The Auckland Star. WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATE The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1905. THE TWO AMERICAS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7, 9 January 1905, Page 4

The Auckland Star. WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATE The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1905. THE TWO AMERICAS.

Wmr the eaue that lack* tmittmn<m. Far the tcrong that needs remUtemot, For the future in the itistmmoe, Am* the eood that we oan 4m.

It would appear that President Castro of Venezuela hay experimented too j long upon the generosity IUU I forbearjance of the United States. Ever since j the "Venezuelan moss'- of }<M)>, wh»n I Germany persuaded Eng'ard to a-sist jber in a "naval demonstration" to collect j their debts in South America. Vcne- ; zueja has adopted a very haughty and intolerant tone towards foreign Powers. President. Castro at that time openly boasted that the United Stales would J jrever permit 'Europeans to <>ncroath j upon the rights of Americans; and the : interference of the American Minister at a critical moment certainly gave colour to this impression. After long negotiations between England. America, Ger- ■ many and Venezuela it was agreed that ; the claims should be submitted to the i Hague Tribunal. England and Germany j first majiayed to secure payment of cer- | tain claims that took precedence over ! all other liabilities: England, however, receiving only £ 5300 while G-eruiany took £68,000 — a sutticiunt comment on the 111----j omened Anglo-German en tanglement. j When the claims were laid before the ! Hague Tribunal, France demanded about j £3,200.000, the United States .C 2.180,000, ! Italy £1.000,000, England £300.0p0 and Germany >"ißo,ooor while Belgium. Holland, Mexico, Spain and Sweden all produced claims of varying amount.*, making a grand total of about £9.000,000 sterling. It itfas manifestly impossible for Venezuela to pay these .sums; indeed, she had got rid <>f her national j debt some y«-ars before, by the simple process of repudiation. However, the I Hague Tribunal decided that a large proj portion of the debts were justly due, j ami ordered Venezuela to settle them hy ! instalments. Not only has President ! Castro made no attempt to carry oiit the injunctions of the Court, but he has continued the course of reckless aggression which so nearly compelled Engj land and Germany to inflict condign I punlsnment on him. two years ago. In J August last, the Castro Government. , suffering from its chronic want of > money, seked the Guiana Company's rail'•way. valued at £2,000,000, and also the property of the New York and Bermudas I Asphalt Company. The company, which, is a British-American concern, at once invoked the protection of England and tho United States, and strong remonstrances were then addressed to Venezuela, But President Castro, with sublime fatuity, not only ignored these ■ protests, but baa apparently made up ; hi* mind to fight rather than submit to the dictation of President Rooaevelt, As far aa the immediate outcome of this quaiTel i= concerned thera can be no ! room for speculation, Venezuela is a w«ak and bankrupt state, and has not J the remotest ckan.ee of offering any eeri> ! eus resistance tP the United States, But i the situation is, likely %a lead to several ! ipigertant de-FejepEients : Far the first Vinift en-yecerd the IJnHetJ Spates CJovern^ jjnrcnt has~p,iafe}ioly- fleekrecl its intention^

of keeping order in South America. It ■will be observed that President Roosevelt's ultimatum does not refer to European claims, and makes no pretence of, invoking the assistance of the other Powers concerned. The United States declare that they intend to compel Venezuela to carry out the award of the Hague Tribunal; in other words, they .are now at last taking upon themselves il\e responsiblities that are the natural and necessary corollary of the rights they j claim by virtue of the Monroe doctrine. ! Hitherto. United States Governments j have contented themselves with asserting their belief that, in the words of the Monroe message, "the American continents are not to be considered as subjects for colonisation by any European power"; and that any attempt to introduce the European system into any portion of the Western Hemisphere would bo "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States.' , Nor is this doctrine contined in its operation to the Northern Continent. ''With the Governments in South America who have declared their independence we could not view any injtervention for the purpose of oppressing them or controlling in any other manner their destiny by any European Power in ujiy other light than as a manifestation of an unfriendly disposition towards the United States." Tbi* is -vvcll enough from the standpoint of the United States. But it is a fundamental axiom of jurisprudence that there can be no rights without duties. In assuming what is practically tho hegemony of South America to the exclusion of all other Towers, the United States should logically accept full re>ponsiblity for the maintenance of law and order throughout the continent. I This aspect uf the situation they have so J far resolutely refused to face; but the I reckless folly of President Castro seems to have compelled President Koosevelt to accept the position as it is inferentiiilly defined by the Monroe Doctrine. At present South America, a country with immense natural resources, affording 'irope for European colonisation on a huge scale, is left half empty and useless because of the lack of security for investment among the disorderly and unprogressive races who now occupy it. Many European Powers—Germany above all others—are anxious to establish colonies in South America; in fact, Professor Rcinseh asserts that the Russo-Gcrman agreement with regard to China contains a clause by which Russia promises to allow Germany .an absolutely free hand in South America. Already a lanzc amount of German capital is invested in Venezuela and Brazil, and it has long been Germany's intention to use any opportunity that might arise there for her own aggrandisement. The bombardment of Venezuelan porte by German warships in 1902 was justified by the plea that the United States would not take the trouble to keep order in South America, and there was no one else to do it. President. Uoosevelt =perns io luivc. taken the hint very seriously, and we may regard the ultimatum now delivered to Castro as a proof of the determination of the United States not only to forestall Germany, but to assume the responsibilities as well as the rights imi plied in the famous message of President ' Monroe.