OUR BOUNDARY WAR-SCARE. 
By James Ropway. 
On the 17th of December, 1895, President Cleveland startled the world by 
his message to Congress in reference to the Venezuela-British Guiana Boundary 
Question. A Commission was proposed to report without delay on the merits 
of the case :-— 
“ When such report is made and accepted it will, in my opinion, be the duty 
of the United State to resist by every means in its power as a wilful aggression 
upon it rights and interests the appropriation by Great Britain of any lands 
or the exercise of governmental jurisdiction over any territory, which, after 
investigation, we have determined of right belongs to Venezuela. ” 
This was indeed a challenge that could only be justified by the well-known 
Monroe Doctrine. On the 18th the British papers spoke in very strong 
language, the Times said the message was of a very grave character, it 
conveyed a far-reaching claim. A rupture between the two great English- 
speaking nations would be a calamity to the whole civilized world. The 
concessions so imperiously required were such that could not possibly be 
submitted to by any self-respecting nation ; it would be incumbent to protect 
Imperial interests. The Standard said President Cleveland’s position was 
preposterous, they must decline to humiliate themselves. Other London 
papers spoke in similar terms, but most of those in New York supported the 
President, only one saying he had made a serious mistake. 
Punch’s cartoon represented President Cleveland and Lord Salisbury with 
their hands on a map of Venezuela ; Cleveland says— 
“ Waal, Salisbury, Sir, whether you like it or not, we propose to arbitrate 
on this matter ourselves, and,in that event, We shall abide by our own 
dec sion.’ 
President Cleveland is also supposed to sing a song of which these are the 
concluding lines :— 
‘©And I skilfully laid my message 
On good old spread-Eagle wings. 
I watched them spread farther and farther, 
(My Monroe doctrine to teach ;) 
Farther than sense can follow, 
Farther than right can reach 
Far, far, farther ! 
And I know that at least this message 
Will echo from State to State 
For I’ve twisted the tail of the Lion, 
And—well I’m content to wait! 
As the Lion (I reckon) will wait! 
On the 18th the English papers were less excited but the Americans were 
even more bellicose. Wall street was agitated and the disturbance of the 
money market no doubt led to the quieter feeling which soon followed. By 
