St. Paul daily globe., 1896-01-16

sistance of any other powers, and SEEM
ingly discounting the probability of
such an ending to the controversy, was
today pointed out by Mr. Heatwole, of
Minnesota, member of the house COM
mittee on foreign affairs. The British
government, according to the most
recent and apparently inspired utter
ances of it's 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
boundary, as the most feasible path by
which it can emerge from its present
position without a practical retraction
of Lord Salisbury's refusal to arbitrate
In the light of precedents tabIished
by her most distinguished authorities
it is difficult to see how the govern
ment Of Venezuela can consent to enter
upon any agreement to compromise
her territorial claims with Great Brit
ain, or, as it has been suggested by
recent London dispatches, to part with
any portion of her claims for finan-
cial consideration, for no less an au-
thority than Guzman Blanco is on rec
ord as declaring such a course to be
distinctly unconstitutional.
Mr.. Heatwole,N who has given some
attention to the Venezuelan question.
has procured a copy of an important
document published in 1887 for the
government of Venezuela, embracing
all the correspondence between it's rep
resentatives and those of Great Brit
ain 6in1Oro a fi, OFT hat
two governments from the years 1889
TO 1887, when the most active efforts
to reach a determination Of the bound
ary line were under way.
NO COMPROMISE.
In this correspondence Venezuela re-
peatedly affirms, by her minister of
foreign affairs, Rafael Seiias. and aft
erWards by Guzman Blanco, acting in
the capacity of special envoy, that
IL is impossible for her to compromise
the boundary claims by any treaty or
convention, because of the terms of her
national constitution. It was her ad-
herence to this position that largely
frustrated the. attempts to arrange a
general treaty between the two govern
ments, and seems to have led to the
severance @ of diplomatic relations in
1881. This proposition was clearly enun-
c1ated by Guzmans Blanco in 1888. in
memorandum to Lord Salisbury. It
appears further that the Venezuelan
government of that day regarded any
settlement by treaty involving the re-
hnqu1shment of part of her claims
as under the constitutional prohibition
of alternating her lands.
The correspondence began with a let
ter written Oct. 15, 1888, by G. E. Mans
field, the British minister at Caracas,
who says he is instructed by Lord
Granville ito invite the serious atten-
ton OF the Venezuelan government to
the questions now pending between
Great Britain and Venezuela" and ito
state that it is, In the opinion Of her
majesty's government, desirable that an
early settlement of them should be ar
rived at" The questions are stated
to be: First, the boundary between Ven
ezuela and British Guiana; second
the differential duties imposed on Inn
ports from British colonies; third, the
claims of the British creditors of the
republic. Mr.. Mansfield also wrote
Her majesty's. government also con-
s1ders that the questions to which Lord
Granville refers should be dealt with as
a whole, and I am instructed to say
that they attach great Importance to
simultaneous settlement of. them"
ONLY ONE WAY.
Rafael Seijas, minister foreign af-
fairs, replied to the note. cordially ac-
cepting the invitation to negotiate a
treaty, but incidentally saying: 1.-THE
government was anxious to overcome
by any means whatever the serious diff
ficulty which the constitution or funda-
mental law of the republic presents to
Coutfnued on sEssth pace