The Monticellonian., 1902-12-18

engagement of German claims conSc- Quent on the civil war of 1sg2 Nor can importance be given to the other objection of the Venezuelan govern ment, that diplomatic defense of the present claims is inadmissible. be cause an adequate road to settle ment k open by the decree of The 24th of January, 1901, since the pro ceedings provided for by the decree do not constitute q guaranty for a just solution Of those claims.
 As has been repeatedly said to the l Venezuelan government. firstly claims anterior to the 23rd of May 1 1899. (which is the date of the rising l headed by the present president of l the republic) are excluded, while l Venezuela will naturally have to an l swer for the acts in forming govern ments. Secondly, all diplomatic inter 1 ventioa against revolutions or by commission we must exclude, appeal l to the federal high court being alone l permitted. In spite of this. however. as has been seen, there were some cases where judicial employees de pended on the Venezuelan govern ment, and when occasion has arisen they have been deprived of their eff fees without formality.
 .FinallY, he payment of any claim which commission might allow was to be affected with certificates of a new debt of the revolution. 10 bt created for that purpose, which, from what has been seen hitherto, would scarcely have value In fact, the procedure employed hy the Nenezue Ian government has not led to a sat isfactorY solution of the claims IE l particular, the few German claims which would be preseqted 10 the com mission have been. in part, unseemly i refused, in part reduced, evidently in arbitrary manner, and even the rec. ognized claims have not been paid. but the injured parties have been asked to submit to q project of law to be submitted to congress. After the failure of several attempts to in duce the government of the republic 1 to modify the decree in said points the imperial government has been 1 obliged itself to examine it's subjects claims and immediately present to l the Venezuelan government those which were found justified. It is true i that afterward the Venezuelan gov ernment raised the possibility of ob- 1 taining a favorable solution by con gress, but the law which was sane toned by congress at the beginning of the year only repeats the insuf ticfent provisions of the decree of the 24th of January, 1901. Besides it only comprises claims which could not be duly presented to a commission
 "Afterwards the Venezuelan gov ernment conducted is correspond enee in an almost offensive tone. and i finally published the notes referred to, among which were some marked
 confidential, without the consent of the imperial government, accompany ing them with memorandum coucheG in offensive terms.
 'ln spite of the sincerity of the de- sire which animates the imperial gov ernment to maintain existing good re- | lations with Venezuela, and, although far from desiring not to respect the sovereignty of the republic or to in- 1 termeddle in it's interior institutions, it can only see in the proceedings em- l ployed by the Venezuelan govern ment an intention to deny to the German claims the settlement due l them in conformity with internation- al law. 1t. therefore, believes itself compelled to contribute in a definite manner to their immediate satisfac- tion.
 "The imperial government has con sequently instructed me to pray the Venezuelan government to satisfy, without delay, the German credits which, according to my note of the 31st of December last, amount to l. 71S,s15 bolivars, 67 centimes. Further more. the manner i'll which German claims consequent on the war have been treated by the government of the republic has led the imperial gov ernment to think that other claims of it's subjects against the republic also stand in need of support.
 "Fo arrive at just conclusion, therefore, German claims consequent on the present civil war, and the credits of German houses accustomed by the construction of the slaughter house at Caracas, and the amount due the great Venezuelan railroad for in- testest and amortization scrip of the five per cent Venezuelan loan of 1896. which were delivered in re- demption of a guaranty of interest, must be considered in the same light.
 By order of the imperial govern ment have to ask the Venezuelan market to make a declaration imme. diateiy that it recognizes in principle the correctness of these demands and is willing to accept the decision of q mixed commission with the object of having them determined and as sured in all their details. The im- perial government hopes the govern ment of the republic will satisfy the just demands of Germany, and not oblige the imperial government itself to enforce their satisfaction. At the same time the imperial government thinks it should not omit to mention that it has been informed by the Brit ish government of it's claims against Venezuela. The two governments have agreed to proceed, jointly, to obtain satisfaction of all demands.
 WON PILGROM-BALTAZZI,
 Signed
 German Charge d'Affaires."
 The above documents have not been made public in Venezuela