Mr. Partridge to Mr.
Gresham.
Legation of
the United States,
Caracas, May 11, 1893.
(Received May 22.)
No. 36.]
Sir: I have the honor to send you, under separate
cover, two copies of the message of the chief of the executive power
transmitted to the national constituent assembly the 8th instant; and also
three copies of the Annual Report of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for
1893. Matters of interest to the relations of Venezuela with the United
States will be found in the latter, on pp. 27–31, inclusive, 43, 44, 48, and
49–51, inclusive. I inclose herewith translation of the minister’s remarks
upon the subjects of reciprocity, the Hancox claim, and an extradition
treaty.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1, No.
36.—Translation.]
[From the Report of Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Venezuela for 1893.]
Customs reciprocity.
Very soon after the installation of the Venezuelan legation the
Department of State expressed the desire to celebrate with this country
a treaty of reciprocity upon bases more acceptable than those formerly
proposed, excluding in them certain articles or products which before
constituted one of the principal difficulties in arriving at the
agreement which was requested.
The prolix negotiation to which, from 1890 to 1892, this matter gave
rise, transcendental of itself by reason of the great interest which it
involves, sufficiently proves the delicacy and care with which we ought
to proceed before taking any
[Page 725]
step on the road to a treaty. Hence this ministry preferred to share the
responsibility of the case with the officer of finance, where the new
propositions were submitted to careful study, but without result so far
favorable to the idea of a convention.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
36.—Translation.]
[From the Report of Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Venezuela for 1893.]
Hancox claim.
The 19th of January, 1892, an agreement was signed by the
plenipotentiaries of the two governments to submit to the decision of
arbitration this old claim of the United States. Circumstances well
known prevented the meeting of the Congress of that year, which ought to
have given its approbation to the ratification and their respective
exchanges.
The delay in their formality, in no matter dependent upon the executive
power of Venezuela, has occasioned suggestion on the part of the
Government at Washington in the sense of proceeding at once to the
completion of the treaty or of seeking by some other means a way of
repairing, to that end, the default of the legislative body. This
ministry considering, as was natural, the precise precepts of our
constitution, pointed out in its reply the impossibility in which the
chief of the executive power found himself of arrogating to himself
legislative faculties in diplomatic matters; and after some
consideration regarding the convenience of recourse to arbitration,
happily chosen for the definite solution of the Hancox claim, expressed
the confidence which the Government of the Republic has that one of the
first acts of the next constitutional congress will be to place in the
way of immediate completion the treaty of the 19th of January, 1892.
[Inclosure 3 in No.
36.—Translation.]
[From the Report of Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Venezuela for 1893.]
Extradition.
By means of its representative in Caracas the Government at Washington
has just manifested the desire to celebrate with Venezuela a treaty of
extradition.
The executive power disposed on its part to initiate formal treaties
regarding such a matter has requested of the legation of the United
States the basis upon which it was disposed to make an agreement, in
order to study them in the light of judicial criticism which in that
regard prevails among us, and to resolve beforehand the administrative
or political difficulties which, on account of respective local laws,
might embarrass from the start the course of the negotiation.
