The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-08
TO ARGUE FOR VENEZUELA.
THE GREATEST INTERNATIONAL
LAW SUIT EVER ATTEMPTED.

LAW SUIT EVER ATTEMPTED.
EN-President Harrison VIII Sail for
Paris on Nay i5-What lie Will
COntend-COncedes to Great Brit
ain Only a Mere strip of the Dis
Puted Territory-MOst Distinguish
cd Jurists in the World to Take
Part-HOw the eN-President Has
Worked on the Case-Evidence In
Three Lnngunges-Twenty
Volumes of Evidence-Immcnse
Territory in Dispute.
Washington, May Son May II. ex-
President Benjamin Harrison will sail for
Paris to take part In the most momentous
and important lawsuit of recent years. 1t
tribunal of arbitration. The parties at
law are the government of Great Britain
and the government of Venezuela, backed
by the government of the United States.
1t viii settle the question that four years
ago nearly precipitated an Anglo-Ameri-
can war.
Ex-President Harrison, who is chief
counsel for Venezuela, after nearly three
years devoted to a thorough investigation
of all of the claims involved, has come
to the conclusion that England has rights
In only narrow eastern strip of the dis
puted territory He will contend for the
Venezuelan government that the proper
boundary should be i'm the neighborhood
of the seth parallel of latitude, whereas
Great Britain has claimed westward be-
yond the 6Sd parallel of latitude taking
number of exceedingly valuable gold
mines in which British capital is now in
terested. This contention of counsel will
come as a surprise both to American and
TO British interests, and IL Is a great
source of qualification 10 the Venezuelan
government
The cause of this most notable lawsuit,
of modern times was Great Britan's per-
sistent refusal to submit to arbitration the
boundary line dispute between British
Guiana and Venezuela. The United States
took no stand as to what was the true
boundary line between the countries. but
only insisted that Great Britain should
submit to the arbitration so frequently
urged by Venezuela, In order that the
true line might be determined. on Great
Britain's refusal the memorable message
of President Cleveland was issued and
this country determined to find out for
itself by thorough investigation the true
line.
commission, consisting of David T.
Brewer of the Supreme Court of the
United States. r. II. Alvey, f. r. Cou-
dert, Daniel c. Gilman and Andrew d.
White was appointed by the United
States to determine the boundary. The
commission collected a great mass of in
formation, but il was not necessary for II
to complete its work. Great Britain finally
consented to arbitration and agreed to a
plan after a long correspondence between
Lord Salisbury and Richard Olney, Sec
rotary of State of the United States. After
that the United States had no further
official interest i'm the question A treaty
was arranged between Venezuela and
Great Britain agreeing to take as final
the decision of a tribunal of arbitration
as to the disputed boundary.
First Case of Its Kind.
It is pointed out by Gen. Harrison and
his associate counsel that this tribunal Is
more like the great courts of justice thar
any other that has sat in an international
dispute. Tribunals I'm such cases. they
say. have been to much the conferences
of the representatives of the disputng ma
tons rather than the consultations OF
judges TO WhOm the parties are quite in
different. Venezuela has no direct repre-
sentative upon this tribunal. 1t is made
up of Sir Charles Russell, lord chief jus
tice of England succeeding Lord Her
| schel, recently deceasedD, and Justice
Richard Hem Collins on the part of Great
Britain; Chief Justice Fuller and Justice
| Brewer of the United States Supreme
| Court, on the part of Venezuela, and Prof.
| Martens of the University of st. Peters
| burg, selected by these four. 1t had been
| provided that should the four first named
| members be unable TO choose a fifth with
in four months. King Oscar of Norway
| and Sweden was 10 select the fifth. but
| the use of this provision did not become
| necessary
Though the treaty of arbitration had
| been finally ratified in June. 1897 1t was
not until January, 1898, that definite meas
ures were taken toward having the case
|