Show PROMPT ACTION GALLED CALLED FOR should not delay accepting arbitration the sage advice given by a washington correspondent of the london times and english comments thereon the situation in in fr france ance growing Revolutionary R evol cabinet may dispense with the senate london feb 18 the arbitration debate in the house of commons yesterday I 1 and the proposal of 0 the times cor correspondent res in the united states mr geo IV smalley Sma llcy that great britain should appoint a commission of its own co consisting n of two members which which should work in it conjunct with two americans as a new venezuela zuela boundary commission not to fix fi the boundary but to ascertain the facts and report to their governments are the leading subjects for editorial comment this after afternoon especially as mr Sm smalleys Small alleys cys proposal for a joint commission is supposed to have originated with the cabinet at washington ingwoll Ing toll the pall mall gazette says the atherly jonet jones amendment deploring the absence of a pronouncement in the queens speech in favoron favor of arbitrating the ilia venezuelan dispute could not do good and might do a great deal of harm mr atherly jones is old enough to know that the interference 0 the house of c commons mn I 1 in n matters under diplomatic treatment must be intolerable the amendment implying censure of the government would infallibly have been ne 1 by a large majority and would ha have ve thus defeated its ow own n ends and have conveyed to the united states an entirely fallacious impression of hostility thi on the morning of the very promising suggestion of mr sm smalley JR ley might ml 0 ht have been a very serious calamity fortunately no harm has been done the house saw it had been on the verge of an indiscretion and wisely began talking of something else the westminster gazette says it sympathizes with the object of the atherly jones amendment adding however but it was clearly desirable after mr balfourd Bal fours appeal and sir wll wit liam ham vernon Ilar courts speech that it should not be persevered in for its certain rejection would have been interpreted in america as demonstrating that the ilia house of commons did not favor arbitration this would have been a thousand pities with the delicate negotiations tiati ons proceeding and with every hope that a modus will be found the st james gazette agrees that mr balfourd Bal fours intervention in the debate yesterday in fit order to end it was justifiable and says but sir william harcourte Har Ilar courts utterances on arbitration go a great deal further than is justified by the feeling here the chronicle and sir william harcourt most declare that the country is unanimous for arbitration tra tion without specifying what arbitration nothing but harm can come of this mystification another ambiguity was introduced by mr smalleys Sm alleys tion N which seems to lobe be entirely premature until sonic some arrangement has been affected with venezuela that occupation shall be the basis of settlement the globe says it if not stir surprising to learn that the he scheme commends itself to president cleveland and his ministers continuing they have taken up untenable ground and virtually ask our assistance to enable them to retire retire gracefully it is often good policy to build a golden bridge for tny any adversary but it must not be too loo costly and the cost in the present instance is too great and it has the fatal defect that it places the interests of british subjects and territory claimed by venezuela absolutely in the hands of an unknown foreigner this sacrifice president cleveland has no right to call for front from us america hat has no corresponding interest interests inter estt to put at stake as an equivalent and we cannot consent to leave the position and property of englishmen it at the mercy of a siss belgian or scandinavian arbitrator london feb ig 19 A washington dispatch to the times warns the english government against delay in fit responding to the ilia overtures indicated in the correspondents pon dents dispatch of yesterday which gave an outline of a plan for a joint commission on the venezuelan dispute of british and american members which lie he said would be acceptable to the united states the rho danger is says the times correspondent that the public will not support this new departure so readily as it did president Clev elands message but whatever reception it may receive the wellington washington government will carry out it rl to give full effect to its proposal propof prop oLal al the more quickly england accepts the offer the ilia more general I 1 is the approval of the american people likely to be it is no light thing to let such suggestions come beffi e the american public without a previous assurance of their acceptance by england |