The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-12
UNITED STATES
NOT CONCERNED
Venezuela viii Be Left Alone to
Her Fate.
UNCLE SANS HANDS ARE TIED
SECRETARY HAY CONSENTED TO
THE INVASION LONG AGO.
SANS HANDS ARE lied

III ASHINGTON. Dec minister
w Bowen at Caracas, in cable
gram to the state department to-
day confirms the press reports that all
/ the German and British prisoners have
been released.
| This was the only dispatch that came
to the state department over night as
to the situation, but it was welcome as
the officials felt that by releasing these.
civilians President Castro had dimin-
ished greatly the most serious factor
in the problem. Had he insisted on re
straining them in Jail, the allies must
have dispatched force to the capital
/ of Venezuela and war outright would
| have ensued- As it is. the officials here
prefer to regard the status as not one
! of war, providing the allies adhere to
| their original programme of peaceful
/ blockade" perhaps followed by the
| temporary seizure of Venezuelan Gus
/ tom houses.
/ Details of the sinking of the venezue-
/ ian navy by the allied naval forces are
awaited with interest here and the Of
! ficials could but express their regret
and surprise that it had been necessary
to proceed TO such extremes.
Uncle Sam Looking On.
Nothing has occurred to induce the
state department 10 change the policy
of non-interference which it has adopt
ed. The president is showing particu-
lar interest in the situation and this
morning he called Secretary Hay away
from his regular Thursday diplomatic
reception to confer respecting Venezue-
Ia. The chairman of the two congress
s1onal committees charged with the care
OF foreign affairs also called at the
state department during the forenoon
to talk over the Venezuelan develop
ments.
Senator Cullom, chairman of the COM
mittee on foreign relations, expressed
destroyed, by breaking up or sinking, !
the vessels of the Venezuelan war fleet |
They might better have kept them for
toy houses, as against a formidable 1
squadron they were fit for little else"
he remarked
He believed that if it were considered |
necessary to seize the vessels, they !
could have been kept intact until after 4
the present trouble was settled and then |
restored to Venezuela.
Senator Cullom expressed the opinion /
that the United States would not be I
come involved seriously in the present |
disturbances, as he was satisfied that 4
neither Great Britain or Germany had 4
any intention Of acquiring Venezuelan !
territory.
Busy Bowen.
The state department is so far wen /
pleased with the energetic yet discreet /
manner in which Minister Bowen has /
acted There have been no orders re-
ceived to any of our naval vessels 20 /
repair to Venezuelan ports and it is not |
intended to issue such orders unless an !
emergency should arise, as the pres /
ence of foreign men-of-war in such I
cases as this is apt to cause useless
friction. There is, of course always /
danger that the attempt of an Ameri-
can vessel to pass the peaceful block ]
ade" may in the end call for the APP
pearance of American men-of-war upon [
the scene.
1t is an interesting fact that up to |
this point the state department has not I
undertaken to recognize the limitations /
that might be placed ON American COM
merce in case of a Venezuelan block (
ade The German government no later
than last year sought to secure an IN
Outstanding on this point. but the state i
department simply recorded the views
OF that government without either ac-
ceDting or rejecting them, so that our
hands are free. The matter came up
in December, 1901, when Germany was |
considering coercive measures against
Venezuela and addressed the following
promenorial to the state department.
VI OS404d1lY.
Imperial German Embassy, WASH
ington, d. c., Dec 20, 1901.-In case the
German government should be obliged
to use coercion against Venezuela in
connection with the pending claims it
viii have to be considered what kind of
measures should be applied
The most important measure of CO.
ercior, that is, the blockade of Vene-
zuelan harbOrs. would have to be car
ried through without a declara ton of
war preceding it. The blockade would
therefore be a peace blockade. Such
a blockade woEid touch likewise the
ships of neutral powers, inasmuch as
such ships, although a confscat ion of
them would not have to be considered,
would have to be turned away and pro
hibited until the blockade should be
raised. In the same manner European
state have proceeded on such oeca-
sions, especially England and France"
They Thank Hay.
Acting under cabled instructions re-
ceived today from their home offices.
Mr.. Won Holleben, the German am
bassador, and Sir Michael Herbert, the
British ambassador. today presented 30
the state department the thanks of
their governments for the services of
Minister Bowen, acting on behalf of
the OslLtU STATES IN securing the re- ]
lease Of the German and British sub
jects arrested by President Castro at
Caracas. Both diplomats discussed the
Venezuelan situation with Secretary
Hay, who offered to keep the embss-
sizes informed of all news received here
from the American legation at Caracas,
or from any of the American consuls.
This information is being cabled att
once from the embassies to Berlin and
London. which, Il is understood. are
receiving the burk of their advices on
the Venezuelan situation from Wash
ington.
Very little in the way of direct in
structions has been received by either
the German or British ambassador
from their governments on the Nene-
zUelan situation in the last few days
They have been directed to assure the
state department that neither Great
Britain nor Germany intends to de-
part in any particular from the plan
of joint action against Venezuela
which was drawn up in London and
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