The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-17
IF Nor ARRIrRATIeN. wHArt

If our minister to Venezuela. Mr..
Bowen, does not succeed in arranging
/ for the arbitration OF the claims which
/ Germany and Great Britain have
/ against Venezuela what course do these
4 Powers propose to take? What course
! can they take that will bring them the
results they seek? They might do
more damage with their fleets of war
ships, but what benefit would that be
to them? They might land an armed
force and take possession of the Ven
ezuelan capital but they would not
find money with which to pay their
claims in the Venezuelan treasury.
President Castro has announced that
he cannot pay the claims now, but that
If given time he can restore order
throughout the country and eventually
will be able to settle the claims. If
the allies should take charge of the
custom houses and collect the duties
on the imports, the probability is that
the amount collected would not pay
the expenses of the blockade. Until
the people get to work they will have
very little with which to buy imported
goods. and they would not buy more
than they could possibly help. They
would naturally desire to prevent
their money from finding it's way into
the treasures of Great Britain and
Germany.
AS the situation presents itself there
fore it looks as if Germany and Great
Britain had made a mistake in the
course they have pursued. If they
were free to take territory the situa-
ton would be different. Then they
could seize a part of Venezuela and
hold it until their claims were paid,
and retain permanent possession of
1t if they were so disposed. The United
States. however. will not permit the
seizure of territory. Indeed there is
talk in Washington that the spirit of
the Monroe doctrine has already been
violated. That is not the case, how
ever. The administration will be quick
to notice a violation of that doctrine. 1t
will not give the Democrats a chance
to make point against the Republican
party by submitting to even technical
violations of it.
One suggestion that is being thrown
out is that the demonstration against
Venezuela was decided upon by Ger
many and Great Britain for the pur-
pose of testing that doctrine. and anoth-
er is that Germany planned the whole
business for the purpose of checking
the tendency of Great Britain and the
United States to become more friendly
in their relations. 1t is a safe con-
clusion that neither of these sugges-
tons has any foundation. Germany
has been in communication with our
State Department a year or more in
respect to the steps she proposed to
take to collect her claims against Ven
ezuela, and the conduct of Great Brit
ain has been straightforward through
out the entire matter.
AS far as is yet known the demonstra-
ton against Venezuela means nothing
more than a purpose to collect claims
due from Venezuela to German and
British citizens. There is danger that
it may amount TO more than that. At
anytime something is likely to be done
that will require the United States to
interfere. In that case the situation
might easily become extremely seri-
Gus. The more it is thought about the
clearer 1t becomes that a great Ameri-
can fleet is not assembled in the West
Indies at this time simply for the pur-
pose of fighting sham battles,