The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-28
VENEZUELA LINZ DISPUTE
GROVER CLEVELAND ADDRESSES
PRINCETON STUDENTS ON HIS
TORY OF THE QUARREL
ENGLAND WANTED TO GRAB
Despite Most Pacific Declarations,
Says the Former President, the
Lion Tried to Seize More
and More.

PRINCETON, N. J., March 27-Ex.
President Grover Cleveland delivered the
first Of two lectures on Venezuelan
Boundary Dispute before the students
and friends of Princeton university to-
night in Alexander hail. Prof. Woodrow
Wilson introduced the speaker. AS Mr.
Cleveland rose to begin his lecture he
was greeted with three long cheers from
the student body. He was strongly ap-
plauded several times while delivering
the lecture. A number of prominent peo-
pie from Trenton, New York and Phjla-
delphia were in attendance.
Mr.. Cleveland at the outset spoke of
the vagueness on the subject of boundary
lines in the establishment both of the
Venezuelan republic and of British Gui-
ana. He said that from the first there
ance" before bounds so loosely named
could be EXACTLY fixed"
He then referred to the initiation of the
dispute in 1S41 between the Venezuelan
minister to Great Britain and Lord Aber-
deem, chief secretary of state for foreign
affairs
The making of the Schomburgk survey
and its bearing upon the dispute were
fully explained. The lecturer said:
IN 1876, thirty-two years after the dis
continuance of efforts on the part of
Great Britain and Venezuela to fix by
agreement lire which should divide
their possessions, Venezuela was con-
fronted, upon the renewal of negotiations
for that purpose, by the following condi-
lions:
VENEZUELA UP AGAINST TT.
"a line proposed by her, founded upon
her conception of strict right which her
powerful opponent had insisted could not
IN any way be plausibly supported, and
which therefore she would not in no
event accept.
An indeflniteness in the limits claim
ca Dy Great Britain, so great that of two
boundary lines indicated or suggested by
her, one had been plainly declared to be
merely preliminary measure open to
future discussion between the govern
mentS OF Great Britain and Venezuela
and the other was distinctly claimed to
be based upon generous concessions and
q desire to avoid all cause of serious
controversies between the two countries ,
"A controversy growing out of this
situation impossible of friendly settlement
except by such arrangement and accom-
modation as would be satisfactory to
Great Britain, or by a submission Of the
dispute to arbitration.
"A constant danger Of such an extern
SION or settlements In the disputed terri
tory as would necessarily complicate the
SITUATION, and furnish convenient pre-
text for the refusal of any concession
mentS.
"A continued profession on the part
to make benevolent concession, and of her
WlIllngness to cooperate in a speedy adj
lustment, while not substantially reduc-
ING her pretensions, and certainly not at
ttenlptlng IN a conspicuous manner to
nasten negotiations to conclusion
a tremendous disparity in power and
strength between Venezuela and her adj
yersary, which gave her no hope. in case
the extremity of force or war was reach
ed, of defending her territory or nrevant
ing its annexation to the possessions of
Great Britain "
1t was in 1876 that Venezuela appealed
TO the United States. begging our gov
eminent ito give the subject it's kind
consideration. and take an interest in
having due justice done to Venezuela. y
mis-, said the lecturer appears to
De the first communication addressed to
our government on the subject of CON
troVersy in which we afterward became
very seriously concerned"
The British government at one time
oHered a plan of arbitration which did
not cover the entire disputed territory
but never consented to arbitration such