THE VENEZUELAN FRONTIER COMMISSION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7540, 22 January 1896, Page 2

THE VENEZUELAN FRONTIER COMMISSION.

London, Jan. 21. The Venezuelan Boundary Commission of the United States has asked Great Britain to produce evidence respecting the frontier boundary. The Standard says there are unmistakable signs of dissent and resentment at the attempt to renew the jingoism spirit in the United States. Mr P. F. Cassidy, city editor of the New York Mercury, who is visiting New Zealand, was interviewed by t.ho Christohuroh Preas, and gives an interesting account of the feeling of American citizens towards England. Speaking on the Venezuelan question, he said : — " Sou ask me what information I can give you regarding the feeling of the American people on the Venezuelan question? Well, I think I can give you that pretty accurntaly. Mind it is not my own opinion, but my impressions of the feelings of the American people as I found them before I left. The subject had been pretty well discussed before I left America, as I well remember being in Tammany Hall last fourth ot July, when McKinley and several of the other prominent Republicans spoke. All of them were most bitter as against England, and emphatic as to the preservation of the . ' Monroe doctrine. Now that quite sized up to what I had found amongst the people, that they were strongly in favor of the Monroe doctrine being applied to" this question. Does Venezuela come within the Monroe doctrine ? Yes, most decidedly ; and let me tell you it is no case of jingoism ■ at all. That is all bosh. I have seen this repeated over and over again, but; it is utter rubbish. So also is the statement that it is connected with tho Irish people. That is all nonßense. The fact is that there is in America a very widespread hatred of the English nation. Away back from the cities on the farms they still cherish traditions of the War of Independence, when Indians were used by Great Britain to slay innocent women and children. The French and Russians on the contrary have always been friendly to America. France sent ns the Statue of Liberty which is in our New York Bay ; Russia has given us Alaska, and both sympathised with the North in the struggle with the South, whilst England did just the opposite. Now, when ib comes to a question o£ England's aggressive colonising policy comjjog"'6h to our coasts " way upto our jceryTJorders, and threatening our existence, the American people emphatically demand that their Monroe doctrine, which set out that on further colonising by any outside power should be permitted, isV Btrictl^r enforced. Yon see, there is the fkingaom of Canada — for yon know a move--nienfc was made to make it a Kingdom, with Queen Victoria as its first ruler — on our North. In the south is the South American Republics, and then with England colonising in Venezuela, pushing on her frontiers, where should we be? This is what the American people say to-day. Wo should have to keep up a standing army, and these monarchial neighbors of ours would become a continual menace. Thus it , will be seen that the statement with which I set out, viz), that the Americans will insisb upon the Monroe doctrine being strictly adhered to with regard to Venezuela, is ' correct. Now as to the action of the* President. The statement that this is a try on by Grover Cleveland in view of a third term of the Presidency is an absurdity. The American people will never elect a man to a third term of the Presidency until they forget George Washington. The President), who is a Mugwump, has saved— for the present at least— the two countries from what would be ■ a most horrible war by nominating a Commission. I saw as I came '■ through Auckland that this had been done, and the onty name I recognise ib that of tb.9 Hon. Mr Cadere, a lawyer of New York city . of very high standing. Now the Senate this time is almost wholly Republican, and aa they expect to carry the country for President, they speak on the side they know ia favored by the people. Hence the speeches as against England and in favor of war. The Senate, I may tell you, is the ' Only authority that can declare war, and if the President did not carry out their wishes, they would very likely impeach him fot treason. But the Americans are a fairminded people. They are slow to fight, though giving hard knocks, when into one. Besides which, all the tendency of the age is towards arbitration. Henco the action of President Cleveland in nominating the Commission ha 3 had this effect, that ib has induced the people to sit down and wait to see the outcome of it. They know that,. the members of the Commission are native-born Americans, capable of conserving the honor of their country and at the same time fair minded, and they are quite - content to wait the issue. But, all the time, they are determined to enforce the Monroe doctrine, and that in the strictest manner. Hence you will see that it behoves England to be very careful and cautious in their dealings with the Venezuelans. If she incites or encourages them instead of advising them to remain quiet and wait the - upshot of the Commission, then the respon- -: sibility of war will rest with her. The composition of the population of the o nited States, I may point out, is distinctly antiBritish. There has been little or no infusion of English blood into America since the old days, whilst the German, Irish, and French have largely intermarried and permeated the population. Hence the spirit of antago. nism to England to which I have already referred. I look with a considerable amount of hope to the result of the .action of thav President in connection with the appoints ■ ', ment of the Commission, and I .thinlj?^ that Grover Cleveland deserves creditf'' for having put a stop at present 7 'fo*-'. the chance of war. Still there is no knowing what might happen if England is not careful, because, as I have pointed . out, the Senate is almost entirely Republican, and having to test the polls for President, they are sure to take any step which will bring them into favor with the people. That a rigid adherence to the Monroe . doctrine in the present case would most) assuredly do. " What is a Mugwump? Well, it is derived "" from an Indian word, signifying a great .1 « chief, one who knows and is above all paltry '• '• matters. Some time ago a party separated itself from the Republican, and Democratic) parties, protesting against* the corruption which they averred existed, and the members of this party were called " Mugwumps," that is, above party politics 'ana schemes. As I said just now, President) Cleveland is a Mugwump."