VENEZUELA AND AFTER 309 



ment had declined to agree to the most satis 

 factory mode of ending the controversy with 

 Venezuela, he declared that the right, the duty, 

 and the interest of the United States required 

 that it ascertain in some way what the true 

 boundary was. Only thus could there be cer 

 tainty that a strong European power was not 

 encroaching upon and oppressing a weak Amer 

 ican republic, and thus violating the Monroe 

 Doctrine. He asked Congress, therefore, to 

 provide for a commission to investigate the 

 history and facts of the matter, and report what 

 the true divisional line was between Venezuela 

 and British Guiana. The line thus determined 

 it would be the duty of the United States to 

 maintain as the lawful boundary. Any appro 

 priation of lands or exercise of jurisdiction by 

 Great Britain in places thus decided to belong 

 to Venezuela would be, Mr. Cleveland affirmed, 

 a wilful aggression upon the rights and interests 

 of the United States, to be resisted by every 

 means in its power. And this belligerent atti 

 tude he confirmed beyond all misapprehension 

 by the ominous words: &quot;In making these 

 recommendations I am fully alive to the respon 

 sibility incurred, and keenly realize all the 

 consequences that may follow.&quot; Yet, he con- 



