Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-12-30
CAUSE or THE TROUBLE.
Efforts by Venezuela to Avoid PAYING
Her Debts

AAGE DGDtS.
The troubles between England and
/ Germany ON the one side and Venezuela
on the other arose over the latter's fail
IRE TO liqnidate certain debts which it
owes TO the former Some of the claims
held by England against Venezuela are
those of harbor and railway improve
ment companies. which complained 70
their government of defaults of interest
guaranteed by Venezuela. There are
other claims for damages to RAILWAYS
and other property of British citizens
during periods of revolution and also
claims based on interference with Brit
lsh trading vessels and on the imprison-
ment and i'll treatment of British sub
Jects. The claims of Germany are Of a
similar nature. the principal one being
that of a German railroad. built at a
cost of S10000,000. on which Venezuela
guaranteed Z per cent interest. figure
reduced in 1895 TO ) per cent, and ON
Which Venezuela has defaulted Ser sev-
erai years.
For considerable time England and
Germany have been pressing those
claims to the consideration of the YER
eZueian government-which in that coun-
try happens to be at the present time
Cen Castro, President and dictator--but
Castro paid little attention to them. In
stead of meeting the demands. which are
perfectly valid in international law, fair
~ and squarely and trying to agree npon
basis of settlement, Presidents Castro
lodged them and in effect told the rep
resentatives of England and Germany
that he would not pay and that they
could not collect lie fancied that in
this attitude lie would be sustained by
the Monroe doctrine proclaimed by the
United States evidently oblvious of the
tact that this doctrine as applied to the
southern republic does not extend 20 as
sisting any one of them in repudiat,ng
honest debts voluntarily contracted.
lust what this doctrine stands for was
recently set 70 th by President Roosevelt
and may be here quoted:
The Monroe doctrine has nothin. to
do with the commercial relations of any
American power. save that in truth it
allows each of them to form such as it
desires. In othel words, it is really a
guarantee of the commercial indepeil-
dcnee of the Americas. We do not ask
under this doctrine for any exclusive
commercial dealings with any other
American State. We do not guarantee
any State against punishment if it mis-
conducts itself. provided that Punish
ment does not take the form Of the ae-
QUESTION of territory by any non-Ameri-
can power"
Evidently both England and Germany
accepted this definition of the famous
doctrine and that they might not take
any steps offensive to the United States
government they acquainted President
Roosevelt from the beginning with their
purposes and plainly stated to him the
limit of the action they proposed TO take
The failure Of President Castro TO
meet the demands of England and Ger
many or even TO reply to their repre-
sensations. naturally led to the issuing
by the latter of an uitimatum, which
was delivered at the capital, Caracas
The British minister, w. II. ID. Hag-
gard, and the German charge d'affaires
Won Pilgrim Baltazzi, left Caracas and
boarded warships of their respective
counties in the harbor of LIZ Guayra
thus seyering diplomatic relations with
Venezuela. United States Minister Bow
en- took over the charge Of English and
German interests.
ultimatum, the combined English and
German fleet seized the Venezuelan wax
vessels Mt La Guayra, destroying some OF
them and converting the others to their
own uses. Another Venezuelan vessel
was seized by a British cruiser at Port
of Spain. Trinidad, an English Island,
opposite the mouth of the Orinoco river.
The seizures were made so that the YES
sells might not interfere with the plan
of taking possession of Venezuelan Gus
tom houses and blockading the Venezle-
Ian coast, with the view of preventing
smuggling and laying embargo on all
imports until the claims held by Eng
land and Germany are satisfied. y cou-
pie Of days later two other Venezuelan
vessels were seized in the Gulf of Para
by British cruiser and taken to Port
of Spain. Naturally the action IF the
European powers created crisis in
Caracas