Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1896-02-21

II London, Feb. IS.--Ihe arbitration de
20 bate In the house Of commons yesterday
and the proposal Of the Times CORES
e pendent in the United States. Mr.. Geo
e w. Smalley, that Great Britain SHOULD
c appoint a commission of its own, con
2 sisting oftwo members, which should
work in conjunction with two Ameri-
S cans, as a new Venezuela boundary COM
e mission, not to fix the boundary, but to
T. ascertain the facts and report to their
/ governments, are the leading subjects
for editorial comment this afternoon,
especially as Mr.. Smalley's proposal for
a joint commission is supposed to have
originated with the cabinet at Wash
ington.
The Pail Mall Gazette says: "The
Atherly Jones amendment (deploring
the absence of announcement in the
queens speech in favor of arbitrating
the Venezuelan disputel could not do
good and might do great deal of harm.
Mr.. Atherly Jones is old enough to
know that the interference os the house
| of commons In matters under diplomatic |
treatment must be intolerable. The |
amendment, implying censure of the |
government, would infallibly have been
negatived by large majority and would
have thus defeated its own ends and
have conveyed to the United States an
entirely fallacious impression of hostil-
ity. This, on the morning of the very
promising suggestion of Mr. Smalley,
might have been a very serious calami-
ty. Fortunately no harm has been done.
The house saw it had been on the verge
of an indiscretion and wisely began
talking of something else"
The Westminster Gazette says it
symPathizes with the object of the
Atherly Jones amendment, adding, a
however, "but it was clearly desirable C
after MIR. Balfour's appeal and Sir vii c
liam Vernon Harcourt's speech, that it
should not be persevered in. for its GER fl
ain rejection would have been inter 8
oreted in America as demonstrating r
hat the House of Commons did not
avor arbitration This would have been .
thousand pities, with the delicate nego-
iations proceeding and with every hope ~
hat modus vivendi will be found.' =
The St. James Gazette agrees that Mr.. ~
Salfour's Intervention in the debate yes ~
erday, in order to end it, was justifable,
nd says but Sir William Harcourt's az
tterances on arbitration go great deal
nrther than is justified by the feeling IN
ere. The Chronicle and Sir William nj
Iarcourt most mi>cheviously declare 10
,at The country = ,no,ir,o,s for ,rhi tn
alton, without specifying what arbitra- 10
on. Nothing but harm can come of
his mystifcation. Another ambiguity
as introduced by Mr.. Smaley's sugges-
on, which seems to be entirely prema- Hr
ire until some arrangement has been m
fected with Venezuela that occupation -,
lall be the basis of settlement" n.
The Globe says it is not surprising to 8.
arm that the scheme commends itself -
President Cleveland and his Minis. ID
RS, continuing: "They have taken up DC
itenable ground and virtually ask our '''
sistance to enable them to retire grace o9
lily. 1t is often good policy to build a on
'lden bridge for any adversary; but it :"
ust not be too costly, and the cost in
e present instance is too great and 1t
is the fatal defect that 1t places the
terests of British subjects and terri me
ry claimed by Venezuela absolutely in. Tr
c hands of an unknown foreigner cia
ais sacrifice President Cleveland has inc
right to call for from us. America VIII
S no corresponding interests to put at set
Ike as an equivalent, and we cannot to
nsent to leave the position and pro- I
rty of 10000 Englishmen at the of
.rcy of a Swiss, Belgian or Scandi- the
Wan arbitrator" tina
London, Feb. Go.-A Washington dis VIII
tch to the Times warns the English kne
yernment against delay in responding rev
the overtures indicated in the cores. Lat
ndent's dispatch of yesterday, which nue.
Fe an outline of plan for a joint com fine
ssion on the Venezuelan dispute of +
tish and American members, which at c
said would DC acceptable to The United t
ties is OF
The danger isl says the Times cor viii
pendent, "that the public will not saw
port this new departure so readily as lble
did President Cleveland's message. eigh
1. 4.