Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1903 — TO RAISE BLOCKADE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TO RAISE BLOCKADE.

ALLIES TO END AGGRESSIVE ACTION IN VENEZUELA. Germany Make* Friendly Avowal to This Country, Disclaiming Any la* tent lon of Oppressing the South American Country. ~ - Written declarations regarding raising the blockade of the -Venezuelan ports have been exchanged between Minister Bowen and the representatives of VGreat Britain. Germany and Italy. In their declarations the representatives of the European powers promised to consent to the immediate raising of the blockade as soon as an agreement is concluded between them and Mr. Bowen embodying the conditions laid down by the powers. These conditions chiefly relate to the guarantees to be furnished by Venezuela, which has offered a portion of the customs revenue of La Guayra and Porto Cabello. .. Germany Offer Explanation. The German government lias voluntarily offered the United States an explanation of tire bombardment of San Garlos fort, and has disavowed any intention to pursne or oppress Vetiiz u-la or to do anything not warranted by goad faith or by the laws of nations. This welcome explanation and disavowal came Sunday, when Count Quadt, the German charge d'affaires, called upon Secretary liny and presented a cablegram from his government containing

a detailed narrative of the bombardment and a justification of it from the German point of view. The United States had not asked for this explanation. It had entered no protest against tile bombardment, either at Berlin or London. Though greatly displeased the American government concluded to await developments. Its patience is now rewarded by a voluntary explanation on the part of the German government, and the fact that Germany thought it wise to offer an explanation unasked is deemed of great and pacific significance.

Incidentally the United States government has learned beyond doubt that Germany has no intention and has had no Intention of taking any action in South America that would bring on a test of the Monroe doctrine. It is not denied that for several , days there has been much anxiety in official circles in Washington, and this anxiety has been shared by the highest and best-informed members of the government. But assurances have been conveyed which put at rest all such fears, in so far as words can quiet them. It is claimed by the German government that Fort San Carlos fired the first shot, while the Venezuelan officials aver that the German gunboat Panther was the aggressor. The United States legation has been conducting an investigation in Maracaibo for six days, but the point has not yet been elucidated. A reliable person says: “The foreign element, who are in close touch with the civil authorities, know that Fort San Carlos had received orders from Caracas that in case the Panther attempted to cross the bar and pass before the fortress the latter was to fire on the German vessel, first with powder to call attention. “When on Jan. 15 the Panther entered the narrow channel inside the bar, four miles from the fortress, heading for the interior of the lnke, the fortress fire-J a round of blank shot. Then seeing, after the third blank shot, that the intention of the Panther was to pass up the channel mid force a passage past the fortress to gain Lake Maracaibo and capture the Venezuelan gunboat Miranda, the fort-

ress fired with shell, nnd instantly the Panther, at 1,300 yards range, answered with twelve guns, followed by hundreds of siiots. “It is reported also that the Pantllbr carried a red flag as the signal, but as the fortress possessed no signal code and could not interpret the red ling as a pence symbol, white being the color of a parliamentary flag, it regarded the action of the Panther as a premeditated aggression.” A foreign office representative in Berlin said: “The Panther’s action, the official report shows, was strictly within the limits of international law. Bhe was proceeding past the fort to enter the lagoon of Marneaibo in order to preveut the importation of contraband articles from Colombia, nnd in doing so was fired upon. The Panther, of course, answered the fire, aa she was entitled to do. The attack was not made by ns, but by the Venesueian fort. Wo are quite unable to see whyanyneatral should express disapproval because our vessels leveled the fort to enforce the blockade.

FORT SAN CARL OS FROM THE RIVER FRONT, MA[?].

SCENE OF GERMAN NAVAL OPERATIONS ON VENEZUELAN COAST.