The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-20
Troubles of Venezuela
f.-Crisiis tn the Dutch Affair.
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By Frederic !. Haskin.

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 Caracas. Venezuela. Oct. 19.-WaI
 between The Netherlands and Vene-
 zuela is practically sure to follow the
 refusal of President Castro to grant
 the demands of Queen Wilhelminas 1 Government. The Dutch has set NOV | l as the last day of grace for Neue-
 zuela. When this letter left Caracas 1 the VeBasuelan Government had, made
 no reply to the Dutch ultimatum, out
 minister high in the councils of
 State assured dhe writer that no con sessions whatever would be made to a | Government which urged its claims Tor
 consideration at the point of the sword. But as President Castro has never paid l the slightest attention to claims urged | for consideration without a sword be- l hind them. it cannot be said that Hol- | land has been too hasty in making ] show of force.
 While something may happen to prevent a clash of arms, and while the Dutch may give Castro an extension ports of Venezuela will be blockaded Caracas confidently expect that the ports of Venezuela will be bockade1 and that actual war will have begun l before the middle of next month Tnis is held by everybody in Caracas who
 knows anything about the situation As the Castro newspapers, there are no others, have printed the news about
 the situation, the greater portion or the people are in ignorance Of the im- pending crisis. Those who do not know about 1t don't care. They are too hungry.
 The Dutch demand which may pre-
 cipitate war. Is that Venezuela revoke
 the decree of May IA. 1908, which for"
 bids the transhipment of Venezuelan
 cargoes at the port of Willemstad on
 the Dutch Island of Curacao. phae decree has resulted in the total stag
 nation of the business of Curacoa, ana
 the Dutch colonials are literally sterV-.
 Ing to death. A review Of the mel dents of the quarrel. between sehe-
 zuela and The Netherlands is neces- sary to a clear understanding. Of the situation In the present crisis.
 The Dutch Government was repre-. sented in Caracas by Minister J. II. DeReus until the rupture of diplomatlc relations on July 20, this year. On April 8 Minister DeReus wrote a let" ter 10 commercial organization in Amsterdam. the ''Hou en Trouw. which was published in the May pune- tin of that organization. This letter reflected upon the honor of the Vene- zuelan nation and was particularly se- were in it's criticism of President Cas- tro. The publication did not reach the eyes of the Venezuelan authorities un- til July 1s. On the next day, President Castro sent passports to MT. DeBeus, with a otefinforming him that he was persona non grata to the Venezuelan Government by reason of the puhlica- ton of the letter written to AInster- dam. At the same time a note was ad- dressed to the Dutch Minister Of For eigp Affairs, saying that Venezuela considered the breach of international courtesy on the part of MT. DeReus as personat matter, and expressing the hope that. tho relations between the Governments might not be disturbed by the incident. MT. DeReus refused to transmit the letter himself, and it was later forwarded directly to The Hague.
 Five days later a Dutch man-of- war. The Gelderland, entered the Vene- zueIan harbor of Puerto Gabello, Sa- lutes were not exchanged between the day The Gelderland anchored at La Guayra to receive Mir. DeReus. The ship did not salute the Venezueian flag, but did fire a salute of seven guns in honor of the Dutch Consul who came out in small boat The Gel derland refused to permit the harbor and port authorities to come on board the vessel, but received Mir. -DeReus and departed. for Curacao.
 In the meantime, on the same Sat urday and Sunday that the Gelderland had failed !tc salute the Venezuelan flag at Puerto Cabello and La Guayrs, a Dutch mob in Willemstad had been offering concrete insult to Venezuela by attacking the consulate at that place. An article denouncing the peo- pie of Curacao as pirates had appeared in a newspaper at Puerto Cabello. over the signature of one Granko, a Vene- zuelan, who lives in Curacoa. A mob visited his home, forced his wife to play the Dutch national air on the piano and asked him to retract his article. Whether truthfully or not. but evidently under duress, Granko de- clared that he had not written the ar ticle.' but had only signed what had been written by the Venezuelan Con sul. Roberto Lopez.
 Whereupon the mob, consisting of several hundred men, who were starv
 ing because the action of the Vepe- zuelan Government had deprived them of work, went to the consulate and demanded that Lopez leave the coun- every insult short of bodily harm was offered the frightened Lopez. The next morning the American ship Mara caibo was leaving for Venezuela. Lo- peg was protected by a guard of Dutch soldiers and was taken aboard the American vessel, amid a chorus of hoots and curses from the mob of un- employed negroes on the docks.
 The next day Lopez was in Caracas and made a report of the way he had been treated Thereupon the Venezue- Ian Government withdrew the exequa- turs of all Dutch Consuls In Venezuela and sent to the Dutch Government a notice that all relations had been sew cred. As there Is no Venezuelan Con- sui in Curacao and no Dutch Consul In Venezuela. movement of shipping between Willemstad and all Venezuelan ports is absolutely suspended the only being by the ships of the American Red ID" Line, which make Willemstad as a port of call. and which are cleared by the American Consul.
 On Aug. 1. three days after the rup- ure of all relations between the two | Tovernments, the Dutch man-of.war | ielderland returned to La GuaYra for 1 he purpose of conveying a commuRi- 1 ,ation to the Venezuelan Government. The call was hardly a pleasant one. The Dutch ship was cleared for action | md the guns of the La Guayra forts