The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-06

With regard to tho Venezuela business, Mr..
a.. ID. Trail evinces no conception of the extent
to which Lord Salisbury was constrained by Mr..
olncy to retreat from his original position. He
also misstates the facts when he says that. from
the treaty Of arbitration concluded between
Great Britain and Venezuela GRE 10 be
excluded the settled Districts those
portions, that is TO say, of the disputed
territory on which British settlers had for
O longer or q shorter period established their
abode There Is nothing about q longer or n
shorter period in the treaty. On the contrary,
1t is prescribed that only actual settlement with
out dispute Of title for q period OF fifty years
shall be regarded as establishing a complete
and permanent right to ownership. Mr.. II. W.
Massfngham. who contributes the Liberal retro.
spect. takes a much more accurate and humble
minded view Of the part played In. the Vcncz.
ue!a affair by Great Britain under Lord Sails.
bury's guidance. Lord Salisbury he says,
"is entitled to tho credit of the Statesman who
puts his pride in his pocket. But little can be
said for his conduct of the earlier stages Of the
controversy. His despatch in answer to Mr..
Oiney contained three grave blundcrs. 1t
showed no knowledge OF the essentials Of
the boundary question. material for which
had been piling up In the Foreign Office
for the best part OF tho century; 1t dis
played complete ignorance Of the hold which
the Monroe doctrine has upon American pol
itics; and its conclusion meant war, while neither
the Minister nor the country desired war. The
Cleveland message. brutal as 1t was. blew all
Lord Salisbury pnPicr.machG work into tho air.
The Foreign Office committed blunder after
blunder. Its blue book was disagurcd by un-
pardonablc errors; the British case was made TO
rest on the rotten ground OF the S%chomburgk
line, instead of on an exposure OF the weakness
OF the Venezuelan position. However, the press
cleared tho ground which statesmen had cum.
bered.' Mr.. Massingham goes on to say that,
eventually, Lord Salisbury abandoned the
Schomburgk line in tho sense IN which Lord
Aberdeen had abandoned 1t half century earlier,
and based British rights on a fifty years settle.
mont. 1t is probable that, II tho private side Of
the negotiations could tic told, the country would
lind that Its largest debt was due to Sir William
Harcourt. who had the controversy at his
fingers ends and showed at once q lawyers and
a statesman's mastery Of lis intricacics." Mr..
@. w. Stevens, who deals with foreign affairs.
observes. In reference to the same subjects: As
for Venezuela, wo have compromised the mat
ter. but, automatically. it cannot be said that
wcharete en otherwise Than worsted. In carry
ing on all the negotiations through the United
States Nnstcad OF directly with Vcnezu-
sla) and in admitting tho principle OF
arbitration at their behcst. VIC have gone
a long step toward admitting also tho
new Monroe doctrine" Mr.. Stevens sees that
this doctrine means the protectorate of the
United States over the whole Western Henri
sphere. including tho British possessions there
in. Tho ambition Of the States. not an unnutu-
Eal one. extends to the ultimate possession OF
every inch of American ground. and tho recoR-
milton OF Mr.. Olney's sdaptation OF MI. Mon
roc's principle would furnish the republic with
. most powerful lever to convert that am ition
into fact In his article on the United States
Mr.. Albert Shaw refers to the impression pro
duced In this country By tho Venezuela mes
Sage. He says that lit was regretted by many
conservative minds In the United States that tho
President had not omitted the sentence dcclar.
Ing 1t 10 be the duty of tho United Slater, after
the Boundary Commission should have re-
ported, Ito resist by every means in It's power
as a wilful aggression upon its rights and inter.
ests tho appropriation by Great Britain OF any
lands or the exercise o: governmental jurisdlc-
tion over Ray territory which, after investiga.
lion. wc have determined of right belongs 10
Venezuela" 1t ~ obvious that, without this
sentence, the message would have been q blank
cartridge, End there would havs been no pro-
text for tho appointment OF n boundary commits
sion. aiT. Shaw, on his part. recognized that
there can DO no doubt of the fact that tho
message was received throughout the coun-
Try with enthusiastic approval" 10 cor
reci!y explains the ground OF that approval:
"The course which Great Britain had pursued
for many years in relation to the Venezuelan
boundary had led 10 tho conviction In the
United States that there had been q deliberate
polio! OF encroachment, In accordance with
which the pretended boundary line had been re-
pcatedly altered 30 that Great Britain's terri
torial claims had in the course or forty years
been amplifed several fold. Lord Saiisbury's
contemptuous treatment OF the Monroe doc
trinc, moreover. kOenly touched American
SenSibilities. While there was no desire for
war with Great Britain. there was not. on tho
other hand, any general fear or dread OF
such q conflict. 1t was generally believed that
Groat Britain would recodo from her position
and allow tho dispute to DO arbitrated rather
~. incur war with the United stStcS. 1t was the