Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-19
Venezuela Wants to Develop
Her Resources.
PEACE SEEMS ASSURED
AMERICAN INTERESTS Eff
GENTLY GUARDED.
Mr.. Dodge, Secretary Of Arbitration
Commission, Discusses Conditions
in the Little Republic.

Mr.. Dodge, who was secretary of the
American commission sent to Venezuela to
settle American claims. has returned to
Washington and Interestingly discusses af-
fairs in Venezuela. He declares that as the
people of South America generally, and
those of Venezuela in particular, are be-
coming better acquainted with the policy
of the United States toward the little re-
publics to the south the sentiment of riend-
ship for this country is growing stronger.
These people, he said, have been shown
conclusively by the work of the commission
of which he is member that this country
is acting in good faith toward all South
America. Mr.. Dodge has been a resident of
Venezuela for the past seven years, and
speaks in the highest terms of the country
and it's people.
Now that lasting peace seems definitely
assured he said confidence is slowly,
but surely, being rec ,abl.shed. 1t will
necessarily be some time before Venezuela
can recover from the terrible crisis which
she has undergone, of which no one who
has not been on the ground can possibly
form true conception, and which was due
primarily to seven years of almost unin-
terrupted fiercely waged revolutions cost
ing thousands of lives and an inestimable
loss of property, and was partly the result
of the ravageS of the frightful smallpox
epidemic in 1S9S-99, partly the disastrous
effects of the earthquake of 1900 and the
blockade by England, Germany and Italy
during the early part of the past year, but.
above all, the continuing decline in price of
her leading product-coffee. Yet the natural
resources of the country so vast. her
soil so rich, her power of recuperation so
very great, that if only internal peace is
maintained prosperity is bound to follow
this period of crisis and depression
Tired of Revolutions
q
the failure of the Matos outbreak, the
most powerful which the country has ever
known, the people have come to the con-
clusion that Gen. Cipriano Castro is the
right man in the right place, and the re-
suit of this determination Is evident even
in the short time which has elapsed since
the revolutionists had their final stand and
were defeated at the battle of Ciudad Boil
var in July last
Since that time there has been a gradual
but unmstakable improvement all along
the line Imports have been steadily In
creasing; merchants from the interior have
been repleniShing their depleted Stocks
public works of all kinds are being opened
up, new roads are being built, old ones re-
paired, work on public buildings in Cara
cas- which had been abandoned for years is
being resumed, streets and sidewalks are
being repaired. All these wise eXpendi-
lures in addition to the quota for the
payment of the foreign c1t1ms, which is re-
llSIOUSly SET dSluc cdCn iIioHtH- out, ocSI
of all, the export shipments of cattle are
showing a most gratifying increase, so
that in spite of the low coffee prices, there
is steady and growing source of income
being developed.
Now that the work of the international
arbitration commissions, which have been
sitting at Caracas since June last, is prac-
tically concluded, it has become very evil
dent that the demonstration of the block
aiding powers is more than likely to prove
a serious emba rrassment in the develop
ment of the commercial interests OF these
nations.