The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-02-07
WINS
The President Declined the Allies
Invitation to Arbitrate.
Unwilling to Approve Effort TO Eliminate VenezueIa's
Representative from the Negotiations-The Dis
pute Now Goes to The Hague

morrow by the German minister for con.
slderatlon. Afterwards Mr.. Bowen will 80
TO the British embassy, IN view OF the
illness OF the British ambassador, and there
will see the protocol which was drawn UP
by Lord LanEdowne
The italian ambassador Signor Mayor
Dos Planches, win bring his protocol to
Mr. Bowen tomorrow for consideration
Having arranged for the signature of the
hret protocol, the negotlators will take un
the second protocols, which are to cover
the manner OF adJudlcating the claims OF
the various creditor powers and the means
for the administration OF the customs re
ceipts. As announced yesterday, the
claims OF each claimant power are to be
settled by commission 90 consist IN each
instance Of representative OF creditor
government and Venezuelan and in a case
OF failure to agree, the king of Spain viii
appoint On arbiter
The plan agreed on for the collection OF
the payments provides that the Caracas
government shall no entrusted with the nd
ministration OF tho receipts unloss thirty
days arc allowed 10 elapOe without the
prompt payment to any one nation Of its
share, in which event tho Venezuelan gov
ornment Sc empowered to appoint agents TO
take charge OF the customs houses and adj
minister the payments until the claims OF
all the nations are satisfied.
| It was admitted that some days may yet
| pass before either Of tho protocols eau be
signed, owing TO the minor differences, but
negotiations arc expected TO move more
swiftly than IN the past,
/ In administration and diplomatic circles
the reference OF the questions TO The
Hague Is regarded as victory for Minister
Bowen, as Venezuela thereby is enabled
to recover from the distressing effects OF
the blockade before starting upon the pay
ment OF her debts The cumbersome ma
chinery Of The Hague, It ID expected, will
delay matters considerably and the pay
ment OF creditor nations can not begin UNI
al the important question Of priority pay
mcnt for tho allies Is decided. The ind
ing OF The Hague tribunal may
not b6g handed down for several
months The tribunal also Will decide thu
vital queetlon 20 South American states 81
to whether blockades and bombardmenta en-
title powers TO preferential treatment Al
tho hands OF their debtor Coming iron
lIIf, Hsgua. II Wit establish u precedent
while decision on tho point from Presi
dent Roosevelt would have carried no sucl
weight as decisive of point Of interua
tional law. Tho effect OF an adverse and
ing by the president, therefore, could no
have prevented the allied powers from re
peating their blockade next month, II they
desired; whereas. an adverse verdict from
The Hague would add new canon TO the
law OF nations and stop such course o.
practice completely. u was 10 gain thi'
principle which necessarily Ttally onectt
not only the future Of Venezuela but Of
tho other republics OF the continent, tina
Mr. Bowen stood out for arbitration befor
The Hague tribunal Instead OF by the presl
dent
Shortly after midnight tho German minis
ter Baron Won Stornberg, made n brle
call on Mr., Bowen with reference to tn
German protocol