Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1857-03-28
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE MONROE DOCTRINE.


find the subjoined Letter, which, as it relates to an
interesting question in American political history,
may be deemed to deserve place in our columns, if
for other reason because of the respectable
from which it proceeds It appears to have been
copied into the Albion /" from foreign journal :
To the Editor Of tie g Edinburgh Rspierc.''
SIR: In the October number 1856 of your Review
there appears, in page $780, the following passage Mr.
Buchanan lis of the strenuous supporters of the ia
nous Monroe doctrine, which, having been originally
suggested by Mr.. Canning as bulwark against the
interference of the Holy Alliance in American affairs
has been converted into against all the Powers,
whose territories fringe the States of the American
Union"
Now so far from its being true that this doctrine
originally suggested by Mr. Canning, ne twice publicly
entered his protest against it. 1s In Parliament, at
the opening the session Of 1924 when President Mon
roes message in which it was first propounded, was
much eulogized by Mr. Brougham Mr.. Canning thought
it necessary to declare that he firmly of opinion,
with the President Of the United States that foreign
State had right interfere between the mother
try and the colonies but he strongly of opinion
that the mother country had right to attempt
the colonies if she thought proper Hansard vol
l40 February g. 1924 I'd In 1924, when, in the
goatons with the United States for the continuance of
certain convention, the American Penpotentiaries
asserted this Monroe doctrine, that part of the Anne
rean continent henceforh to be open colonization
from Europe the British Penpotentaries acting under
Mr. Cannngs instructions not only utterly denied the
truth and justice of the ocrine but took record
their denial the protocol of the conference in
which the principle had been insisted by the United
States
The characters of departed statesmen belong their
country trust therefore, to your sense of justice and
fairness correct in your next number misrepresen
tation which however inadyertent the part of the
writer is calculated to njure Mr. Cannings memory.
1 am, sir &c. A G. STAPLEroN,
Formerly Mr.. Canning's Private Secretary.
KKNsINGToN, Nov. 20, 1856.
PLEFoN animadverts seems to have arisen from
failure on the part of the reviewer to discriminate
between the two declarations addressed by Mr.
MONROE to the Powers of Europe in his celebrated
message of December, 1923, we have thought it
might not be improbable again to alude to the
different circumstances which originated and at
tended each of the propositions so frequently con-
founded, as well as severally misunderstood, in the
common parlance of popular politicians.
So much of Mr.. Monroes message as related to
the threatened participation of the Holy Alliance
in the long-pending contest between Spain and her
revolted American colonies may be fairly said to
have received its first hint, if not its official in
spiration, from the English Foreign Secretary,
Mr. CANNING, who in a conversation held with
the American Minister Mr. RUSH, on the 18th
of August 1928, is represented by the latter
in his interesting work entitled g Memoranda
of Residence at the Court of London" to have
inquired, with reference to probable intervention
of France IN the complications between Spain and
her colonies, what she Mr. Rush, thought his
Government would say to going hand in hand with
England in the policy of preventing such a con-
federation for the purpose of reducing the reyoted
prozinces- of Spain TO subiection-Mp Canning
taking occasion to add, at the same time, that he
did not think any such concerted action would
become necessary, as he fully believed sfthat the
simple fact of the two countries being known to
hold the same opinions would by its moral effect,
put down the intention on the part of France, if
she entertained it.
The subject thus opened between Mr.. CANNING
and Mr. RUSH was made the occasion of muck sub
sequent conversation and correspondence the result
of which, for the purposes of this article may be
briefly stated in the following extract from Mr.
Rushs q Memoranda y
''By the early transmission of the proposals made
to me by Mr. Canning in his notes of the latter end
of August the copies of them as well as of my re-
ports of our conferences on the whole subject, ar
rived at Washington In time to engage the delibe-
rations of President Monroe and his Cabinet be-
fore the meeting of Congress in December Al
though in the end no concerted movement took
place between the two Governments, the communica-
tons to from the Secretary of State in responding
10 the oyertures of Mr.. Canning were in high de-
gree conciliatory towards England, and framed with
every just sensibility to the frank and friendly
! spirit of those overtures"
Thus it viii be seen that this portion of Mr..
Monroe's message may be fairly deemed to have re-
ceived its suggesNsp from what Mr. Rush calls the
proposals or '.oAertures of the British secre-
tary of State for FoAhgn Affairs
But, in addition to this doctrine" the earlier
. Part of the same message of Mr. Monroe contained
the following declaration, in allusion, not any pro-
posed Intervention of the Holy Alliance but to GER
tam pending discussions between the United States
aAA terrtnriaI cai,,,r
of the two nations on the northwestern coast of
America:
The occasion has been judged proper for as
serting, principle in which the rights and inter
ests OF the United States are involved, that the
American continents, by the free and independent
condition which they have assumed and maintained,
are henceforh not to be considered as subjects for
future colonization BY any European Power"
Into the nature and purport of this declaration
1t forms no part of present design to enter, as
we have discussed it at length on former occasions
and showed from contemporary documents that it