The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-04-05

OF IT'S own contentious is expected to
ablde by the decision of the court. Re-
cause of the long time allowed for the
preparation of the case, the submits
sion of arguments, ETC.. it will lie more
than a year before the questions in
dispute are fully before the tribunal
for decision.
Negotiations Failed.
Years of effort and of arguments by
the state department failed " SUCCESS
In reaching a basis of settlement: of
the disputes with Venezuela, which
finally came as result of sugges-
ttons made by President Gomez, aft
er Castro left Venezuela and when
that country was being ;,a:asse,i Ly
the action of the Dutch war vessels
sent there by Holland following the
breaking off of friendly relations he
tween the two nations. Secretary
Root received in a cordial spirit the
advances made by Gomez and sent
Mr.. Buchanan to Venezuela promptly
with full instructions to deal win
the subject for the settlement OF the
claims and the result of his labors
are said to be satisfactory alike to
both the state department and to the
South American republic. The strain
ed situation which had preceded Mr..
Buchanan's mission for 80 long a pc
riod was source of regret to Secre-
tary Root. who has taken a great deal
of interest in the we'll .being o. our
sister republics to the south and he
pointed out that the American gov
ernment had on repeated occasions
interviewed as a friend in behalf of
Venezuela to relieve her from disa-
greeable and dangerous complications
with other powers. That a majority
OF the disputes are to go to The
Hague is regarded favorably. for it
removes any opportunity for charges
of force or intimidation, which might
have been made against this govern
ment had they been settled directly
between tn two countries. The willing
ness of the United States to thus dis
pose of them, it is pointed out, dem
onstrates to the nations of this hemis-
phere. its faith in the honor and fair
ness of the court. leaving to the fate
of that tribunal questions affecting
the interests of countries in which
this government, in some respects ex-
ercises paternal interest and in
whose behalf it always stands ready
to uphold the Monroe doctrine.
Three Disputes.
Various phases of three disputes go
to The Hague as result of Mr.. Bu-
chanan's negotiations. namely: That
of the United States and Venezuela
company which claims it has been de-
prived of the right to mine asphalt
and to build a railroad; that of the
Orinoco corporation. which claims
large concessions covering iron
mines. asphalt privileges and hard
wood concessions: and the case of the
Orinoco Steamship company which
claims exclusive rights of navigation
on branches of the Orinoco river. In
the two latter cases the court is to de-
eide primarily whether the judgments
of previous arbitrations OF decisions
stand and if not then they are to be
heard on their merits. Three ar
bitrators are to be appointed and ais
in the case of the fisheries dispute
more than year will elapse before
a decision is rendered. On the part
of the United States the preparation
of the cases will not be formidable
proposition. as there is already
mass Of data bearing on them avail
able which formed the basis of the
arguments made to President Castro
in behalf of arbitration. Although
complicated to some extent, after all,
questions of fact largely predomin-
ate. unlike the controversy over the
Newfoundland fisheries where speci-
fic Interpretation of an existing treaty
will form the burden of the work of
the court.
After Castro declined to arbitrate
the disputes either separately or col
lectively the state department passed
the whole question up to congress
but no instructions were given for
the guidance of the department to
proceed to force a settlement. There
appeared to be no general public
interest manifested in the controversy
warranting any drastic action and
the matter was allowed to lapse.
Finally the question was happily
solved when President Gomez en-
pressed desire to resume friendly
relations which had been broken off
by each country withdrawing it's
diplomatic representative from the
other. and Mr.. Buchanan was sent to
Venezuela to reopen negotiations for
a settlement of the claims.
Controversies passed on by The
Hague including those already refer
red to embrace the following: The
matter of perpetual leases. resulting
from disagreement between Japan
on the one hand and Germany. France
and Great Britain on the other. touch
ing the real meaning and scope of
certain provisions of treaties and
agreements between them; the right
of certain Muscat dhows to fly the
French flag: and the inquiry institute
ed by operation of court between
Great Britain and Russia growing out
of the North Sea Dogger bank Incl
dent when the firing of the guns of
the Russian fleet caused the loss of
a boat and the death of two persons
belonging to the British fishing fleet.
MIruicAu NAV