The aegis & intelligencer., 1903-01-02
Venezuela, before appealing to diplo-

their CLAIMS at once, without haVlng
applied first to the courts of the
country to redress their alleged griev
ances. The contention that the tribu-
mails in Venezuela do not offer 4 sutli-
cient guaranty of impartiality is alb
solutely without foundation. Many
German subjects, by following TIE
regular course of proceeding and sub
mitting themselves to our laws, have
obtained several awards, and our
Government has paid them their Just
claims or recognized them.
Besides this aspect of the question,
there is against Venezuela the pre-
tension of the foreign powers to COM
pei the payment Of debts of a public
character, such as those resulting
from foreign loans and guarantees OF
railroad interest. In reference to
this I must emphatically declare that
my Government has never intended
the reputation of these obligations,
which my country would have had
enough resources to meet If the last
unfortunate disturbances had not
obliged the Government to apply all
the revenues of the state to the re-
establishment Of public peace. As
soon as a normal condition ofaffairs
prevails Venezuela will gladly meet
her obligations with just regard to
all the parties concerned.
SIN fact, Venezuela stands only by
the doctrine accepted and recon-
mended by the delegates ofthe second
Pan-American conference i'll the City
of Mexico, i'll accordance with which:
Whenever an alien shall have claims
of a civil, criminal or administrative
nature against a state or its citizens,
he shall present his claims to the COM
petent court of the country, and such
claims shall not be made through the
diplomatic channels, except i'll the case
where there shall have been, OH the
part of the court, manifest denial of
Justice or unusal delay, or evident
violation of the principles of inter
nationallaw.'
"This doctrine has always been ac-
cepted under the law of nations, as
we'll as that which does not allow Il
foreign power to compel by force of
arms the payment ofdebts ofa public
character. Allow ME to reproduce the
words of Mr.. Clay, Secretary Of
State, in communication to Mr..
Mareuil, dated March IS, 1927: The
general rule is that foreigners are
bound to apply to the tribunals Of
justice, if they are open, for redress
of any grievance before they appeal
for it to the government of those
tribunals
Permit me also to quote the de-
claration made by the Minister Of
Foreign Relations of Venezuela in his
reply to the ultimatum of Germany,
under date of December 9, as follows:
If the claims referred to are just the
Federal executive declares beforehand
that those claims will be considered
and decided III a fair way, and as the
commission to which by our laws
they must be submitted is already
sitting, the procedure will not be de-
layed and will not depart from the
requirements of the law"
WHYNOT TRYA NAVAL BLOCKADE?
The blockade of the Nenezuelan
ports by the allies should bca reason
for much replacement by the Pro-
tectionists ofthat country asst forms
an effective barrier against the im-
portation Of foreign goods and pro-
tccts the native industries from the
worlds competition. The heavy
cost of the blockade too, is main
tanned not at that Republics ex-
pense but by the navies of Germany
and England. 1t beats the Dingley
tariff law all to pieces too, insomuch
as there can be no violations of the
blockade. Under the temptation of
a 100 per cent. tariff on many of our
necessities there is hardly a trans
Atlantic steamer that arrives that
does not carry some sort ofsmuggled
goods. Cowboys drive contraband
cattle across the Mexican line and
Maine and Vermont farmers, skillful
connoisseurs ofbrandies, wines, silks,
French cloths and other luxuries find
smuggling trips to Canada much
more profitable than raising corn or
potatoes. Masters Of schooners,
availing themselves of their know
ledge of the geographical formation
of our coast, have no difficulty on
dark nights in landing goods that
might cause the custom house Off
cials some trouble. If our good
friends, the Republicans, were to abol-
ish the Dingley law and in its stead
adopt a naval blockade, it would be
much cheaper in keeping the goods of
other countries from coming in op-
position to our own product. Be-
sides it would reduce the crime of
smuggling to a minimum and there
by enable some of those who are now
engaged in this nefarious business to
adopt some more legitimate work.
The practical use of wireless tele-
grapy has coined new word a
message sent by this method is called
a "Marconigram" instead of a cable