The Monticellonian., 1902-12-18
DEMANDS Oi VENEZUELA.
Authentic Copies of che Demands Presented by Germany and
 Great Britain.
THEY MUST BE TAKEN AS ULTlMATUM.
The Entire Subject Trnvcrsed and Precedents Cited to show That NenezueIa's Defense Against the Claims Is Not We'll Grounded and Can Not Be Admitted.


 Claims Is Not Well Grounded and
 Can Not He Admitted.
 Caracas, NeneHeia. Dee 1f.@The following are authentic copies of the demands presented by the German and British ministers Monday. De eember 5, before ernbaIking Ut La duaira:
 The British Demand.
 "To the Minister of Foreign Affairs:
 Replying 10 your excelleney's note of the 4th inst.,I have the honor to in- form you that I have received instrue- tions from his maiesty's government to point out to Che Venezuelan gov ernment, in writing, that regarding the steamer Ban Right, the British l government have given full eNplana. tions, and have shown that there ex- ists no legitimate ground for com plaint. Nor does his maiest1's gov ernment think there is any reason to attribute blame to the authorities oG Trinidad, who only acted conform ably with instructions.
 ''I have the honor to further eX- press that his maiestys government regrets the situation which has arisen, but can not accept your note l as sufficient reply to my communiea= 1 ton. nor as indicative of the intention of the Venezuelan government to sat 1 isfy the claims which his maicsty's l Il and it must be understood that they l include all well-founded claims which 1 have arisen in consequence of the last l civil war and the previous ones, and l the i'll treatment and imprisonment l of British subjects, and also include l an arrangement for the foreign debt. l have asked the Venezuelan govern ment to make declaration that they recognize in principle the justice of these claims, that they will immedi- ately make compensation in the navi- gation cases, and the cases above mentional and in those i'll which Brit ish subjects have been unjustly inn prisoned or i'll treated; and that re- specting other claims. they will ac- cept the decision of a mixed eommis- sion as to the amount and guaranty which should be given for payment l have also expressed the hope that the Venezuelan government will defer to these demands. and not obligate his majesty's government to take steps to obtain satisfaction.
 'I have added that his maiesty's government has been informed of the claims of the German government against Venezuela, and that the two governments have agreed to operate jointly for the purpose of obtaining an arrangement of all their claims, and that his maiesty's government will require theimmediate payment of a sum equal to that which, in the first case, should be paid to the Ger man government. Any balance after the payment of urgent claims shall be held on account for the liquidation of claims which might go before the commission.
 "I have, moreover. instructions from his majesty's government to state clearly that this communication must be taken as an ultimatum.
 Signed. "HAGGARD,
 British Minister" "To His Excellency, Senor Lopez Ba-
 ralt, Minister of Foreign Affairs:
 Caracas, Dec. :.
 The German Demand.
 MT. Minister: In the name of the government of his majesty the Ger man emperor, l have the honor to make the following communication to the government of Nenezuela
 ''The imperial government has been duly informed of the note of the minister of foreign affairs of Vene- zuela dated the 9th of May last. In that note the Venezuelan government refused the demands of the imperial government relative to the payment of German claims arising out of the civil wars of 1898 to 1900, and to sup port their refusal, referred to argu- ments already put forward. The i'm perial government even after eXamin- irg those arguments anew do not think they can consider them satis factory. The government of the re public argues, in the first place, that owing to the interior legislation ot the country it is not possible to ar range the claims of foreigners aris- ing from the wars by the diplomatic course, thus asserting the doc urine that diplomatic interven- tion is excluded by interior legislation. That doctrine is not in conformity with international law. since the question of judging wheth- CT such intervention is admissible must be approached, not according to the dispositions of the interior leg isIation. but in accordance with the principles of international law.
 "The Venezuelan government with the object of making demon stration of diplomatic defense, claim that this is inadmissibIe, and relies on the twentieth article of the treaty of amitv. commerce and navigation between the imperial government and the Republic of Colombia of the 23rd of July. 1899. This argument is wanting in efficiency, firstly, because the treaty is valid only between the, German empire and Colombia, and because Section of said article puts no obstacle in the way of a diplo- matic defense against German claims arising out of acts committed by the Colombian government or its organs.