Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-04-01
TO MAKE CASTRO COME
TO FRONT AND CENTER
All Papers In The Venezuela En-
brogIO Submitted 10 Congress
by The President.
WHOLE THING TRAVEsTY on LAW
Special Commissioner Calhoun Char.
acterizes Action Of President Castro
as Arbitrary and Grossly Unjust
This Country May Begin War of Re
taliation on obstrepuous Dictator.
fBv Assoclateh Prngsl

| fBv Associated Press)
| WASHINGTON. ID. C.. March al
| Congress Will, ii is understood. unles
Castro toes the mark very promptly
! proceed 10 prohibtivc rate of duty on
Venezuelan coffee prohibit the i'm :
portaiiOn OF asphalt. and give the
President power To take such other
steps as may be necessary. M TO and
| including the use of arms. Both Re
publicans and Democrats feel that
Castro needs squclching. AT the same
time there is no desire for war witt.
me puny but pugnacious republic.
Coffee is the crop of Venezuela. II
constitutes 40 per cent OF all it's to;ai
exports The United States Is practi-
cally its only market In 1907 there
was exported from Venezuela TO this
country $685. 600 pounds of coffee.
for which s5,2l9.000 was paid. Con
greSs proposes 10 cut of this largo
Venezuelan asset A prohiDitive tariff
VIII reduce Casiro's revenues ami
arouse the resentment Of the coffee.
planters toward Castro
The Charges.
Secretly of State Root transmitted
n ffop egSrnesne sI" Concerning the Amer
lean claims.
There are five questions which have
given this government concern in its
relations with Venezuela. They are
Claim of the New York and Der
mudese Company. whose asphalt
properties have been forfeited and
are now being operated under the di-
rcction of President Castro
Claim nf A Inurott no,u,n1
lied American, who was expelled by
the Venezuela government
Claim OF Orinoco corporation. which
arose from repeated concession To
various strangers of the territory be
longing to the corporation.
Claim OF The Orinoco Steamship
Company. due to the annullment of an
exclusive concession for navigation of
the Orinoco River.
Claim OF the United States and Ven
annullment of an asphalt mining and
Il railroad construction concession.
Asphalt Claims.
The most important of the five
| claims which are involved in the dis
pute between the United States and
President Castro is that of the New
wi ~ anu ADtl Company ~ lnt
asphalt deposits OF the South Ameri-
can republic.
The main point in the charges oil
the Venezuelan government against
the New York and Bermuda Asphalt
Company are:
First. II did not comply with the
conditions of its concession.
Second. Rivers were not made nav
lon
| the terms of the contract.
Third. 1t fell far short OF working
the deposit to n reasonable extent.
Fourth. IL furnished the FUNDS 10
maintain the Matos Revolution.
The Answer.
| In answer to the charges the New
York and Bermuda Company declare:
] First. Its property has been wrong
/ fully seized by Venezuela.
Second. President Castro. members
I of the col.net or their representatives
controlled the courts By intimidation
, or bribery.
| Fourth. Upright Judges were Gus.
ed from Office when they refused to
yield to the demands of Castro.
Fifth Venezuelan lawyers who en-
tered the employ OF the company
were arrested upon trumped-uC
charges and imprisoned without re
gard To their rights or the law
| TraVesty on Lew.
| In connection with his claim is
submitted the report of President
! Roosevelt's special commissioner, W
j. Calhoun. Mr. Calhoun charges that
the Venezuelan government. through
President Castro. onsted the company
/ from its hands. illegally seized It's
property. and proceeded to work the
asphalt deposits for its own benefit
Mr.. Calhoun declares that the right
of the government of Venezuela tC
this property is arbitrary, and that
the title thus acquired has never beel
submitted TO any court of commits
sion or adjudicated in accordance viii
any law of Venezuela This was done
F, he declared, despite the fact that tn,
| Venezuelan government itself grant.
ed the title which the New York anC
Bermuda Company holds. He point;
ont that Venezuela assessed the New
York and Bermuda Company $40.
M Il.