Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-03-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.

tFrom our Regular Correspondent.)
Washington, d. c.. March 25.-The
Venezuelan situation which has been
attracting public attention especially
in Washington, for several weeks past
reached what is described in the sensa-
tional press as "a crisis" on Wednes-
day when word was received from UNI
ted States Minister Bowen that Cipri
ano Castro. President of Venezuela,
had positively refused to submit to
arbitration the claims of American
citizens against the Venezuelan govern,
ment. President Castro g reply is in
solent in the extreme and coming from
q larger power or an Executive ordi-
narily possessed of better manners,
would doubtless have precipitated a
very delicate situation. The position
of the present administration, how
ever, is that the United States can no
more afford to take umbrage at the
impudent reply of small callibre
power like Venezuela, than can the
President take offense at the small
boy who greets him with "Hurrah for
Debs.n
In the estimation of State Depart
ment officials and of many diplomats
in Washington, President Castro has
made grave tactical error. Had
American claims against Venezuela
been submitted to the Hague, or other
arbitral tribunal, Venezuela would
have been assured the advantage of q
full and fair investigation of the equity
of the claims and could have been com.
PEELED to pay only what proved to be
just, Under existing circumstances,
Castro has deprived his country of the
benefits of such tribunal and of the
advantages accruing from the better
sort OF investigation, while the United
States will be compelled to conduct an
investigation outside of Venezuela and
will, if such an inquiry seems to es
tablish the equity of the claims, be en-
tirely warranted in the application of
fol ce to insure their collection.
President Castro has, of course, been
playing deep game of late but, unfor-
tunately for Venezuela, one not suf-
f1ciently deep to 60 to the bottom of
things. DOUBTLESS embOldened by the
action of the United States Senate in
falling to approve the Dominican pro-
tocol, he has assumed that the Senate
would not uphold the administration
in any application of force to Vene-
zuela but he has gone further from the
truth in his assumptions and has, or
is, endeavoring to grant to certain
European nations lien on all of
Venezuela's ports with the hope that
the United States will be thus estop-
pea from Selling any of them because
such seizure would result in strained
relations with such European powers
as held the liens. The facts are. how.
ever, that Mr.. Castro does not take in
to consideration the fact that European
nations would welcome the interior
ence of the United States. Should it
become necessary to apply force to COL
lect damages for American citizens.
the United States would merely assure
the powers involved that in Selling
Venezuelan ports their rights would be
protected that such percentages as bad
been guaranteed them by Castro
would be scrupulously collected and
paid to them while, of course, the en-
tire remainder of the revenues would
be applied to the defrayment of Ameri-
can claims.
For the present, there will be no de-
mOnstration and no application of
force to Venezuela and President Cas-
tro will be afforded all the rope he
wants with which to bind his hands
or even to hang himself, but if he once
exhausts the patience of the admins
tration the results will not be such as
to insure his comfort or that of his
country and if he should compel this
country to strike blow in the inter-
est of American citizens it would be
delivered with force and a sudden
ness which would astound the slow
going citizens of Venezuela.
The President is about to reorganize
the Panama Canal Commission on
lines which in his estimation and that
of bis advisers, will insure far greater
efficiency than has been attained by
the existing organization. Final plans
have not been definitely determined