The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-29
Eastro's Officials Devise "Bleed-
ing" Methods of Wondrous
Ingenuity.
CONTRACTS DIsREGARDED
Imposition of Whimsical Tax
i Charges Amounts to Prop
8 erty ContiscatiOn.
BY STEPHEN BoNsAL.


IS 1t Is curious anomaly of the Venezuelan
emhroslio that while our interests In that
almost adjacent South American country
are and it is to be hoped will remain prin-
Gpally commercial. the American business
pan with interests and experiences or the
Xid spanish Main has hardly been consulted,
&p.. have / seen anywhere an authoritative
E,esentation of his views on the questions
involved | say that our interests are prin-
Hipaly commercial advisedly. and it cannot
BIC denied that Congress has shown during
fhe last ten years a keen appreciation of
what our commerce with the north coast
4f South America may and should become.
With this end in view more than 800 900 is
appropriated every year to subsidze the
BED ID steamers which call at Venezuelan
torts. What has become of the trade that
8fould naturally come to us under the I'M
usually fostering care of Congress will APP
peas from the following verbatim state
Hcnts of American merchants made to me
Ehile in Venezuela this winter. 1t is usual
Ellcre our trade does not come up to our.
appreciation to blame our consular agents.
often with justice. Our consular body in
4cnezuea at present, however, is above all
vi e. Any Power doing business with Ven-
&E,e'a would like to secure their pervices
&&d pay them three times the salaries, they
ate at present receiving. SO in this instance
sse old. complaint cannot be made in iustfc,
ana as a matter of fact it is not heard
t.SAf FOREIGN CLAIMS ARE lust
tHe american DuSint SIS man in Venezue a
81 course, is not there for his health hui
f.r business: but on this account as our
a3iLs III that country are purely commercial
ms views should be all the more worthy of
consideration, and they should carry All the
more weight because they are held with
absolute unaninnty. While they criticise
ecyerely some of the incidents of the united
action OF the allies they hope that the Gov
eminent in Washington will assist rather
thsn hinder the foreign Governments In So
duf1fg payment for their Just debts If this
If not secured. they maintain Venezuela
Viii be closed to the commerce of America
as well as to the rest of the world They
hold that the foreign claims as presented
are almost without exception just
1sAll Americans in Venezuela are at logger
heads with the Monroe Doctrine whether
fl be of the vertebrate or the invertebrate
variety. If it were not for this, they saw
the United States would unite with all de,
rent and self-respecting Powers in the sup
preston of the conditions in Venezuela
which are a disgrace to civilization They
ask, How can we permit anarchy and law
Ilessness and rapine to exist year in and
gear out within four days sail of our
ssyures when we sent an army on a six
weeks journey to ,China-half way round
site world-to put an end to somewhat sim
liar conditions? They are unanimous in
surpcrt Of President Roosevelt's announced
determination rot to play the dog in the
manager policy any longer In South Amsr-
,ssss