Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1903-01-01
ARBITRATION SURE,
POWERS ASK ROOSEVELT TO ACT
AS ARBITRATOR.
ROOSEVELT SUGGESTS HAGvE TRIBUNAL
State Department State That No Mat.
ter How These Propositions Are
Disposed of There Will Be
No Backward Step.

Washington President Roosevelt
has proposed to the allied powers that
the Venezuelan dispute be submitted
to the arbitration of The Hague tri-
bunal. The powers have replied with
counter proposal that President
Roosevelt himself arbitrate the issues.
IL an agreement is reached ON arbi-
tration, the procedure would be for
Mr.. Bowen, representing Venezuela, as
a plenipotentiary, to sign with the rep
resentative OF the allies protocol
stating that the case Is to be submit.
ted to arbitration; that Venezuela adj
mits the right Of diplomatic interven-
tion in behalf OF claimant, principle
she has always resisted, and that the
details Of the arbitration shall be ar.
ranged in formal treaty which she
pledges herself to sign. This treaty
will provide in the greatest details for
the security Of foreign interests
against vexations and extortionate in
references on the part of the Venez-
uelan government hereafter, and will
insure the administration of exact
justice in the settlement Of claims, and
especially will it relieve foreign resi-
dents of Venezuela from forced loans
and persecution in time of revolutions.
The status Of the arbitration negoti-
atoms, as disclosed at the state de-
partment, was that the powers were
waiting for an answer from the presi-
dent to their proposals that he himself
undertake to arbitrate the Venezuelan
difficulty. The presidents answer can
only be guessed at, for the officials de-
clined to express any opinion Of their
own. However, 1t Is believed to be a
safe prediction that he will renew his
suggestion that the case be submitted
to The Hague tribunal, adding to the
argument he has already produced the
fact that the United States, having
claims Of its own against Venezuela, to
the amount Of 100000, is a party in
interest, and 1t would be unfair to put
the president in the position of having
to arbitrate his own claim.
For their part, the powers bring
against The Hague proposition the ar
gument that President Castro would
feel lightly bound by any decision by
that tribunal, but would be certain to
heed a judgment rendered by Presi-
dent Roosevelt. 1t Is said at the state
department that, no matter how these
two propositions are disposed Of, there
will be no backward step and that an
agreement OF some kind which will
bring about peaceable settlement of
the Venezuela troubles will result from
The present negotiations.
OF course, II President Roosevelt
Should accept the charge, which he
would only do as last resort, 1t is I'M
derstood that the actual burdensome
work Of arbitrating the claims would
not be undertaken by him personally,
but probably would be, as Is customary
In such cases, conflded to one of the
efficient and trained secretaries Of the
department.
At the German embassy, denial en-
phatic and authoritative was given to
the various reports In circulation that
Germany Is anxious to acquire Mar
garita island and will work to this
end in a settlement that may be agreed
upon. Germany, 1t was said, has never
for an instant had designs on Mar
garita island or any other Venezuelan
territory. Her effort throughout has
been merely to obtain satisfaction for
the claims pending against the Cara.
cas- government and for indignities
committed against German citizens.
This position was made plain to the
state department by the German am
bassador, Mr.. Won Holleben, last year,
and the Washington authorities ac-
cepted then, and accept now in good
faith, the assurance made by the Ber-
lin government that no encroachment
on the Monroe doctrine was intended
or threatened by the German govern
ment's scheme for collecting her
claims from Venezuela.