The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1903-02-12
GOES TO THE HAGUE.
INTERNATIONAL COURT MUST
DECIDE DISPUTE.
President Roosevelt Declines to Act as
Arbitrator in Settlement of Vene-
Will Re Rulsd Against.

President Roosevelt has decided tC
send the Venezuelan dispute to The
Hague tribunal. This decision was reach.
ed at the cabinet meeting Friday, and
was promptly communicated to the rep
| resentative5 of the tripartite alliance and
the other interested powers.
President Roosevelt firmly and prompt
ly declined TO pass upon the question at
issue on his own responsibility. The pro-
posal made to him by the allied powers
| vas of such nature that it invited him to
act as arbitrator upon the question of
preferential treatment, hut the Prcsi-
dent did not wish to become involved in
the controversy in any direct way. He
has stood by the attitude which he as
sumed last December, that the United
States will not undertake arbitration re-
spOnsibility i'll these disputes. Instead
| Of doing so he suggests to the powers
| that they refer their dispute to the great
| international court. which WAS created
| Especially to deal with such cases.
The brusGue and offensive manner i'll
which the ambassadors of the allies side
| tracked Minister Bowen. the representa-
tive of Venezuela, has attracted Il great
| 'leal of attention in Washington. At IA
| moment when Mr.. Bowen imagined be
| was near to settlement and that with
N II few hours the powers would sign a
protocol accepting three months prefer
antial receipts of the custom houses, the
three ambassadors marched over to :Ee
White House and proposed to the Presi-
dent that he pass upon the whole dis
pute.
They did this without saying a word to
sIr. Bowen, with whom they had been
carrying on a series of negotiations. He
knew nothing whatever of their intention
and did not learn of their action till af
ter they had laid their proposal before
the President. Even then he was in
:ormed by State Department officials and
hot by the ambassadors representing the
powers.
Confers with Diplomats.
Immediately on receipt of Secretary
Hays note announcing the Presidents
declination the British ambassador ad-
dressed a communication to Mr.. Bowen
stating that he was suffering from an
attack of grip and would be obliged if
Mr.. Bowen would call on him. The Ven
ezuelan envoy went at once to the en-
bassy, where the British ambassador
explained that he had been too i'll to call
for several days and announced the ar
rival of his protocol, which he was pre-
pared TO submit to Mr.. Bowen for sig
nature. Later the German minister,
Baron Sternburg, called OH Mr.. Bowen
and announced the arrival of his pro-
tocOl.
1t developed that two protocols were
to be signed by Mr.. Bowen with the Ital-
ian ambassador, Mayor Des Planches;
two with the British ambassador and
two with the German minister, Baron
speck Won Sternburg. The first proto-
col In each case provides for the refer
ence of the allies contention for prefer
ential treatment to The Hague and the
raising of the blockade simultaneously
with the signing of the convention.
The Caracas government is to be in
trusted with the administration of the |
customs receipts unless thirty days are
allowed to elapse without the payment to |
any one nation of its share. in which |
ey ent the Belgian government is enpow- |
cred to appoint agents to take charge of |
the custom houses and administer the |
payments until the claims of all the ma
tions are satisfied.
III administration and diplomatic CIR |
cles the reference to The Hague is re-
earded as a victory for Minister Bowen,
as Venezuela thereby is enabled to Ie-
cover from the distressing effect of the
blockade before starting upon the pay
ment of her debts.
The tribunal also will decide the vital
question to South American States as to
blockades and bombardments EN-
title powers to preferential treatment at
the hands of their debtor 1t was
against this principle, which necessarily
vitality affects not only the future of Ven
ezuela, but of the other republics of this
continent, that Mr.. Bowen stood out for
arbitration by The Hague tribunal in
stead of by the President.