The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-31
Reports of n Possible Clash Between
the United States and Germany
Purely Imaginary.
DENOUNCED BY MR.. WHITE
AS THE "THINNEST KIND OF SENSA-
TIONAL NONSENSE,
United States VIII Offer No Objection
to Germany Collecting N Claim
from Venezuela.

BERLIN, Dec. 30.-The German Foreign
Office has authorized the Associated Press
to announce there is no truth whatever
in the dispatches from Caracas saying that
the German minister has left the Venezue-
Ian capital after a heated exchange of
words with President Castro. The Ger
man charge daffaires, Herr Won Pilgrim
Baltassi, is still at his post, and is continu-
ing negotiations with President Castro
There has not been any question of break
ing off diplomatic relations with Venezuela
The German minister to Venezuela, DR.. o.
Schmidt-Leda, who has been on a vacation
here, is now on his way to Caracas The
Foreign Office again soiemnly reiterates the
statement that it does not contemplate
territorial acquisitions in Venezuela Re-
plying to Germany's assurances to the
United States regarding the formers plan
in connection with Venezuela, the Foreign
Office here has received an answer from
Secretary Hay expressing full satisfaction
with Germany's position. Germany still
hopes to collect her claims peaceably.
The Tageblatt his evening prints double
loaded cable dispatch from Washington
setting forth that the principal military and
naval authorities there consider that war
between the United States and Germany,
soon or later, is inevitable The United
States ambassador, Andrew d. White in
formed German newspaper men who called
at the embassy to-day that the reports of
the possibility of war between the United
States and Germany were the "thinnest
kind of sensational nonsense" Not one
of the authorities referred to in the Tage-
blatts dispatch, he added, would under
any circumstances disclose such an opjn-
ion. least of all when the relations between
the two countries are as good a at present
Moreover" said Mr.. White, president
Roosevelt, the commander-in-chief of both
the army and the navy. il is well known
entertains not only official but personal
predictions for Germany, which have
been known not only officially to the Ger
man government, but which have long been
known among his friends. He studied in
Germany. reads and loves German litera-
ture and has most sincere personal re-
spect for the German Emperor. ANY ut
terance of the kind alleged by an officer
of either service would be sternly rebuked
by President Roosevelt"
To-day the small German cruiser GazelIe
ordered to sail Immediately to Vene-
zuelan waters. The government intends to
send one or two other small warships TO
reinforce the present German squadron in
the Caribbean sea. The additions to Ger
many'S naval force in the Caribbean will
not be sufficient TO give rise to suspicious
among the people of the United States that
Germany meditates anything beyond the
collection of claims due German subjects
The German government desires beyond
anything else IN this matter, TO avoid dis
turbing the government or the people Of
the United States German newspapers
published to-day are full of explanations of
this kind. and many of these explanations
are so much alike that IL is easy to infer
their utterance was suggested by the gov
ernment A remarkable thing is the fact
that there is not a single unkind expression
toward the United States in any OF this
newspaper comment. Even the dispatch
from Washington TO a New York news
paper, printed yesterday, TO the effect that
persons of Importance in the war and navy
departments consider war between Ger
many and the United States to be in
evitable. and which has been reproduce q
everywhere throughout Germany Is dis
cusse6 coolly and for the most part treated
with incredulity.
I'VE hope that this opinion" says the
Berliner Neueste Nachrichten, which grew
out of the Spanish war and which we con-
slider TO be wholly erroneous. will soon
give place to a more correct conception
of Germanys aims. IL is quite unreason-
able that the people I'm the United States
holding such opinion should connect this
opinion with the Venezuelan affair In so