Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-08

was being restated by the American dele
gates at The Hague. SO
Castro's that the American pro-
J;.ha., posal should read that a
nation may have power
to coerce for contractual debts only, Ven
ezuela is reported to have Withdrawn from
the conference. Should the cable be con-
firmed. well. Venezuela. to borrow a famil-
lar locution. "fara da sa' or will do things
as President Castro wills.
1t may be recalled just now that England,
Germany and Italy established in 1929
pacific blockade" of the Venezuelan coast
to enforce the payment of certain debts
The United States employed its good offices
and finally the court of arbitration at The
Hague in 1904 decided that between the
claims of the non blockading powers and
the claims of the blockading powers the lat
ter should be accorded priority, decision
due doubtless to the desire OF the court
that these powers should thus receive Sitis-
faction in a measure for the cost of their
coercive action.
Now 1t is the turn of the paciier, those
who refrained from joining the blockade,
France, Belgium, Holland. Mexico and the
United States. What will they do to OBJ
tain satisfaction?
Castro commences by refusing to pay
Belgium, alleging that the arbitration SEN
tence granting millions to the Belgian
Water Supply Company was not mandatory
in character The Belgian government has
pr otested and declared in parliament that
it will refer the matter to the powers in
concert
The action of the United States. guardian
OF the Monroe doctrine, and now of Its
complement, the prago doctrine. Is not
easy to forecast. Mr.: Root is very wise
and prudent man, and may see in the stu
alton a policy of doing nothing
Besides, the United States Is creditor
also of the Venezuelan government having
the following five claims against Venezuela:
1. The claim Of Zaurett, journalist. who.
expelled by Illegal procedure, was ruined
2 The Orinoco Corporation; j. The Orinoco
Navigation Company; i The BermudeZ As
phalt Company 8. The claim OF Crlchheid.
concessionaire of the asphalt mine. The
four latter are claims based upon arbitrary
act, by which the Castro government an
nulled the contracts of oncsssionaires, eX-
propriated the parties, and refused all arbi-
tratiOn.
Mr. Hay favored coercion, but Mr. Root
has more conciliatory policy, which looks
beyond the present. Also IS
Contrasting there not some doubt as to
49,, the immanent justice of the
claims? More than once Il
nCte of that character has appeared in the
American press and Castro may not prove
in the end to be as black as he is usually
painted.
The United States government. however,
communicated to it's representative in Cara
cas- in February a note, of which the fol-
lowing is a summary:
You will call the attention of the gov
eminent Of Venezuela to the fact that not
withstandng the long and uninterrupted
friendship manifested by the United States
for Venezuela and the numerous occasions
IN
painful and dangerous complications with
other foreign powers, Notwithstanding the
patience and consideration of our govern
ment toward Venezuela, the Venezuelan
government has confiscated and practically
destroyed in these late years all the sources
of revenue of the American enterprises es-
tablished in Venezuela"
Now the only response of Venezuela to
this serious indictment Is to cause her
tribunals to condemn the American Ber
mudeZ Asphalt Company to reimburse the
Venezuelan government in the sum of
s., 100000, the equivalent of that expended
by that government in suppressing the
Matos revolution which President Castro
charges was financed by the American
company.
Nevertheless it is said that the govern
ment at Washington does not accept this
Interpretation. that its patience Is taxed to
the utmost and that finally Secretary Root
may conclude that coercion is the only
remedy.
The Drago doctrine asserts that foreign
states have no right to force state to
pay its public debts.
NJ. Drago. former minister OF foreign al
fairs of the Argentine republic, Is the III
thor of an article in the Revue Generate de
Drot International Public for March and
April 1907. He defends the doctrine that
bears his name and which he has recently
developed in a speech at The Hague which
has won for him the plaudits OF his col
leagues.
The Drago doctrine was born in 1902.
ernments decided to employ
Drapo coerclve measures to collect
debts due their subjects. NJ.
OocIflne' Drago, then the Argentine
minister Of foreign affairs, addressed to his
minister at Washington on December 20,
1902, a long dispatch in which he wrote:
Your excellency will understand that
the Argentine people are disturbed in learn
ing that the non-payment Of the public
debts of Venezuela is one of the determin-
ing reasons of the seizure of her navy, the
bombardment of one Of her ports and the
blockade Of her coasts. II these proceed
establish a dangerous precedent for the
security and the peace Of nations Of that
part of America. The collection manu-
militari of loans implies territorial occupa-
subordination of governments. That situa-
ton Is openly contrary to the principles
many times proclaimed by nations In Amer
lea and particularly by the Monroe doc
trine.
Having thus defined his premises to his
minister, NJ. Drago maintained that the
desire Of the Argentine Republic was to see
the United States consecrate the principle:
That there should not be European terri
torial expansion in America nor any pres
sure upon the peoples Of this continent by
reason Of the fact Of a miserable financial
situation which obliges one Of these cOun-
tries to defer the accomplishment Of its OBJ
legations.
I'm other terms. that public debt shall
not provoke the armed Intervention. neither
the material occupation of the soil Of any
Of the American nations on the part of
European power"
To this question Mr.. Hay replied. to use
the expression of M. Drago. by "ceremo-
NOUS evasion but cordial" Later. on March
%, 1903. his successor, Mr.. Elihu Root was
ltatk avH@ hn nor