Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-12-19
THE TROUBLE IN VENEZUELA.

THE TROUBLE IN VENEZUELA.
The situation in Venezuela is serl'
GUS and embarrassing. England has
not felt good toward us since the cele-
brated message of Mr.. Cleveland
touching the Venezuelan boundary.
England was arranging to ''swipe"
large block of territory just then and
failed signaIly. Now she seems bent
on obtaining money, and whether she
will be baked by the United States
awaits to be seen. On this occasion
England has gone into triple ALI
ance. She has associated with her
Germany and Italy. To understand
the situation we will state that Vene
zuela has had a rebellion going on,
and during the war English, German
and italian interests are said to have
suffered. These powers made demand |
each for compensation in damages,
and without any arbitration of the
claims to ascertain the justice or lnJus- |
tice of them England began to enforce
her claim, herself assuming to fix its
amount. Germany followed suit, then
Italy. To say that the demand has
been made and Is being enforced much
in the manner in which certain Mr..
Jesse James used to enforce bis de
mands on banks and railway trains,
is putting it in it's proper form.
But it is not so much the few mil
lions these powers are demanding, as
their combined determination to make
Uncle Sam show his hand, which has
brought about this situation. The
Monroe Doctrine seems to be under
stood to mean entirely and totally
different things. 1t is woefully mis-
understood we think, whether wilfully
or from ignorance we cannot say, but
the European powers do not seem to
want to understand it. The Doctrine
is simple, it enunciates one great lead
ing principle, and that is that no Euro
pean power shall acquire any territory
on the western hemisphere she did moi
own at the date the doctrine was an
nounced. This does not prevent any
of those powers from acquiring money
nor from enforcing demands for 1
upon any of the countries of North O.
South America. The simultaneou
bouncing of these three great power
upon Venezuela, one of the weakes
countries of South America, is there
fore significant. To us it looks as i
it were intended as a warning to Uncl
Sam to keep hands off. If he refuses
these three great nations will we sur
pose, send his navy to the bottom {
the sea, just as they sent the few littl
toy ships owned by Venezuela. The
have chosen this occasion and thi
time to make clear the Monroe Dot
trine. They have concluded it is Of
perfume. America has rendered herse
persona non grGta by her invasion {
English and German markets. Ital
holds the old grudge of the killing
Italians in New Orleans and squelcl
ing the malta society, and they are a
spelling for chance at US. We al
growing too large any way and a ret
must be taken in our sails. Since tt
Spanish war we imagine Ourselvt
somebody they doubtless think land "
must have some of the cOnceit take
out OF us, so now is the chance. Agai
they have sized up Mr.. Roosevelt an
they don't feel afraid of him, they a.
therefore going to do a good man
things to strain our patience. Tru
they entrusted their interests in We
ezuela to our Consul. but that was on
smart move to lull us to sleep. 1t
hardly possible that we will allow the
to go too far. Of course the case
one for arbitration, but they seem
termine not to allow it to be arbi tr
ted, they have bombarded a town, tn
have seized and sunken the Venezu
Ian navy. when in fact they told l
- they only intended peaceabie bloc
ade. All this has not gone to relic
the situation. Its seriousness is fl
in Wall Street, its force has affect,
the nation, and while it is to be hop'
no complications will arise which ca
not be settled without disturbing OF
commerce, still the situation is n
reassuring. Mr.. Roosevelt is po
man to deal with such crisis and t
business men know 1t. Grover Cley
land, as much as we dislike many
his other acts, was sound on this que
ton, and were he in the White HOu
the questions arising would now be
a course of arbitration, instead
where they are.