Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-15
THE FRANCO VENEZUELAN CONFLICT

Caracas. aud q few months later this was
published s,ficially. Castro, without ask
ing explanation. sent passports to the min
txter. of France and the charge d'anairss
q Belgium. the only signers of the docu-
Ment OF April who were then in Caracas
This new rupture continued seven years.
Venezuela suffered greatly from the results.
and finally. February TO- 1852, Castro sign
ed protocol. But Notwithstanding this
diplomatic relations.
Germany had much less interest In Ven
exueia. She has had complaints-suppiies
unpaid, German subjects mo-
0erman Tested. financial agreements
Interest,". unexecuted The cruisers
Fake and vineta since 1855
remained on the Venezuelan coasts ana
engaged in soundings around the island OF
Margarita. which. It was said. the govern
ment at Berlin proposed TO purchase. Ger
man aspirations provoked a violent oppo-
sition in the American press. The United
states would not oppose the collection OF
Debts but would not permit the occupa-
ton OF American soil. President Roosevelt
clearly defined In this sense the Monroe
doctrine. The visit Of Prince Henry or
Prussia to Washington and his reception
at the White House did not obtain the re-
suits which Wilhelm IL had hoped.
In December. 1902. sixteen ships OF war,
AEglo-German. arrived in the Antilles, re-
lnforced later by three Italian cruisers.
They nastened to present bills OF thirteen
and twenty millions. and supported these
claims by the seizure of Venezuelan ves-
sells. by the bombardment of Puerto Ca
bello and by the blockade. In the interval
a German cruiser sunk two Venezuelan
gunboats, an incident which provoked the
intervention of the United States and a
powerful fleet under Admiral Dewey was
concentrated In Cuban waters The powers
thereupon requested President Roosevelt TO
assume the role of arbiter but the Pres-
cent declined. and instead, Joined issue
with the claimants in putting in claim
Tor an Old debt. Germany, with the in
tention or securing the adhesion of Eng
land to action against the Monroe doctrine.
caused German gunboat to enter Lake
Maracaibo. and bombarded Fort San Car
los, but without effect. AT the same time
diplomatic incidents arose apropos to pref
erential treatment. which the Interfering
powers claimed was due to them because of
the expense of their Interference. After
long discussion the question was referred
70 The Hague court of arbitration which
decided affirma lively February - 1904
notwithstanding the fact that France was
by far the greatest creditor.
In 1903 President Castro brought action
against the French Gable Company. alIeg
Ing non-execution of contract
1ne Saoie and that during the insur-
Troubles. rection of 1902 it had given
aid and support to Gen. Ma
tos and his followers. 1t is certain that
Matos had the sympattes not only of the
cable company but of all foreign corpora
tons in Venezuela. France had broken of
her relations with Castro and was repre-
scented only by a vice CONSUL NJ Quievreux
who was charged with the guard of the
archives 1t appears that Castro obtained
possession of some correspondence which NJ
Quievreux had had with Matos, and made
use of them in support of his action against
the cable company. M. Quievreux. recalled
to Paris, was asked for an explanation,
and on the 18th of November he was found
asphyxiated In his room, a suicide
On the 31st of March judgment was pro-
nounced in the federal courts OF Caracas
In the cable affair and on the 4th of Au-
gust the annulment of the cable company's
contract was confirmed. The French gov
eminent informed the government of Vene-
Zuela that the aid of French financiers at
Paris, which Castro had invoked, would de-
pend upon his arrangement of the affair
of the cable company upon a just and equit-
able basis. On the 10th of August NJ. Taig-
ny, charge d'affaires of France, was re-
ceived by President Castro. who expressed
his desire to substitute for the judgment OF
the court a friendly arrangement.
Suddenly there was a change of front on
the part of Castro. The Sth of September
M. Brun. the attorney OF the cable COM
pany, was expelled from Caracas. This was
followed by other arbitrary and provocative
acts, such as a refusal to pass dispatches
over the coast cables. On September 10 NJ.
Taigny addressed to Gen. Ybarra, minister
Of foreign affairs. an energetic but polite
protestation. On the 18th Ybarra replied by
q violent and insulting counter protestation,
which ended thus: THE Venezuelan gov
eminent will not continue to treat dipio-
matte questions with the actual representa-
tive OF France until It has received the sat
isfactory explanation required by good
friendship between nations"
What had occurred? Why was It that
NJ. Taigny. persona grata on the 18th of
August, was persona in
Taigny's gratissima on the 18th of
Expulsion. september! Inc reason
was clear 1t was known
In Caracas that the delegates of the banks
in Paris who were to visit Venezuela to