Items of Interest January 30, 1902 Issue

Items of Interest

The Christian Register

Secretary Hay received a dispatch recently from Mr. Buchanan, acting chairman of the American delegation of the Pan-American Congress, announcing the unanimous adoption by the Congress of The Hague scheme of arbitration. There was also presented to the Congress a compulsory plan of arbitration to which was appended the signatures of the delegates of Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Santo Domingo. There is no conflict between the two plans, and this enabled the advocates of compulsory arbitration to adhere to The Hague scheme. The State Department believes the conference was a decided success.

"It must certainly be counted a gain,' said one official, "that all the nations of the world are signatory of a scheme for the peaceful settlement of all disputes. It is true that this scheme does not require the arbitration of controversies between nations. The United States is opposed to compulsory arbitration because it is mischievous. A nation ill disposed toward another might advance a preposterous claim, and upon its rejection would demand its arbitration. This consideration induced the United States to refuse to approve the compulsory arbitration plan which was presented to the Congress."

A situation of international interest is developing in Venezuela. The German government recently made a fresh demand upon the Venezuela authorities at Caracas for the payment of a claim of $2,000,000 which Germany had brought against the South American republic. When Venezuela failed to pay the claim the German ambassador in Washington, Dr. Theodore von Holleben, approached the Secretary of State with a view to ascertaining the probable attitude of the United States, were Germany to attempt to enforce the payment of the German claim upon Venezuela by a naval demonstration off the coast of Venezuela or by the seizure and temporary occupation of a Venezuelan port. It is understood that the ambassador received from Mr. Hay the assurance that the United States would not object to the employment of force against Venezuela by Germany, providing always that Germany does not attempt to occupy Venezuelan territory permanently. It is said that Germany has recognized this assertion of the Monroe doctrine, and is preparing to act under the proviso imposed by it.

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