The record-union., 1896-06-25
A Radical Departure From Her Usual
Ultimatum Methods.
Much Significance Attached to the
Request as Indicating That the
United States is Party in Interest
in the Venezuelan Dispute, as Well
as in Future Controversies Regard
ing Territory on the American
Continent.

w uIlt coOA eAe'
Secretary Olney returns to the state
Department, and he is confidently ex-
pected tomorrow, he will receive from
Sir Julian Pauncefote, the British EN-
baSSador, a request from the BRUSH
Government to use his good offices with
Venezuela to secure the release from
i'm prisonment of Crown Surveyor Har-
rison, who is represented to have been
arrested by Venezuelan police While he
was engaged in constructing road
connecting the Barima and Cuyuinl
Rivers in the disputed territory.
This action of Great Britain is con-
sidered in diplomatic circles radical
departure from the usual methods
hitherto practiced on American repub-
lies, and much significance is attached
to this fact, as probably indicating the
considerable progress made toward an
arbitration agreement and the practl-
cal acknowledgment that the United
States is a party in interest in the
Venezuelan dispute, as well as in future
controversies regarding territory on the
American continent
While it is universally agreed that
the new incident is exceedingly un-
fortunate just at this juncture, there is
great diversity of opinion in fixing the
blame. The British Government has
the most indefinite knowledge of the
exact locality where the arrest took
place, although it is claimed that the
surveying party had no authority to go
outside of the territory occupied ex-
clusively by English authority.
The Venezuelans, however, find con-
N cd GsyQ
that Great Britain will appeal to Sec
not of so serious a nature as at first
apprehended. They place the whole
blame for whatever has occurred on
Joseph Chamberlains aggressive colo
NAL policy. They point to the fact that
under date Of December 10, 1894, they
cornglained to Secretary Gresham of
the proposed road upon which Surveyor
Harrison was employed, and called at
tention to the fact that as the route lay
in Venezuelan territory conflict would
be unavoidable. The appeal was eff
fective for the time being. The road
was abandoned until August of last
year, when the Secretary of State for
the Colonies, Sir Joseph Chamberlain,
sent to British Guiana his demand for
the colonies to raise funds for machine
guns, an increased police force and the
construction of the Barima road. This
was resisted by the Colonial Legisla-
ture, with the exception of defense
armament, until the arrival of the new
Governor from England a few months
ago, when they were induced to appro-
PIRATE for survey Of the road.
Venezuela now claims that the re-
sponsibility rests wholly with Great
Britain, after the warning to the For
eign Office through colonial as we'll as
through United States channels. 1t
is contended at the legation here that
the Venezuelan authorities who made
the arrest must of necessity have been
in their own territory, as they are not
permitted to cross the frontier under
any circumstances. The two English
ports are on the right bank of the
Cuyini and the left bank of the ANA
cura. Those Of Venezuela are directly
opposite them, and this statu quo has
been rigidly observed by the Venezue-
lans. In their opinion, Harrison must
have been arrested within the Vene-
zuelan line, and only after a warning
to keep out.
The Venezuelans to a man also are
aware that they have everything to
gain by peaceful methods, and it is in
credible to their friends here that they
could have SO diSobeyed orders as to
break the statu quo It is said, how
ever, that If Secretary Olney calls on
Venezuela in response to Great Brit
aims request, that a full report of the
affair will undoubtedly be forthcoming
as soon as the Caracas authorities can
investigate