The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-11
BOWEN'S BLUE BOOK
Inns PASSAGES IN VENEZUELAN
INCIDENT PUBLIC.
" GOES BACK TO CARACAS.
RsTOoD HE is TO RECEIVE
BETTER POST SOON.

nine Book Shows How Allies Could
nave Secured Preferential Treat
,,,ent-They Did Not Ask in Time.
no,xen's Note That Interrupted
YcgotintiOns-His Determined
stoud on Behalf of Venezuela.
The Note.
Washington, May Hollow Great
britain. Germany and Italy, for the
asking. could have secured from Ven
azuela preferential treatment in the
settlement of their claims had they
asked in time, and thereby been re-
rAved of the necessity of an appeal
IN The Hague, with its consequent ex-
nense and delay, is told in the Blue
rooll which Herbert w. Bowen, who
acted as Venezuelas plenipotentiary
in the peace negotiations as Washing
ton has prepared, containing the cor
respondence and cablegrams relating
TO the Venezuelan protocols.
II shows that President Castro con-
ferred on Mr.. Bowen two sets of
movers, one authorizing him to conduct
negotiations exclusively with the rep
resentatives of the allied Powers
Great Britain, Germany and italy, and
the other granting him full authority
TO effect settlement with the rep
resentatives of all nations having
claims against Venezuela.
Mr.. Bowen, on the day of his ar
rival here, called at the embassies of
the allied Powers and presented his
full powers. He expected that these
would be objected to promptly, in
which event he intended to fall back
on the original powers granted him.
Instead, the Italian and British am
bassadors and the German charge de
affaires accepted without question Mr..
Bowen's letters empowering him to
negotiate with all the creditor ma
tons In so doing they waived at the
outset the question of separate of pref
erential treatment, for their govern
ments, and this point was not raised
until the peace protocols were practi-
cally ready for signature.
Text of BOWen's Note.
The book makes public for the first
time the text of Mr.. Bowens note of
Feb. to Sir Michael Herbert, the
British ambassador, which for a time
threatened to break off negotiations. 1t
is as follows:
Il have given due consideration to
your governments proposition that
two-thirds of the 30 per cent. of the
customs receipts of La Guayra and
Puerto Cabello be given to the allied
Powers and that the remaining third
be paid to the peace Powers. That
proposition l must decline. l cannot ac-
cept even in principle that preferential
treatment can be rightly obtained by
blockades and bombardments. 1t would
be absolutely offensive to modern civil
ization to recognize that principle and
to incorporate it into the law of ma
tons, as it would have to be If the al
lied Powers and the peace Powers
should agree to it and acknowledge 1t.
Furthermore, that proposition is OBJ
jectionable because it would keep the
allied Powers allied for a period of
over six years. Venezuela cannot, am
sure, be expected to encourage the
maintenance of alliances against her.
On this side of the water we want
Now. as the question of preferen-
tial treatment is the only one on which
We have not agreed, I hereby propose
that we leave that question to The
Hague. What we have already agreed
on we can hold TO and stand by. We
need only to add to it that we have
decided to submit the question of pref
erential treatment to The Hague.
IF this proposition Is accepted-and
I do not see how it can be declined
there would be, of course, no reason to
continue the blockade.
This solution of the controversy is
honorable to all parties, and beg you
to communicate it to your colleagues
at your earliest convenience"
British Ambassadors Demand.
Sir Michael Herbert demanded re-
traction of the entire note, but Mr..
Bowen refused to comply with the de-
mand. The correspondence shows that
thereupon negotiations on the part or
the allies with Mr.. Bowen were broken
off, and that President Roosevelt was
invited to arbitrate the entire matter.
On his declination, negotiations with
Mr. Bowen were resumed.
Mr.. Bowen left here to-day for New
York, whence he sails for Caracas. 1t
is understood that while Mr. Bowen
will remain accredited as minister TO
Venezuela for the present, 1t Is the in
tention of the administration on the
completion of his services at The
Hague. where he goes in September
as one of the associate counsel for
the peace Powers, to recognize his
work by committing to him consider
a hI1 ,7oora at7t diT1IOY1a fiC most