Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1865-12-01
gaa;rbmun & Stair JournaI.
by E.P. WALTON
MONTPELIER, DECEMBER / 1865.
THE MONROE noCTRlNE-

his message that while the U. S. Government
Mexico, it regards interference on its part as
unnecessary. In view Of late indications that
the Emperor Of France is weary Of the burden
of the house Of Haps burgh-getting, If we may
say it, unsteady in the legs,-this may not be
a bad guess, though nothing but guess we
are sure it is. ]. may not be necessary for
the United States to interfere, and we strong
ly hope it will not be; yet every body knows
that our Government has never recognized
Macmillan, but has recognized, and still does
recognize, the Republic Of Mexico, and those
who represent it, the last and recent act Of
President Johnson being the appointment Of
Gen. Logan to represent the u S. in the Re-
public Of Mexico. We guess, then, that the
President will follow in the traditionary line,
and emphatcally re-anpounce " the Monroe
doctrine" as the settled policy of the Gov
eminent, as was unanimously declared by the
House Of Representatives in the last Congress,
and implicitly affirmed by the Senate, in an
amendment to the appropriation for the Mex
lean mission, requiring that mission to be to
the Republic of Merico" That declaration
has been more than once made by our Presi-
dents, and though it implied the possibility
Of war to enforce the doctrine, yet the ef-
feet in every instance has been to prevent ag-
gressive movements upon the American Con-
tinent BY European nations, and therefore and
thus to preserve peace. When President
Monroe first announced it, the allied Euro
pean powers abandoned their schemes against
the South American Republics and long af-
forwards, when President Polk announced it
in view Of the designs of Great Britain upon
regions bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, that
government respected the interpositon Of the
L. S. and ultimately withdrew from the Mos
quito protectorate and the colony il had es.
tablished in Honduras. SO we trust the re-
suit will be 10 these later times. But what
is the Monroe dootrinei Fx-President Blu
chanan has given very good answer to this
question, in his posthumous attempt to defend
his administration by book. OF course it
must entirely fail Of its purpose since there
can be No good defence for permit ting rebel
lion but there are doubtless valuable things
in the book, and the chapter on the Monroe
doctrine, so far as it is historical, is one Of
them. We use it, so as 10 give. in moderate
compass, the history and purpose ofthe Mon
roe Doctrine.
After the fall Of Napoleon the First, Russia,
Austri. and Prussia formed the so called
g Holy Alliance" the chief purpose Of which
was to perpetuate Kingly government and re-
press Republicanism. France and most of
the Continental governments oned this royal
club, and in 1928 the Cortes of Spain was
overthrow by it and Ferdinand VII restored
to power. The next step contemplated by
the Holy Alliance was to restore to Ferdi-
nand the South American Republics, which
Spain had lost. The U. S. had already &C.
knowledged the independence of these ne
publics, and Great Britain, jealous OF the AL
lance, appealed to the United States to step
in and protect them. In August 1928, Mr..
Canning, the British prime Minister, formally
asked, through Mr.. Rush, then U. S, Minister
at London, joint declaration by Great Brit
ain and the U. s., in opposition TO this scheme
of the Holy Alliance. Mr.. Rush, without
instructions from the U. S. government, at
once agreed on condition that Great Britain
should first acknowledge the independence of
the South American Republics. Mr. Canning
declined, and for that reason this Joint decla-
ration was never made. But Mr. Rush COM
munieated the proposition Of Mr.. Canning to
John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State,
and, after consideration by the Cabinet, Pres
ident Monroe asked the opinion of Mr.. Jeff
ersou. In ssply, Mr.. Jefferson wrote as fol-
lows:
The question presented by the letters
you have sent me is the most momentous
which has ever been offered to my contempla-
ton since that OF independence That made
} us a nation this sets our compass and points
the course which we are to steer through the
, ocean of time opening on US and never could
we embark on it under circumstances more
suspicious Our first and fundamental max
i'm should be, never to entangle ourselves in
, the broils of Europe. Our second, never to
suffer Europe to intermeddle with our cis-
, Atlantic affairs. America, North and South,
has a set of interests distinct from that of
Europe, and peculiarly her own. She should,
therefore, have a system Of her own, separate
and apart from that Of Europe. While the
last is laboring to become the domcile of
despotism, our endeavor should surely be to
make our hemisphere that of freedom. One
nation, most OF all, could disturb US in this
pursuit she now offers to lead, aid and ac-
company us in it. By acceeding to her prop
osition, we detaeh her from the bands of des-
pots, bring her mighty weight into the scale
of free government, and emancipate CONT
nent at one stroke, which might otherwise
linger long in doubt and difficulty. Great
Britain is the nation which can do us the
: most harm of any other, or all on earth, and
with her on one side. we need not fear the
whole world. With her, then, we should
most seduously cherish cordial friendship,
and nothing would tend more to knit our az
fecions than to be fighting once more, side
by side in the same cause. Not that would