The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-17
VENEZUELA IN SEk.4TE
 -%
 2 calmness Es:,.are of Dis <e AsSion. IN EXECUTIVE SESSION
Monroe Doctrine and Its Bear
 ing on Present Case.
Senator Cullom Calls Attention to Correspondence Between Ger many and United States in
 December of Last Year.

washington, Dec. 16.-The Venezuelan question occupied the attention of the Senate in executive session today for al- most an hour.
 The question came up informally almost immediately after the public was ex- cluded.
 Senator Teller. disclaimjng all intention of being critical .and saying he merely desired information, asked Senator Cul- lom. Chairman of the Committee on For eign Relations. for the information he possessed as to the Venezuelan affair. Mir. Teller said that the situation is such that Senators felt that the Monroe Doc Urine at any time might become involved if the complication should continue.
 Senator Cullom replied to the inquiry that he had no knowledge of recent events not contained in the public prints.
 Messrs. Bacon, Hoar. Lodge and Stew art all made remarks. In none of the addresses was anything harsh or critical said. There was general agreement that while the means adopted by Great Britain and Germany for the collection Of their debts had been quite strenuous they thus far had committed no infringe ment of the Monroe Doctrine and there fore had done nothing to which the Uni ted States could take.exeeption.
 Correspondence of 1901.
 This was the position of Senator Gull lom as 1t was of other Senators who spoke. MT. Cullom said that much light as to the attitude of the administration could be obtained by consulting the cor respondence between the State Depart ment and the German Ambassador year ago.
 He then called attention to the fact that December 10, 1901 the representative of Emperor William had brought the matter Of Venezuela's debts and her apparent indifference to them to the attention of the Secretary of State. The German am bassador in his letter gave the Depart ment complete information from the Ger man standpoint of the position Of his government. He said that for several years Venezuela had failed to pay inter est on a debt to German citizens of about S. .ooo, 900 contracted in the construction Of A railroad and that in addition there were other debts amounting to about I,7oO'Ooo due Germans from Venezuela Which IL had proved impossible to collect.
 He added that every known peaceaoie means had been tried to secure the money and that his government, feehns that patience had ceased to be a virtue hao decided to use coercive means. It was desired, however, be explicitly understood that whatever steps might be taken by his country there was no desire to encroach on or inter fere with the Monroe Doctrine. This ex- nlanation he added he thought was due the United States as the only purpose Of his government was to assist its people in collecting debts due them.
 The Reply of Hay.
 Secretary Hay replied December 16. 1901. saving in effect that the Monroe Doctrine was not intended to shield any American nation from the payment of its honest debts and that it's purpose was to prevent the acquisition of territory by old world nations. To further elucidate the posi- ton of the United States on the Monroe Doctrine he quoted from the first annual message of President Roosevelt. which had been in the hands of Congress for only a few days, as follows:
 The Monroe Doctrine Is declaration that there must be no territorial aggran- dizement by any non-American power at the expense of any American power on American soil. It is In no wise intended as hostile to any nation In the old world. Still less is it intended to give cover to any aggression by one new world power at the expense of any other. It is simply step and a long step toward assuring the universal peace on this hemisphere. During the past century other influences have established the permanence and i'm portance of the smaller States of Europe. Through the Monroe Doctrine we hope to be able to safeguard like independence and secure like psrmanence for the lesssr among the new world nations.
 This doctrine has nothing to do with the commercial relations of any Ameri- can power save that 1t in truth allows
 
 In other words, 1t is really a guaranty of the commercial independence of the Americas We do not ask under this doc Urine for any exclusive commercial deal ings with any other American State. We do not guarantee any State against pun , ishment if 1t misconducts itself. provided | that punishment does not take the form of the acquisition of territory by any non American power"
 Lodge on Lansdowne. When Senator Cullom had concluded, | Senator Lodge called attention to the dec laratiou attributed to Lord Lansdowne | by today's dispatches that there is no | disposition or desire on the part of Great | Britain to acquire any Venezuelan terri | tory.
 Senator Bacon (Ga.) a leading minority member of the Committee on Foreign Af- | fairs said that on a question of this kind, there was no party division and that everybody would stand with the admin istration in doing what was best for the general good. There was no desire on the part of any one to embarrass those who l were in control of affairs and upon whom devolved the duty of protecting interests. The maintenance of the Monroe Doctrine he added devolved on the whole people. Senator Hoar said that thus far noth- ing had been done to cause apprehension and he expressed the opinion that for the present the government Of the United | states could do nothing more than keep A watchful eye on the situation. Senator Stewart dwsh somewhat on the bombardment of the Venezuelan fort and said that that incident should be accepted by our government as a warning of what this country might expect whenever ex- cuse might offer. He gave as his reason J for bis admonttion the fact that our re-