Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-08-05


this country that our government
must be right in the dispute with
Venezuela, therefore Castro's govern
ment is in the wrong. Both cannot be
right or there would be no dispute.
Venezuela claims that her attitude is
right and legal, and 1t is conceded by
those who are familiar with Castro's
argument that there is room for hon
orable difference of opinion at least.
For instance, in the case of the Ber-
mudez Asphalt company, which has
been heavily fined by the Venezuelan
courts and it's concession by the gov
eminent cancelled, it is CastrO's con-
tention that the company originally
agreed to abide by the decisions of his
courts in all disputes with the govern
ment arising under the contract and,
furthermore, that the company sup
piled money to finance a revolution
against the established government of
Venezuela.
If Venezuela's claim is supported on
every point by evidence as strong as
that presented showing completely
with conspiracy, it is not strange that
Castro's government betrays exas-
peration over repeated efforts TO re-
open cases that have been passed
upon by the courts and by arbitration
boards. The revolution in question
began in January, 1902. In Novem-
Der, 1901, the Bermudez Asphalt COM
pany, which is known as 1.-THE as
phalt trust" paid the leader of the
uprising. General Matos, 100000 In
July, 1901, four months before the
money was paid, Matos visited the
officers of the trust in New York. The
deal of the trust with MatOs was de-
scribed by the president of the COM
pany, General F. w. Greene, in testi-
mony before a special commission
three years ago. Said General Greene.
When I returned from Europe in Octo-
Der. 1901, l was surprised to learn from
the trusts executive officers that during
my absence they had decided to support
Matos in his contest with Castro. l told
them that / thought they had made
great mistake because what they had
done was not acting in good faith with
the state department at Washington,
which up to that time and largely on rep
reservations made by me to Secretary
Hay had supported the Bermudez com
pany to such an extent as to enable 1t to
continue in possession Of Its property. l
told them that my own judgment was
that the proper policy for the company
to pursue was to rely upon the support
OF the state department at Washington.
This however. they said was impossible,
for they had already made arrangements
to support Matos and If he should sue
coed, as they thought he would, the com
pany would then be able to protect its
interests in Venezuela.
The money was paid over to Matos
lin spite of the warning, and Matos
failed in his attempt to overthrow the
government, as General Greene pre-
dicted.
Some of the claims which the Unit
ed States has recently asked to have
submitted to arbitration Nhave already
been arbitrated adversely to the claim
ant, and others, Venezuela declares.
are not proper for reference to an ar
bitration tribunal. One of the last is
a claim of the same nature as one al
ready arbitrated adversely to the
claimant, and it is preferred by the
company which made the previous
claim Castro cites as a precedent
for his refusal to rearbitrate the poll
CIV of this government when request
ed to reopen a case that had been de-
cided by arbitration. To appeal for
reopening Secretary Hay replied as
follows:
A failure to comply with the award
would involve q grave discourtesy to the
eminent arbitrators who sat in this case
and a serious injury to the cause of arbi-
tration.
Venezuela applied the above words
of Secretary Hay to the reopening of
the cases already decided by the ar
filtration commission of 1908. This
arbitration tribunal passed upon fifty
FIVE American claims against the Ven
ezuelan government for damages ag-
gregating over $16,OO0,OOO, of which
$436, 45O, or less than per cent of the
sum claimed, was awarded to the
American claimants.
The celebrated Thomas Hobbies is re-
ported to have said on his deathbed
Q679), 'Now / am about to take my
last vOyage-a great leap in the dark."
Hobbies in all probability got his idea
from Rabelais, who when he was dy-
ing lin 1863 exclaimed, 81 am going
to the great perhapsr'