The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1905-04-21
NENEXU ELIAS DIPLOMACY


NENEXl ELIAS DIPLOMACY.
Venezuela seems to have the best
of the United States in little dip.
lomatic tilt that has attracted con
siderable attention of late on ne
count of the saucy attitude assumed
by our little South American sister
Republic. Some New York spccu
lators, the New York and Bermuda
Asphalt Company, secured from
Ncnrzurla desirable asphalt CON
SESSIONS in that republic, and sub.
scquently purchased outright the
valuable asphalt lakes and held
them rs real property. President
Castro claims to have discovered
that the company was not carrying
ont its irrigation contract which
was a part of the agreement under
which the concessions were made,
and ordered the sruurstration of
the property involved, thus depriv.
ing the company of the profits
thrrctrom. This brought the mat
ter into the Venezuelan courts
where it is still pending.
The company, inpatient at the
courts delay, or fearing the result
of lis findings, appealed to the
United States as citizens of this
country, through Minister Bowen,
To protect It's rights, claiming that
the Venezuelan supreme Court is
composed Of President Castro :
mlnlOns, aud therefore prrjudiccd
against its interests. The com
puny wanted the matter arbitratcd
aud Minister Bowen was instructed
by the Department of State in dip.
lomatlc parlancc to request Ncne.
HueIa to submit the case to arbitra-
ton. This President Castro fatty
refused to do, and it is reported
was a little undiplomatic in his re.
ply. at which it was limited that
United States warships would be
sent down there to bluff Venezuela
into compliance, but they were not
sent.
President Castro took the high
grounds that the receivershlp of
the company's property was or.
dcred by the Venezuelan courts
because the company had failed to
discharge It's contractual obliga-
tons; that under the terms of the
concession the company was sub.
ject to the Venezuelan laws and
must abide by the decision of its
Supreme Court; that the request of
the United States to take the ease
out of this court and submit it to
arbitration was II reflection upon
the integrity of the court which
President Castro resented, Wheth-
cr there is any ground for such re-
Ilectlon or not, the State Depart.
mcnt finally conceded the force of
the contention and receded from
Its attitude Of demanding arhitra-
ton proceedings.
The New York aud Bermuda As.
phalt Company is now left TO fight
out its own financial interests in
the Venezuelan courts, which is
perfectly right 1t is the duty of
the United States to protect the
liberty and life of it, citizens in
foreign countries; but there is no
just reason why this government
should be called upon to follow its
Spectators into foreign countries
ms guardian of their private finau-
clal investments and dealings.
That is Il matter i'll which they are
presumed to take their own risks
and to be subject to the laws and
customs of the country in which |
they operate 1t is or ought to be
foreign to the purposes of our gov.
eminent TO constitute itself finan.
clal agent for the collection of bad
loans made to foreign countries by |
its private citizens or corporations, |
or to correct aud adjust their un.
fortunate investments and ven.
lures, thus involving itself in ex.
and irritating international
troubles for which it is in no way
responsible.
The enforcement of the Sunday
closing law in st. Louis, of which