Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-04-02


complications But tho dangers which they appre-
hended. and which tho bold PRONUNCIATION Of the Monroe
Doorne then averled, upon 1t is sad to find
public opinion little enlightened TO the evils that
threaten and to the principles by which should
be guided In counteractng them And it is bumatng to
see Journal eminent tho National Inteigencer,
cupyng position OF much influence. resorng to such
miserable petogRing sophstry in order to dttach
u were from the wisdom and courag Of better days
As the Independent takes its appeal to the states
men who were contemporaneous with the declsrs-
tons made by Mr.. Monroe, and as no objections,
except those of general character, are brought
against the historical memoranda have previously
cited 10 explanation of the origin and true signif-
cance OF the Monroe Doctrine, propose to-day to
take our contemporary upon the ground to which
it has removed the discussion and will agree to
refer the matter in controversy between US to the
judgment of " the great statesmen who then man
aged the affairs Of our Government.
The Independent does well to summon John
Quincy Adams as principal witness in the case,
if the truth of the matter is to be found out by
searching, for we readily agree with it in award
ing to him the first place among the "great states
men entitled to interpret !" the Monroe Doctrine
for the present generation. Of that doctrine"
at least in its prominent feature, he the author
while holding the post of Secretary of State under
Mr.. Monroe, and he subsequently became, as Pre-
sident Of the United States, its official and autho-
ritative expounder in all the breadth of its mean
ing. We proceed to make these statements clear.
In the year 1923 negotiations were pending be-
tween our Government and Russia concerning
their respective boundaries on the Pacific. We
had controversy also with Great Br tain respect
ing the same Northwest Coast, as to which certain
professions of the Gar were disputed alike by
Great Britain and the United States And it was
in the midst Of this complicated negotiation that
Mr.. John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State,
propounded that portion of the so-called " Monroe
Doctrine" which involves the question of the colo
nization Of the American continents.
The Russian Emperor having by an imperial
ukase, dated 4th Cl6th in new style) Of September
1921, advanced certain pretensons to portion
of the northwestern territory of this continent,
which, as before said, was likewise claimed by both
Great Britain and the Uaited States, it became
important, said Mr.. Adams in despatch addressed
to Mr.. Rush, our Minister at London, on the 22d
of July 1928, that the United States and Great
Britain " should come to mutual understanding
with regard to their respective pretensions, well
as upon their joint views with reference to those
OF Russia" As throwing some light upon the
subject, Mr. Adams recited the principles settled
by the "Nootka Sound Convention of 28th Oc-
tober, 1870, among which the following were the
most important: "That so far as the actual set
Elements of Spain had extended, she posses sed
exclusive rights territorial and Of navigation and
fishery" and "that on the coasts of South Ame-
RIGA and the adjacent islands south Of the parts
already occupied by Spain no settlements should
thereafter be made either by British or Spanish
subjects"
At the date of Mr. Adamss letter the Spanish
Provinces of the Western World, it will be remem-
bered had thrown off the yoke of the mother coun-
try, and by successful revolution, were now indie
pendent States, recognised such, first of all, by
our own Government Hence Mr.. Adams writes
in the same despatch as follows:
"Tbe exclusive rights Of Spain to any portion Of the
American c. ntnents have ceased That portion of the
conven on the Nootka Sound convention therefore,
which recognises the exclusive colonial rights Of Spain
these continents though confirmed between Great
Britain and Spain by the fret additional article TO the
treaty OF the 9Th Of July 1914, has been extDguished by
the fact Of the independence Of the South Amerc IN
nations and Of Mexico. These independent nations will
possess the rights incident to that condition. and their
territories will Of be subject to exclusive right
Of navigation in their vicinity Of to them by
any foreign nation. A necessary consequence OF THIS
STATE OF THINGS niu be that the american Continents
henceforh uH longer be subject TO aTIoN Oe-
cupicd By ciriiz nations they o be accessible Euro
peans and each other on that footing alone"
Four months afterward President Monroe an
nounced this principle to the world in his annual
me ssage, in which, after stating the negotiations
that had been carried on upon the topics before
named, between our Government and Russia, he
proceeded to say
The occasion has been judged proper for asserting
principle which the rights and interests Of the Unite
States involved that the American continents by the
free and independent cond ton which they have assumed
and maintain henceforth not to be considered sub
jects of future coloniz ston by any European Power
In thi, it will be seen that the President holds
precisely the same language as had been four
months before communicated by hi, Secretary of
State to Mr.. Rush, and by both the "prnciple" is
asserted an incident of the negotiation with
Russia respecting the territorial limits Of north
western country. But Mr.. Adams, it will be re-
membered, had also distinctly declared that the
enunciaion Of this principle had its origin in the