The Washington times., 1903-10-06
Our Relations to Venezuela.
Following Mr.. Bowen's Advice Probably
a Mistake.

a Mistake.
This mornings dispatches reveal n
condition of affairs in Venezuela
which emphasizes the correctness of
the view more than once expressed by
Us that in following the advice of Mr..
Bowen the State Department com
nitted q monumental blunder.
What was that advice? 1t amount
ed practically to this: that we should
give to Venezuela our physical and
moral support in resisting the eollee-
ton, by force, of debts due to foreign
creditors. Mr.. Bowen, a diplomatic
officer of the United States, with a
fat Venezuelan fee in mis- pocket, and
those who thought Ike him, made us
beiieve-he made, at least, the State
Department believe-that the Monroe
Doctrine was. involved; and that if we
permitted Great Britain, Germany,
and other European nations. once to
establish the correctness of the prin-
ciple that fleets can be employed foE
forcing the settlement of debts we
should see that process made the basis
of territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT on this
hemisphere by every European ma
ton with naval force enough at It's
back to make its professions good. In
ejdentally, we were told by the astute
Mr.. Bowen that the Venezuelans were
good, honest, but misunderstood peo-
pie, and that Castro was a patriot and
statesman Of the best ard ourest type.
Well, the awakening from this
dream into which some people in this
country were lulled by the soft and
honeyed words of Mr.. Bowen with a
Venezuelan fee in his pocket Is not
pleasant, perhaps, but it is difficult to
see how it could have been otherwise.
The dispatches, already referred TO
say that emmisaries of Castro have
arrived at Ciudad Bolivar with or
ders TO collect forcibIy, not only tho
taxes, but also the customs house du-
ties already paid by importers from
May, 1902, to August, 1903 the pc
riOd during which the revolutionists
occupied that city as a government de
facto.
The amount involved is said to be
about $1,000,O0O. The foreign mer.
chants, Americans included, have re.
fused to pay, asserting that the duties
have already been legally paid. Pend.
ing their protests, Castro's govern.
ment has seized eargoes sought to be
landed, and has sold them at auction
al great loss to the foreign importers
Native merchants, who refused to pay
were simply clapped into prison, thus
furnishing a fine illustration of tho
dlctum that what is sauce for tn.
goose IS not always sauce for thu
gander. Castro objects to foreigner
collecting debts from Venezuela by
force. bit he has TO scnlples what
ever to employ il himself when i
comes to a question Of getting money
cut of the helpless victims of his re
gime, provided, Of course, they arr
NeDezuelans.
A reign Of terror is said to exis
in Ciudad Bolivar and trade to b,
paralyzed. Castro's representative i
quoted as saying
Germany and the other foreign powers oblisec
the Nenezuelan government 20 psy millions
Now il Is yenczueIa who forces the German
and other foreigners to reimburse her.
We can readily believe that such /,
view is held by Mr. Bowen's "grea
and good friend" Castro. And while
Cur astute representative at Tn.
Hague IS busily engaged in washing
Fenezuela's soiled linen. without cos
to Venezuela, be it understood, th'
Caracas press continues fercely to at
tack the foreign and mixed tribunah
and the foreign umpires appointed tc