The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-02-08
LEAVE YOUR NAMES.
THE seBUTTREssn DOCTRINE.

In his recent pleasure trip to the West In
dies, the Secretary Of State, Mr. Seward, was
thrown into contact with the functionaries
white and colored) in several of the islands
In Cuba, the Captain General feted him, took
him to the Theatre, and otherwise put him
through" extensively; while in Dominica Ia
section of Hayti) the ruler of what is known
as the Mulatto Government held very sig
nifcant parley with our distinguished peripa-
tetic offica in the course of which Mr.. Sew
ard laid down what we may term "'rhe But
tress Doctrine"
In reply to au inquiry by the Dominican
President, Baez, on the 18th January lat their
interview at the national palace in regard to
the probability of b recognition of his new Go
vernment by the United States, Mr. Seward
said:
We have built up in the northern part of
the American continent Republic. We have
laid for it broad foundation. 1t has grown
upon our hands to be an imposing. possibly
majestic empire It's stability and permaneuce
are essential to prosperity, liberty, peace, and
happiness. Like every other structure Of large
proportions, it requires outward buttresses-
those buttresses will arise in the development
of civilization on this hemisphere They will
consist of Republics founded like our own in
adjacent countries and islands, upon the prin-
ciple of the equal fights ofmen
To us it matters not of what race or lineage
those republics shall be. They are necessary
for our security against aggression, external
forces, and perhaps for the security of our in
ternal peace We desire those buttresses to be-
multiplied and strengthened as fast as it can
be done, without the exercise Of fraud or force
upon our own part,
You are quick to perceive the use Of the
main edifce in protecting the buttress you
have established; and thus it happens that the
republics around us only impart to lis the
strength which we in return extend to them.
We have, therefore, no choice but to recognize
the Republic of Dominica, SO soon as it shall
afford to us the necessary guarantee of its own
stability.
Though Mr.. Seward declared that be spoke
unoficially, we have here clearly indicated the
great requirement Of our mammoth Republic
We want 6uHresses-not colonies, or merely
friendly Powers-but buttresses, or con-similar
republics, "to impart to us strength, which we
in return extend to theln"-and Mr. Seward
declares that these supports are essential.
We acknowledge we have. been furnished
with new idea, this time In the family of
nations we are to have big republic with
little ones all around it to help to hold it up !
The next treatise on Public Law ought to
have special chapter devoted to the buttress
doctrine. 1t would read we'll
Is not Mr. Seward little self-confictng,
i'll declaring in the same speech?
t'We could not deny to the people Of Do
n1inica the right to be subjects Of Spain, if
such was their choice. We could not inter-
vene by force to prevent their exercising that
choice, or to compel them to reconsider it.
We nowhere intervene to establish republican
institutions by force We deny the right of
any State to intervene by force to establish
monarchical, imperial or any other form of
government in our own country Foreign in
PREVENTION by force is always ruinous to a
State, no matter under what prctence it is
effected or by what agency it is invoked No
foreign State can establish or guarantee re-
publican institutions>in any other State by
force.
Here we have an acknowledgment of the
right of our next door neighbors, the Mexicans
flor instance)-to put themselves under allie
glance to France, Or Austria or to establish
an empire of their own, if they see fit. And
at the same time the necessity for "buttresses,"
in the shape of sympathetic republics is pro-
claimed. Who can harmonic the apparent
conflict.