668 Presidential Addresses 



and Italy formed an alliance for the purpose of 

 blockading the ports of Venezuela and using such 

 other means of pressure as would secure a settle- 

 ment of claims due, as they alleged, to certain of 

 their subjects. Their employment of force for the 

 collection of these claims was terminated by an 

 agreement brought about through the offices of the 

 diplomatic representatives of the United States at 

 Caracas and the Government at Washington, there- 

 by ending a situation which was bound to cause in- 

 creasing friction, and which jeoparded the peace of 

 the continent. Under this agreement Venezuela 

 agreed to set apart a certain percentage of the cus- 

 toms receipts of two of her ports to be applied to 

 the payment of whatever obligations might be ascer- 

 tained by mixed commissions appointed for that pur- 

 pose to be due from her, not only to the three powers 

 already mentioned, whose proceedings against her 

 had resulted in a state of war, but also to the United 

 States, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, 

 Sweden and Norway, and Mexico, who had not 

 employed force for the collection of the claims al- 

 leged to be due to certain of their citizens. 



A demand was then made by the so-called block- 

 ading powers that the sums ascertained to be due 

 to their citizens by such mixed commissions should 

 be accorded payment in full before anything was 

 paid upon the claims of any of the so-called peace 

 powers. Venezuela, on the other hand, insisted 

 that all her creditors should be paid upon a basis of 

 exact equality. During the efforts to adjust this 



