The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-07

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. g.
President Roosevelt has declined the
invitation of the allied powers to arbi-
trate the question as to whether they
shall receive preferential treatment in
the settlement Of their claims against
Venezuela over the other creditor ma
ton. He reached this decision shortly
before o'clock this afternoon. and in
structed Secretary Hay to dispatch
note at once advising the British am
bassador to that effect
The matter therefore will now be
referred to The Hague tribunal. This
will result in the immediate raising of
the blockade. The administration, it
is stated in an official quarter, was
unwilling to approve the effort of the
British government to eliminate Min
lister Bowen from the negotiations,
and moreover the president could not
have accepted the invitation of the al
lies, even had be been so disposed,
without the consent of the other nego-
tiatOr, Minister Bowen, and this the al
lies did not obtain or request in their
note of Invitation to the president.
Will Consider Prelminaries.
Tomorrow preliminaries with refer
ence to the signing of the protocol of
referring the matter to The Hague for
arbitration will be considered.
Immediately on receipt of Secretary
Hays note announcing the presidents
declinatiOn, the British ambassador
addressed a communication to Minis
ter Bowen, stating that he was suffer-
ing from an attack of grippe and would
be obliged if Mr.. Bowen would call on
him. The Venezuelan envoy went at
once to the embassy, where the Brit
ish ambassador explained that he had
been too i'll to call for several days,
and announced the arrival of his pro-
tocol which he was prepared to submit
to Mr.. Bowen for signature. Later the
German minister, Baron Sternberg,
called on Mr.. Bowen and announced
the arrival Of his protocol.
Protocols to Be Signed.
Tomorrows programme will include
preliminary preparations for the sign
ing of the protocols. 1t developed to-
night that two protocols are to be
signed by Mr. Bowen with the Italian
ambassador Sgr. Mayor des Planches,
two with the British ambassador and
Two with the German minister Baron
Spec Won Sternberg. The first protocol
in each case will provide for the ref
erence Of the allies contention for
preferential treatment to The Hague
and the raising of the blockade stimuli
taneously with the signing of this
convention. 1t is doubtful whether the
initial protocols between Minister
Bowen and the three allies will con-
tain the same conditions, though all
the negotiators are working to this
end
In these protocols the conditions
precedent to the raising of the block
ade will be clearly stated, namely, that
80 per cent of the custom receipts of
the ports of La GuaTia and Porto Ca
bello are to be set aside by Venezuela
for the satisfaction of her creditors,
and that the question as to whether
the allied powers shall receive prefer
entail treatment or, as Great Britain
terms it, separate" treatment, in the
settlement, shall be referred to The
Hague. These protocols also will pro-
vide that Venezuela shall pay down
TO each of the three allied powers e5,-
500 as an initial cash payment. The
differences between these protocols, 1t
is said, viii concern certail details, the
nature OF which Is not yet known even
to Mr.. Bowen. The German protocol
will be submitted to him tomorrow by
the German minister for consideration
Afterwards Mr.. Bowen will go to the
British embassy and there will see the
plOlOCOl uIdWn up Dy LORD LanSdOWne.
The italian ambassador, Sgr Mayor
des Planches, will bring his protocol
to Mr. Bowen tomorrow for consider
alton.
How Adjudicate and Administer.
Having arranged for the signature
of these first protocols, the negotfators
will take up the second protocols.
which are to cover the manner of ad-
Indicating the claims of the various
creditor powers and the means of the
administration of the customs receipts.
AS announced yesterday, the claims of
each claimant power are to be settled
by commission to consist in each in
stance of a representative of creditor
government and a Venezuelan, and in
case of failure to agree, the king OF
Spain will appoint an arbiter
The plan agreed on for the collection
of the payments provides that the Ca
racas government shall be intrusted
with the administration of the receipts
unless thirty days are allowed to elapse
without the prompt payment to any
one nation of its share, in which event
the Belgium government is empowered
to appoint agents TO take charge OF
the customs houses and administer the
payments until the claims of all The
nations are satisfied.
1t was admitted tonight that some
protocols can be signed, owing TO tht
minor differences, but negotiations art