Rensselaer Journal, Volume 12, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 December 1902 — ROOSEVELT IS NATIONS’ CHOICE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ROOSEVELT IS NATIONS’ CHOICE

Great Britain, Germany and Venezuela Select Him to Arbitrate. STATESMEN DISLIKE THE MOVE Men of Affairs at Washington Feel It Simply Means European Monarchs Are Making a Collection Agency of the United States. In the name of Venezuela President Castro has signified acceptance of the appointment of President Roosevelt to arbitrate the Venezuelan difficulty. President Roosevelt practically agreed to act as arbitrator to the Venezuela dispute when he sent word to the European countries concerned saying that he was unwilling to act as arbitrator, but would do so if they insisted upon it. They have Insisted upon it, and the understanding is that when the president returns to Washington he will be confronted with the actual necessity of redeeming the implied pledge he made. Position Is Delicate. The situation is the cause of great anxiety to public men at Washington, and there is good ground for the belief that if the president does consent to act as arbitrator it will he against the strongly expressed opinions of his secretary of state, John Hay. The anxiety which is felt arises from the belief that if the president assumes to act as arbitrator he will be forced to provide a means of executing his own decree. This in turn would seem to involve coercive action in the part of the United States. In other words, it is felt that Venezuela has no resources at all now except its customs revenues. They must be

seized by someone and divided into shares, a part going to supply the hungry cormorants, who call themselves the government of Venezuela, and the remainder being distributed among the European money lenders. Reject The Hague Tribunal. President Roosevelt desired to have the whole dispute submitted to The Hague tribunal, and it is said he would have been successful in this except for two things. One was that The Hague tribunal could reach merely a finding of facts, and some way of collecting the claim would stilll have to be adopted. The other- difficulty lay in the fact that both Great Britain and Germany have laid great stress upon certain alleged diplomatic insults which constitute an offense against the dignity of nations, not entirely within the jurisdiction of The Hague court. Castro for Roosevelt. President Castro, it is understood, has communicated his belief thorugh Minister Bowen that The Hague court, being essentially a European tribunal dominated by the great powers, it could not be expected to give a fair hearing to the case of a little South American republic afflicted with a chronic case of revolutions. In fact, it 1b intimated that President Castro has declared he would not accept any other arbitrator except the president of the United States. Doesn’t Desire to Act. President Roosevelt sent to the European governments a strong letter through Secretary Hay, clearly indicating that he did not desire to act as arbitrator and asking the foreign governments merely as an act of friendliness to the United States not to press the matter. This identical note, for such it was, did not specifically say the president would consent to act if the blockading nations , insisted upon it, but the inference was so strong as to be almost irresistible. Will Btop Blockade. From the tone of the dispatches re-

celved by diplomats at Washington It seems probable that Great Britain and Germany have announced that they will withdraw their forces and abandon their alleged peaceful blockade provided President Roosevelt consents to act as arbitrator. If he does not consent they say there will be nothing left for them to do but to seize the customs houses and administer the revenues for their own benefit. This puts an awkward responsibility upon the president, because if he declines to act the disturbance of commerce with Venezuela continues indefinitely, and besides that there is always the possibility of a clash rSsulting in the loss of Ilf A Fear Diplomatic Blunder. On the other hand, many of the president’s warmest friends and admirers believe it would be a great diplomatic blunder for the United States to take a hand in the Venezuelan difficulty in any iyay except to prevent, by force if necessary, any violation of the Monroe doctrine. It is pointed out —and the president will be bombarded with such statements —that he cannot fail to decide in favor of the European governments, only the amount of the actual claims being in dispute. President Castro has admitted that he owes the money, or some of it, but pleads that he is unable to pay on account of the drain of the recent revolution, which came dangerously near landing him outside the breastworks. Savors of Collection Agency. As the customs revenues are the mainstay of the country that must be seized for the time being at least, and hence it is feared that the president ultimately would put this country in the position of being merely the collection agent for Europe. This, of course, would destroy our influence in Latin-America. Members of the cabinet, who are opposed to the president acting as arbitrator, say that if he does consent, he will sooner or later be forced to do the thing which Great Britain and Germany are now doing, which is to seize the only available revenue of the country. This would mean, It is

feared, a protectorate, either temporary or permanent. Many conservative men look upon this contingency as one to be avoided.

Uncle Sam—" That’s a Live Wire, Gentlemen!”