The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-12
ALL PRISONERS RELEASED.
Some Interesting State Questions
Arise Over Castro's Action.

Washington, December IL. = Minister
Bowen at Caracas in ca'blegram to the
state department dated today, confirms
the press reports that all the German and
British prisoners have been released.
This was the cnly advice that came to
the state department over night as to
the situation In Venezuela, but 1t was
welcome, for the official felt that by re-
leasing these civilians President Castro
had diminished greatly the most danger
Gus factor in the problem. Had he in
sisted on retaining them In Jail the al
lies must have dispatched force to the
capital of Venezuela and war outright
would have ensued. AS it is, the officials
here prefer to regard the status as not
one of war providing the allies adhere
to their original programme of a, peace
full blockade perhaps followed by the
temporary seizure of Venezuelan Gus
tom houses.
Details of the sinking of the Venezuela
navy by the allied naval forces are await
ed with interest here and the officials
, could not but express their regret and
surprise that it had been found necessary
to proceed to such extremes.
Nothing has yet occurred to induce
the state department to change the policy
of non-inference which it has adopted.
The President is showing particular In
terest In the situation and this morning
he called Secretary Hay away from his
regular Thursday diplomatic reception to
confer respecting Venezuela. The chair
man of the two congressional committees
charged with the case of foreign affairs
also called at the state department to
talk over the Venezuelan developments.
Should Have Saved the Boats.
Senator CulIom, chairman of the COM
mittee of foreign relations, expressed re-
gret that England and Germany had de-
stroyed, by breaking up or sinking the
vessels of the Venezuelan war fleet.
"They might better have been kept for
toy houses as against a formidable squad
ron, they were fit for little else" he re-
marked. He believed that If it was alb
solutely necessary to seize the vessels
they could have been kept intact until
after the present trouble was settled and
restored to Venezuela.
It is an interesting fact that up to this
point the state department has not un-
dertaken to recognize the limitations that
might be placed on American commerce
in cases Of a Venezuelan blockade. The
German government no later than last
year sought to secure an understanding
on this point, but the state department
simply recorded the views of that gov
ernment without either accepting or re-
jecting them so that our hands are free.
The matter came up in December, 1901,
when Germany was considering measures
against Venezuela and addressed the fol-
lowing promemora to the state depart
ment:
Imperial German Embassy,
washington, December 20, 1901.
I'm case the German government
should be obliged to use coercion meas
ures in connection with the pending
claims, it will have to be considered what
kind of measures should be applied.
A Peace Blockade.
.rThe most important measures of CO.
operation-that is the blockade of Venez-
uelon harbors- would have to be carried
through without declaration of war pre-
ceding it. The blockade would therefore
be a peace blockade. Such a blockade
would touch likewise the ships of neutral
powers inasmuch as such ships, al
though a confiscation of them would not
have to be considered, would have to be
turned away and prohibited until the
blockade should be raised In the same
manner European states have proceeded
on such occasions, especially England and
France"
Mr.. Pulido. Venezuela's charge DAFT
faires, has received no confirmation from
his government of the sinking of the
Venezuelan gunboats by the foreign fleet
off La Guaira, and today he said:
'I confess l am unable to see what the
foreign powers mean by sinking my coun-
. try's little gunboats, which are scarcely
more than yachts compared to the for
eign men-of-war. 1 do not understand II,
for the reason that assurances have been
given in the last day or two that the
blockade established was to be peace
blockade l regard the sinking of the
gunboats as absolutely unwarranted. 1t
will be found that the situation has been
syravelv oomplicated thereby"