The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-25
Acts Cause United States to Break Of All
 Relations
NEXT MOVE IN GAME
 AWAITED WITH INTEREST
Castro Has Controlled the Affairs of Venezuela for Nine Years and Outcome of Present Troubles
 Is Quite Problem. E

Washington. June 24.-Senor Veloz
 Goilicoa, the Venezuelan charge d'af-
 fairs in Washington, was a caller at
 the state department today. He talked
 with Acting Secretary Adee but the
 latter declined to indicate what the
 nature of the conference was. MT.
 Veloz has not the remotest idea of de- manding his passports as the outcome of the withdrawal of Jacob Sleeper. the American secretary and charge at Ca racas. MT. Sleeper is coming home by direction of the state department and it is admitted in official circles that
 the act means a practical cessation of
 diplomatic relations with Venezuela. Mir. Veloz knew nothing of what had occurred in Venezuela in connection with the closing of the American lega-
 tion until he had the morning papers. Nothing had prepared the charge for this action on the part of the state department and the latest mail from his country, dated the 18th instant, re-
 ported that everything was quiet and tn ere was not even any mention of the bubonic plague which is said to be ! pi cNdlSHl III some Ol lne ports ana 1 even in the capital at Caracas.
 l Certainly in the absence of any direct I instructions from his government, the l charge daffairs will make no demand /, for passports and it Is quite evident | that he scarcely expects such instruc- l tions.
 l It develops that the programme | adopted by the state department IS after all not one of the moment, but
 is the result of the careful deliberation 1 on the part of Secretar, pot and As
 sistant Secretary Bacon, dating back to 1 last winter, when at the request of | Senator Lodge. the state department. | submitted to the Senate all of the great mass of correspondence that has been exchanged between Washington and Caracas within the last five years in regard to the American claims. What the next step in this interna- tional complication will be is a prob lem that no one connected with the | administration appears able to an- swer. It Is said that the present is
 a time to await developments, especial ly to see whether President Castro, always resourceful is willing to per- init the United States to take the next step with out any intervening move on his part to. mend the situation which he has brought about. Castr, alone is the dominant figure in vene- zuelan affairs and it Is believed hece he will continue to play that role as he has done for nine years, unless
 conditions should be developed Q breakohis oneman power.
 Acting Secretary Adee has communi- cated with Secretary Root and it is prob able a conference will soon be held. and as' a result the correspondence that has pa ssed between Washington and Caracas since the state department submitted it's voluminous answer to the Lodge resolu- | ton may be made public.
 | The navy department has only meagre | advices from Venezuela. The sea ports of that country have been summed by merchant ships on account of the plague and of course the navy department would not feel warranted in sending ships Into the pest-stricken coast waters except in case of great emergency. So naval move ments in that quarter have been confined to those made by the little gunboat Ma rietta.
 The severance of diplomatic relations between America and Venezuela is re- garded here as technically complete and 1t is not necessary for the state depart ment to serve upon the Venezuelan gov ernment any further notification of the termination than was conveyed to that government by MT. Sleeper in person when he withdrew from Caracas and in- dicated that the Brazilian diplomatic rep resentative would be placed in charge of the archives of the American legation. The decination of the Venezuelan govern
 ment to issue passports to MT. Sleeper
 at his request is regarded by the Latin
 American element in this city as a
 rather hopeful sign. They believe that
 MT. Sleeper did not demand his pass
 ports (which of course he might have
 had if he perssted) as a political step.
 but rather with the purpose of insuring
 a free passage of the delegation party
 through the rigorous quarantine lines
 which would have to be crossed in order
 to take ship.