Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
The result is satisfactory in every way. It is of great material
advantage to our people in the Far Northwest. It has removed from the
field of discussion and possible danger a question liable to become
more acutely accentuated with each passing year. Finally, it has
furnished a signal proof of the fairness and good will with which two
friendly nations can approach and determine issues involving national
sovereignty and by their nature incapable of submission to a third
power for adjudication.
The award is self-executing on the vital points. To make it effective
as regards the others it only remains for the two Governments to
appoint, each on its own behalf, one or more scientific experts, who
shall, with all convenient speed, proceed together to lay down the
boundary line in accordance with the decision of the majority of the
Tribunal. I recommend that the Congress make adequate provision for the
appointment, compensation, and expenses of the members to serve on this
joint boundary commission on the part of the United States.
It will be remembered that during the second session of the last
Congress Great Britain, Germany, 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 settlement 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, thereby
ending a situation which was bound to cause increasing friction, and
which jeoparded the peace of the continent. Under this agreement
Venezuela agreed to set apart a certain percentage of the customs
receipts of two of her ports to be applied to the payment of whatever
obligations might be ascertained by mixed commissions appointed for
that purpose 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
Netherland Sweden and Norway, and Mexico, who had not employed force
for the collection of the claims alleged to be due to certain of their
citizens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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