Salisbury hoped that Congress would not support the President--a
contingency which not infrequently happened under Cleveland's
Administration. On this question of foreign relations, however,
Congress stood squarely behind the President. Lord Salisbury then
toyed with the hope that the matter might be delayed until
Cleveland's term expired, in the hope he might have an
opportunity of dealing with a less strenuous successor.

In the summer of 1896, John Hay, an intimate friend of Major
McKinley, the probable Republican candidate for the presidency,
was in England, where he was a well-known figure. There he met
privately Arthur J. Balfour, representing Lord Salisbury, and Sir
William Harcourt, the leader of the Opposition. Hay convinced
them that a change in the Administration of his country would
involve no retreat from the existing American position. The
British Government thereupon determined to yield but attempted to
cover its retreat by merging the question with one of general
arbitration. This proposal, however, was rejected, and Lord
Salisbury then agreed to "an equitable settlement" of the
Venezuela question by empowering the British Ambassador at
Washington to begin negotiations "either with the representative
of Venezuela or with the Government of the United States acting
as the friend of Venezuela."

The achievement of the Administration consisted in forcing Great
Britain to recognize the interest of the United States in the
dispute with Venezuela, on the ground that Venezuela was one of
the nations of the Western Hemisphere. This concession
practically involved recognition of the interest of the United
States in case of future disputes with other American powers. The