The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-01-25

nation of a vOluminOuS historical
! record. the president felt that Mr.. Oh
ney. then attorney general. had much
| more leisure for work of this sort than
the secretary of state, and so the presi-
dent decided 20 intrust the task TO Mr..
Olney. This was doRe about the mid
die of April. Secretary Gresham was
shortly afterward taken i'll and had To
leave the city for time. After re
turning TO his desk he was stricken
with his last illness. Judge Gresham
died without knowing that the Ven
ezuela case was under investigation.
If he did know it his information con
cerning il did not come from the preSi-
dent Mr.. Cleveland was anxious
Judge Gresham should not know any
thing about the matter at that time on
account Of the state Of Mr.. Gresham 5
health. though of course il would have
been necessary TO refer the matter 10
him after time. had he lived.
Mr.. Olney at once took up his study
Of the Venezuela boundary question
and Of the Monroe doctrine. He sent
for all the papers relating 10 the Ven
ezuela case and sat down, lawyer-like
TO go through them. All available
evidence WAS patiently searched. and
Mr. Olney was not long in reaching a
conclusion that England had pursued
a high-handed and unjustifable course
toward Venezuela, relying wholly up
on her superior military and naval
strength. Nor was he long in reaching
the additional conclusion that the spirit
Of the Monroe doctrine had been vio-
lated, and that if it We're to be once
admitted Great Britain had the right
TO seize territory in this hemisphere
by force a principal vital to the safety
of the United States would be lost.
After GreSham's death and his ap-
pOintment as secretary of state, Mr.
Olney continued his labOrs. He took
the historical data with him TO his
home at Falmouth. Mass, and during
his summer vacation wrote the dis
patch TO Ambassador Bayard which
has admittedly marked an epoch in
American history. He consulted at
various times with the president, and
July IS came to Washington and held
special meeting of the cabinet TO
consider the question. The dispatch
TO Bayard bore the date of July 20.
When President Cleveland turned
the Venezuelan boundary question
over TO Mr.. Olney he did so without
any instructions save the single order
to find out what the facts were and
where the right of the matter and the
true interests of the United States lay.
When Secretary Olney began his in
vestigatiOns he did not know where he
was coming ont. There was no pre-
conceived policy. There was no de-
liberate intent to seize upon this dis
pute as means of creating a stir in
the world, o. for the purpose of in
creasing the popularity of the admin
iStratiOn. There was simply deter
mination to be guided by the facts and
the need which might be found for pro
lection of the interests of this country.
The policy was worked out by Sec
rotary Olney alone. 1t was his work,
and not the presidents. Nor was any
part of the policy or the preparation
of the case contributed by the late
Secretary Gresham. Mr.. Olney took
the case at first hands, made ii what
it was amid many temptations to go
farther, contented himself with going
just far enough, was well supported
by the president and cabinet and by
the country as well. Having done
the work and taken the responsibility,
Mr.. Olney should have the credit, too.