Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-07-12
ARE We GOING TO
war FOR A TRUST?
THE ANTI-ASPHALT TRUST SIDE
s OF THE VENEZUELA !.
TROUBLE. n. II

TIdCIlCdlly ColuCluSuC2 Will E3CllG 81 :
rival in the United States of Mr.
Jacob Sleeper, the recently recalled
| Charge d'Affairs in Venezuela, the
| text of the correspondence that pass
F! ed between Mr.. Sleeper and Senior
Paul, the Venezuela minister of for
eign affairs, has been made public.
Mr.. Sleeper's very carefully worded
| message of farewell states explicitly
that he abandons his post under or
ders direct from Washington, and
in diplomatic terms announces that
the efforts begun last winter to COM
pei President Castro to capitulate to
the Asphalt Trust have undergone
no modification
In his letter of withdrawal, Mr..
Sleeper says that his orders are bas-
ed upon Castro's persistent refus-
al" to give redress for action by him
'tby which all American interests in
this country (Venezuela) have been
destroyed or confiscated, or to sub
NIT the claims for such redress to
arbitration" This charge is denied
at length in Minister Paul's reply to
Mr.. Sleeper.
The claims set forth in Secretary
Roots communication to the senate
| at Washington, March 27th, last,
| were nominally five in number,
though it is the general belief that
| if the Asphalt Trust was satisfied by
Castro the other claims would
never be heard of again. The
"claims" enumerated by Mr.. Riot
| are as follows: I
/. The claim of A. F. Jaurett. w.
2. The claim of the Orinoco Cor
poration. 4
8. The claim of the Orinoco Steam
>ship Company.
4. The claim of the United States
and Venezuela Company.
/ 5. The claim of the New York
and Bermudez Company (The As
phalt Trust).
To take up these Claims" In the
order given, and to find their pres
ent status, it is only necessary to
refer to senate document No. Alb,
filed at the last session of congress,
i and to the brief filed with the senate
! committee on foreign relations by
ex-Secretary of State John w. Fost-
4 er on the 14th of April:
i I, Jaurett claims to be an American
citizen by naturalization, who was
expelled from Venezuela by Castro's
orders. In offset to his demand for
/ $4,000 damages, it is alleged by the
Venezuelan government, that Jaurett
was driven from the country because
of his proved completely in the Ma
tos revolution, and for grossly Ii
i belling Venezuela and her officials
in the press of the United States and
| other countries; that his claim to
be an American citizen is based up
| on fraud and perjury; that he is a
| fugitive from France, having desert
| ed from the French army, and like.
d wise a fugitive from justice in Mex,
leo, in which country he has beer
4 indicted for crime; and that he was
openly accused Of Matchmaking and
| other crimes in Venezuela. Captain
Frank Parker, military attachee Of
our legation at Caracas, wrote o,
Jaurett: IAN adventurer, ready tx
steal, lie, or blackmail whenever op
portunity presented, and usual.
looking for such opportunities . II
the ordinary man it would seem tha
the case Of Jaurett is one for TIL,
police rather than the state depart
ment; certainly no American inter
est was destroyed" when Castro cas-
him out. 1t cannot be for Jauret
that our legation is abandoned.
II. and III. The cases of the Grin
oco Corporation and the Orinoct
steamship Company were rejected b,
umpires designated by the Unitet
ob1CC5 duG -fSlISAuCldus 5CtdillS ksCUlu
mission, appointed under the proto
!. col Of arbitration signed by represen
!, tatives of the governments Of tn,
United States and Venezuela in 1908
by the terms OF which the two gov
ernments agreed that the decision
:, of the arbitration were to be .ttfina
! and conclusive No governments
action on the part of venezuel;
was responsible for the destruction
!, or confiscation' Of any Americas
interests in these instances Ven
I ezuela is asked by our state depart
! ment here to arbitrate claims tina
have already been arbitrated
q ~. In the matter Of the Unitet
States and Venezuela Company, tn
Venezuelan government insists tina
the company shall carry out ant
abide by the terms of a contrac
? which the company itself alleges t,
n be valid and subsisting. That con
tract provides that 9all disputes an,
( controversies arising out Of III shaI