The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-17
The Senate Discusses the
Venezuelan Situation in
Executive Session.
WATCHFUL EYE TO Be KEPT
THE QUESTION BROUGHT UP BY
SENATOR TELLER.

General Agreement That the Allies, AL
though Quite Strenuous in Their
fringement of the Monroe Doctrine
and Therefore Have Done Nothing 20
Which the United States Can Take
ExceptiOn-ROoseveiI utserances on
the Doctrine Read-MI. Lodge Calls
Attention to Lord LansdOwne's As
surances.
Washington, Dec. 16.-The Venezue-
Ian question occupied the attention Of
the senate in executive session to-day
for almost an hour The question came
up Informally almost Immediately after
the public was excluded. Senator Tel
Ter, disclaiming all intention of being
critical and saying he merely desired
Information, asked Senator Cullom,
chairman of the committee on foreign
relations, what information he possess
ed as to the Venezuelan affair. Mr..
Teller in inquiring said that the situa-
ton is such that senators felt that the
Monroe doctrine at any time might be-
come involved if the complication
should continue.
Senator Cullom replied to the inquiry
that he had no knowledge of the recent
events not contained in the public
prints. Messrs. Bacon, Hoar, Lodge
and Stewart all made remarks. In
none of the addresses was anything
harsh or critical said. The tone of all
the speeches, whether by republicans
or democrats, was that our position as
a nation should be one of watchful-
ness. There was general agreement
that while the means adopted by Great
Britain and Germany had been quite
strenuous they thus far. had committed
no infringement of the Monroe doctrine
and therefore had done nothing to
which the United States could take ex-
ception.
Mr.. Cullom said that much light as
to the attitude of the administration
could be obtained by consulting the cor
respondence conducted between the
state department and the German en-
bassies a year ago. He stated that De-
cember TO- 1901, the representative of
Emperor William had brought the mat
ter of Venezuelas debts and her ap-
parent Indifference to them to the at
tention of the secretary of state. The
German ambassador in his letter gave
the department complete information
from the German standpoint of the po-
sition of his government. He said that
for seven years Venezuela had failed
to pay interests on debt to German
citizens of about S5,0O0,000, contracted
in the construction of a railroad, and
that in addition there were other debts
amounting to about $1,700,00O, due Ger
man citizens from Venezuela, which it
had proved impossible to collect. He
added that every known peaceable
means had been tried to secure the
money, and that his government, feel
ing that patience had ceased to be a
virtue, had decided to use coercive
means. It was desired, however, he
said, that it should be explicitly UNDER
stood that in whatever steps might be
taken by his country there was no de-
sire to encroach ON, or Interfere Wlth
the Monroe doctrine.
Secretary Hay replied December 16
1901, in effect that the Monroe doctrine
was not intended to shield any Amerl-
can nation against the payment of its
honest debts, and that its purpose was
to prevent the acquisition of territory
by old world nations. To further elu-
cidate the position of the United States
on the Monroe doctrine he quoted from
the first annual message of President
Roosevelt, which had then been in the
hands of congress for only few days
as follows:
The Monroe doctrine is declaration that
there must be no territorial aggrandze-
ment by any non-American power at the
exDense Of any American power on Ameri-
can soil 1t is in no wise intended as hos
file to any nation in the old world. Still
less is it Intended to give cover to any ag-
gression by one new world power at the
expense of any other. 1t is simply step,
and a long step, toward assuring the uniyer-
sal 'neace of the world, by securing the pos
sihiiity of permanent peace on this heml'
sphere.
have established the permanence and lnde'
pendence Of the smaller states Of Europe,
Through the Monroe doctrine we hone to
be able to safeguard like independence and
secure pcrmanence Tor the lesser among Tile
new world nations.
This doctrine has nothing to do with the
commercial relations of any American pow,
er, save that it in truth allows e&ch OF
them to form such as it desires. In other
words, it is really guarantee of the. com
mercial Independence of the Americans
We do not ask under this doctrine for any
exclusive commercial dealings with any
other American state. We do not guaranr
tee any state against punishment if 1t mis-
conducts itself, provided that punishment
does not take the form of the acquisition
OF territory by any non-American power.
When Senator Cullom had concluded
Senator Lodge called attention to the
declaration attributed to Lord Lans-
downe by to-day's dispatches that
there is no disposition or desire on the
part of Great Britain to acquire any
Venezuelan territory.
Senator Bacon of Georgia, leading
minority member of the committee on
foreign affairs, said on question OF
this kind there was no party division;
that everybody would stand with the
administration in doing what was best
for the general good. There was nc
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