302 VENEZUELA AND AFTER 



United States informed as to the situation, and 

 had urged upon that government the duty of 

 sustaining the demand for arbitration. The 

 Venezuelan contention was that Great Brit 

 ain, under cover of the uncertainty as to the 

 boundary, was continually extending her settle 

 ments and her jurisdiction into the disputed 

 territory, and was thus contravening the Mon 

 roe Doctrine. In the documents submitted to 

 the United States by the Venezuelan author 

 ities there was some evidence to support this 

 view, and to sustain the charge that the British 

 refusal to go to arbitration was animated by 

 the purpose to delay a settlement until still 

 larger areas of rich mineral land should be oc 

 cupied by British subjects. 



Successive administrations at Washington lis 

 tened with friendly interest to the Venezuelan 

 representations, but refrained from taking up 

 the matter with the British Government, partly 

 because it was the wish of the Venezuelans that 

 the United States should be the umpire in case 

 of an arbitration, and this would be rendered 

 impracticable if the United States should com 

 mit herself in any degree to the Venezuelan 

 interest at the outset. During the first term 

 of President Cleveland, however, when the ten- 



