The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-01-10

OF 1t against future European colonlzation.-
This encountered their decided opposition.-
1.-THE Monroe Doctrine" nevertheless, soon
became a canon of political faith for the
American people. and they placed it side by
side with their hostility to the imprisonment
of American seamen, and to the search OF
American vessels ON the high seas.
The authors and friends of the Monroe
doctrine entertained no doubt of its wisdom
and policy. With the established independ-
encs of the republic of Mexico and the repub-
lies south of it, there arose two distinct ana
opposing forms of government on the oppo-
site side of the Atlantic the enc repu bllcan,
the other monsrchlcal, the one devoted to
tree institutions, the other to despotic rule
The nations of Europe having determined to
resist any change in their monarchical forms,
it was but just and reasonable that those OF
America in self protection should equally
resist all attempts from the other side OF the
Atlantic to change their free institut TONS
To repeat the language of Mr.. Jefferson.
America, north and south. has set OF In.
| terests distinct from those of Europe, and
peculiarly her own; she shonld, therefore,
| have a system Of her own, separate and
apart from that of Europe. While the last
| is laboring to become the domicile of despot-
| ism, our endeavor should surely be to make
our hemisphere that of freedom" Govern
| ments so radically opposed in principle could
not be intermingled in adjoining territories
| without dangerous disputes and COLLISION
| The contrast between them would be peren-
NAL source of jealousy. Each would neces-
| sarily endeavor to propagate its own prlncI-
| pies among the neighboring people of the
other. In the interests of peace aud TREND
ship between the European monarchies and
| the American republics, q wise foresight
| would forbid the former from establishing
colonies within the territories or in the vlcini-
| ty OF the latter. Should the United States
| interpose forcibly to establish republican in
situations on any part of the European con-
| tinent it Is certain that all Its soverelgns
| would combine to resist such an interference
| as dangerous to their monarchial system
| Shall we, thea, abandoning the Monroe doc.
trine, patiently suffer any of these sovereIgns
| 10 extend their dominion, equally dangerous
| to our free forms Of government, on this
| side of the Atlantic! No human sagacitv
could, twenty years ago, have foreseen the
day when a foreign potentate. not even con-
6ning himself to the planting of colonies on
American soil, should by invasion and force
of arms convert the whole republic of Mexico
| into European monarchy. the idea, If sug-
gested at that time, would have been treated
as absurd, more especially when we reflect
that this is the richest and most populous of
! the republics which more than fifty years
ago had been saved from European domino
ton by our government, and that its territor-
les extend for a thousand miles along cur own
| frontier.
Daring the administration of President Polk it
became necessary that he should re-affirm the
| Monroe doctrine in view of the designs of Great
| Britain to establish protectorate over the Mos
quito coast in the republics of Nicaragua nd
| Honduras. This he did, in decided terms, in
his first annual message to congress I'D Dec.
| lS45)
Great Britain, have already seen,
through the interposition of the government of
| the United States, eventually withdrew from the
| Mosquito protectorate, well as from the colony
of the Bay Islands, which she had afterwards
established on the coast Of Honduras. At the
close of Mr.. Buchanans administration Euro
pean colony existed on the American continent,
| except such had been established before the
Monroe doctrine announced, had been
formed out OF territory then belonging to Euro
pean power