New-York tribune., 1901-06-01

court resulted in a decree which declared in
tt iiq the action of the government in annulIug
u thelr legal rights.
THE COMPANY'S CASE OPENED
rMatters thus rested when in the fall of 1S99
aasrlcK Sullivan. the secret agent of warner
@ du S!ulhian. arrived in Port of Spain and after
"aiu III venezuela charged with the mission of
acquiring asphalt properties for his nrincipals
r1dVlhg heard of the claim Felicidad he ex-
1ann 1eu tne title. and subsequently, on May -.
IU" eunlan, in the name of himself and
warner bought all the rights that Marcano and
20 Ass associates had in the claim Felicidad for
selves from any liability by reason of the ex-
rstence OF the rights of the New-York and Ber-
mudez COMPANY.
On july IA. 100 Mr. Garner addressed a
petition to the Minister of Fomento asking that
. the alleged mining claims Felicidad and VeneZ-
e 2ela Sleuld De declared null and void. On July
%, l9OO the Minister of Fomento issued a GER
tlncate declaring that the Hamilton contract
was In full force and effect and decree of the
supreme chief of the republic that the company
may exercise each and every right granted to
II under the said contract, and had the right of
preference in the case of every denunciation of
limits of the concession
In view of the petition of Garner the supreme
Ghle1 or the republic appointed engineer.
Llamozas, temporary technical inspector of
mines or the republic, and directed him to re-
PAIR 10 the site of the mines lin order that
after examining the documents and charts
which are in the archives of this ministry and
the other documents and original charts which
pare a typographical plan which shall show the
true situation of the mines"
I-lamoZas carried out his mission and made
survey or the mines, showing that the stakes
OF the alleged mines Fecidad and Venezuela
We're within the boundaries of the New-YOrk
ana BefnudeZ Company. Sullivan protested
against this report. on the ground that it was
contrary to the fact. and September 6 an
executive decree ordered the appointment of an
engineer on the part of Warner and Quinan,
an engineer on the part of the NewYOrk and
Bermudez Company. and an engineer selected
grflNTp~ rlT11el rn "a <n ini int
the subject The government engineer was DR..
Julio BlancO, Munesteba was the engineer Of
Warner and Qunan, and Jminez was the EN-
gineer of the New-York and BermudeZ Com
pany. Blanco made no separate plan, but GER
titled to the Typographical accuracy of the maps
OF Munesteba and JtmineZ. Inspection or these
plans confirmed in every particular the report
of the first commissioner. LlamOZas. The re-
port of this commission was filed November
/ 1900 on December 10 1900 General Castro
issued long decree, in which he discourseS on
the rights of the company. and finding that the
company has no rights. declares that the petl-
ton of the New-YOrk and BermudeZ Company
is groundIess, and that Warner and Quinlan are
entitled 10 the fuli enjoyment OF thelI rlsnts nus
as owners of the mine Felicidad. and orders the
granting of the defnitive title to the mine
Venezuela. In the latter part of December the
definitive title to Venezuela granted by
General Castro. Also contracts for railroad
franchise for each of the mining claims were
made with the Minister of Public Works.
ATTACKS ON MR. LOOMS.
This decree of General Castro attracted wide
attention, and resulted In herCe discussion III
the press. Minister Looms. instructed by his
government to ask for the suspension OF the
decree. was treated With contumely, insulted In
the press. and every means taken TO force MS
Withdra wal.
closer examination of ;he decree showed
Warner and Quinlan that II in reality gave them
no rights and that under the law of Venezuela
II was necessary to establish their claim legally
before IT would be safe TO spend any money IN
the development of their enterprise The natu-
raj and obvious course for them to proceed
TO the land itself and take possession. or, II
possession denied them, TO bring SUIT IN
the local courts to secure 1t. They dld not,
however, take this course but proceeding un-
der a forgotten clause OF the organic law OF the
Alta Corte Federal in February they brought
a suit against the New-YOrk and Bermudez
Company. asking them 70 acknowledge the va
Nditv OF the title Of FeliCidad or If the New
York and RerrnudeZ Company refused TO recoS-
nize the validity Of their title. that the court
should declare IL valid.
It is well known secret that TINS clause was
inserted in the organic law at the time OF It's
passage in 1894 FOR the purpose Of enabling the
brother OF the minister then in power TO secure
a semblauce Of judicial validity TO disputed
title Of a gold mine in Guiana which the brother
was endeavoring 10 market,
The Venezuelan ConsuI-Geueral in this city was
asked yesterday If he would comment on the dis
pute between the New-York and Bermudez Com
pany and Warner * Quinlan, or on the history or
that dispute herewith published. He declined to
do either. on the ground that the case was now
before the courts OF Venezuela, and II would not be
polite FOR him To do
AT the head office of the NewYork and Bermu-
Francis l. Greene any other official OF the
company could he found who would discuss the
nev;spaners Of Yesterday the dispatch from Cara
cas- saying that the High Federal Court OF Nenez-
case but would tell what the next step or
their counsel might be.