The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-07-12
THE VENEZUELAN BOUNDARY DISPTTTE

DISPUTE.
 The fact must not be overlooked, he says, that, notwithstanding this treaty
 was promoted and negotiated by the officers of our government, the parties ! to 1t were Great Britain and Venezuela ls This was a fortunate circumstance. in-
 asmuch as the work accomplished was
 thus saved from the risk of customary disfgurement at the hands of the Uni x ted States senate.
 Thus, we have made laborious and
 patient journey through the incidents {, of long dispute, to find at last a { peaceful rest. As we look back over E'the road we have traversed, and view
 again the incidents we have passed on
 our way, some may be surprised that < this controversy was so long chronic
 and yet in the end, yielded so easily to a pronounced treatment I shall attempt
 no explanation of this condition.
 know that occasionally some Ameri-
 cans of certain sort, who were quite
 un- American when the difficulty was
 
 lauding the extreme forbearance and
 Kindness of England toward us in our
 so-called belligerent and ill-advised
 assertion of American principle. Those
 to whom this is a satisfactory explana-
 ton are quite welcome to it.
 My own surprise and disappointment
 have arisen more from the honest mis-
 understanding and the dishonest and insincere misrepresentation, on the part of many of our people, regarding
 the motives and purposes of the inter ference of the government of the Uni ted States in this affair Some con- ceited and doggedly mistaken critics have said that it was dreadful for us to invite war for the sake of people un- worthy of our consideration, and for the purpose of protecting their possess sion of land not worth possessing It is certainly strange that any intelligent citizen, protesting information on pub- lie affairs, could fail to see that when we aggressively interposed in this con- troversy it was because 1t was neces- sary in order to assert and vindicate a principle distinctively American, and in the maintenance of which the people and government of the United States were profoundly concerned. It was because this principle was endangered and because those charged with admin istrative responsibility would not aban- | don or neglect it, that our government | interposed to prevent any further colo nization of American soil by Europe l an nation. In these circumstances neither the character of the people | claiming the soil as against Great Bri- tain, nor the value of the lands in dis | pute. was of the least consequence to | us: nor did it in the least concern us | which of the two contestants had the | best title to any part of the disputed | territory, so long as England did not | possess and colonize more than be- longed to her-however much or how ever little that might be. But we need- ed proof of the limits of her rights in order to determine our duty in defense nf our Monroe doctrine; and we sought to obtain such proof, and to secure peace, through arbitration.
 But those among us who most loudly reprehended and bewailed our vigorous assertion of the Monroe doctrine were the timid ones who feared personal financial loss, or those engaged in spec uIation and stock gambling, in buying much beyond their ability to pay, and generally in living by their wits. The patriotism of such people travcrscs ex- clusivefy the pocket nerve. They are willing to tolerate the Monroe doctrine, or any other patriotic principle, so long as it does not interfere with their plans and are just as willing to cast it off l when it becomes troublesome. lt
 But these things are as nothing in comparison with the sublime patrio- S tfsrn and devotion to their nationss i honor exhibited by the great mass of Ii our countrymen-the plain people of i the Iand Though, in case of the last I extremity. the chances and suffering of conflict would have fallen to their lot, f nothing blinded them to the manner in f which the integrity of their country f was involved. Not for single moment V did their government know the lack of + their strong and stalwart support. r I hope there are but few of our fel- r who, in retrospect, do not r now acknowledge the good that has f some to our nation through this episode f In our history. It has established the Monroe doctrine on lasting foundations 1efOre the eyes oI Iie "ollu' IL A'9 0 siven us, better place in the respect f, md consideration of the people of all h nations, and especially of Great Brit n tin; it has again confirmed our confi- f, fence in the overwhelming prevalence Il lmong our citizens of disinterested de- Vt rotion to American honor; and last, cI ut by no means least. it has taught us if where to look in the ranks of our coun- ST ryInen for the best patriotism.-Con- in fusion of ex-President Clevelands fl 'tatement in the Century Magazine. of