Arizona republican., 1903-02-06
ALLIES ANGERED
AT Mr.. BOWEN
They Will Submit the Case
to Roosevelt
If He Will Not Accept the Position
the Matter Will Go to the Hague.
Preferential Treatment the Stumb-
ling Block.

Washington, February 5.-Irritatei
by the note of Minister Bowen, Vene-
zuela's representative. addressed 10
the British ambassador on Monday
last. refusing to accept the allies pro-
posal for a scheme OF preferential pay
ments by which Great Britain, Ger
many and Italy was to receive 20 per
cent and the remaining eight creditors
| 10 per cent of the customs of Ia Guayrd
and Puerto Cabello. the allied powers
have instructed their representatives
here to submit the question OF prefer
entail treatment for settlement 20
! President Roosevelt, and in the event
that he declines to act as arbiter To
take this and possibly the entire Vene-
zuelan question TO The Hague Tor set
tlement. thereby breaking off negotia-
/ tions with Mr.. Bowen.
At 10 o'clock tomorrow at the British
embassy there viii be a conference or
/ the representatives here of the allies.
In view of the fact that the LONDON
| government is now taking the lead in
the negotiations. the British ambassI-
dor will preside at this conference. In
| the meantime he expects TO have an IN
| terview with the secretary of state,
whom he will sound as to the pro0a-
/ bility of the presidents acceptance or
| the allies request. If il is found that
/ President Roosevelt is not disposed to
allow himself TO be dragged into the
/ negotiations the instructions OF the al
lies are such as to permit them 10
/ foreE0 the embarrassment Of a rejec-
ton at the hands of President Roosu-
1 III.
| their wishes to him. steps will be taXer
TO draw up a protocol with Mr.. Bowen
Tor a reference of the case to The
| Hague. as suggested by him in his note
of last Monday.
Whether President Roosevelt viii ac-
/ cept this invitation Of the allies is not
/ known. An official OF the administra-
/ tion expressed surprise tonight that the
allies are willing to submit this ques-
tion TO him in view of the fact that
their representatives within the last
few days have informed them by cable
/ that President Roosevelt views with
[ disiavOr the contention oi the allic
for preferential treatment. Theg. -
/ the best authority for the statement
| that neither Great Britain nor Germany
is desirous Of submitting its case 70
/ The Hague.
Various intimations leaked out here
regarding certain details OF the plan
proposed by Mr.. Bowen and already
/ accepted by the allies for the esttIa-
ment Of claims against Venezuela afte~
I the question of preferential trelJmen;
shall have been decided.
the Associated Press is enabled 20
I state in It's entirety the plan agreed
upon. After the preferential question
had been settled the adjudication Of
I the claims Of each of the creditor ma
/ tioEs interested is to be taken up by
a separate commission, one Tor eacn
claimant power. These commissions
win first insist upon a representative
Of a creditor nation and a representa-.
| tive for Venezuela. In case OF disagree
ment the king of Spain Is I'm each in
stance TO appoint an arbiter. IT is eX-
| pected that each claimant power VIII
appoint its envoy at Caracas to repre-
sent it on its commission and President
Castro win delegate either the Vene-
zuelan minister or some other Official
of the foreign office as Venezueia's
representative. Where the services OF
an arbiter are needed the king or Spain
win in all probability select for this
minister the Spanish minister to Cara
/ cas-, who is recognized as an able dip
/ lomat.
/ After the commission claims have
/ been adjusted they are to be collected
/ by the Venezuelan officials from the
customs receipts of the two ports o.,
/ Puerto Cabello and La Guayra, 30 per
/ cent being the amount which MI
| Bowen and the allies have agreed shall
/ be set aside for this purpose. In the
event that the Caracas government per-
/ NIT thirty days At any time during tna
/ settlement of the claims to pass without
prompt and full payments to any ma
/ ton, the plan provides that the Belgian
/ government shall then step in ana take
charge of the administration Of Gus
| toms receipts to insure fair treatment
! for the foreigners. This idea VIII be
/ suggested to Mr.. Bowen by the fact
chat Belgians are now in entire charge
of the administration of the customs
receipts of Persia, where Mr. Bowen
was minister before his appointment
| to Venezuela.