas wrote: "All the constitu-
tions OF Venezuela have established that her
limits are the same which in 1916 belonged
to the captaincy general OF Venezuela Ac-
cording to those of 1890 and 1857 Congress
had the power 10 decree the alienation the
exchange or the acquisition OF territory. in
that of 1853 IT is stated that no portion
of territory could pass through alienation
TO the dominion Of another power but that
this rule should not be an obstacle TO the
accommodations which might become indis-
pensable for the fixing OF the boundaries
OF the republic with other neighboring coun-
tries long no village should lose its
nationality through the same Venezuela
and Great Britain have equal rights In the
question which is being ventilated II the
republic yielded any part OF her pretension
she would acknowledge the superiority Of
fha Rrifieh claim ho VII cI