The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-07-31
THERE CAN RE NO WAR ABOUT

dug across the IstEmus. The Monroe
doctrine has its foundation in the as
sumption of rights which can hardly be
respected by other nations. A repuD-
lie in Western Europe was not sup
posed to define systems for all the
States Of Europe, and why the AmeTi-
can Union should be supposed to as
sume the prerogative OF assigning hem
isphere TO Democratic forms, and by
what right We claim the exclusive
privilege OF interPosing in the
politics OF all cis-Atlanlic States,
is a question not clearly answer
cd. Fourth OF July rhodomontade
and manifest destiny dreams and deiu-
slons ere well enough for party leaders
when flsttering popular vanity 10
win popular support; bus when We
reflect that England owns more OF
the surface OF North America than
ourselves it bsgins to be palpable
that our assertion OF self-lovS is hardly
founded in right Or rreason. II we car
not suffer Englsnd to acquire rights OF
property and sovereignty in Central
America or at Panama how can We &C
quiese in her possession Of Canada:
Moreover the idea Of President Mon
roe's assumption was we'll enough in
Monroe's time, but cow, when the the
ory of the relations OF States and of
citizenship has been subveltsd when
the States rights dogma is discarded;
when we are citizens OF the United
States and not Of each State; when the
Republic becomes the umpire and peo
Pile absolutely discuss the change, aad
not with bated breath, we cannot
see very clearly on what basis
of right the United States
can say to England that monsrchs can
not plant their banners on the conti-
| nent. Did we not assent to French
occupation of Mexico2 Have we not
seen England and Germany paving the
way for the SEIZURE of Mexico when
these countries lend money to the un-
fortunate republic, and build and owe
its raIlwaysl II the Mexican govern
ment we're overthrown to-day Englsnd
would have it's hett at Vera Cruz to-
morrow to protect the rights of English
citizens, even at the cost of war with
Mexico. Eogland and France will own
Egypt, for the very reasons that may
give England and Germany the right
to own Mexico. II this possibility
were not contemplated we should have
warned English and German bankers
when they invested many millions in
connecting the Mexican capital with
the coat by q costly railway. When
it was talked OF for months that De
Lesseps would undeitlke the construc-
tion of the inter-oceanic canal, the
United States, so far as the world
knows, never once protested against
the execution of the scheme. Is it
not t1o late for Gen. Burnside or the
President to shake fists at the enthusi-
astic, earnest Frenchman who stands
lirst among the worlds civil engineers9
In 1914 the Spanish Cortes authorized
the construction of Nicaraguan canal,
and Guatemala, in 1924, authorized one
Benecke, of New York City, to con-
struct similar canal. 10 both instan-
ces the United States interposed in the
first, to prevent; in the latter, to pro-
mote, the end aimed at. If we might
do these things and assert these exclus-
i've rights in 1924, how infinitely clear
the right and the necessity since
the acquisition of California and OF
more than half OF Mexico. But it hap
pened in 1916 that Louis Napoleon
published treatise in London on the
subject here discussed. 1t excited
keen interest and in the next year :
strong combination OF English cnpi
talists undertook the execution of thu
project. British cruisers seized tn,
Atlantic mouth of the Juan river anC
upon Tigre Island on the Pacific. Mic
aragua sought the intervention of tn
, United States to prevent the accom-
plishment of British purposes ant
hence came the Bulwer- Clayton treaty
In this it was agreed that neither tn
United States nor England should eve
tased1e OF exercise ezcIisEiye eontrc
over any inter-ocesnicsship cana
Thus was plainly surrendered the e,
elusive rights asserted by the Monrc
doctrine. But England has even di
regarded this treaty and, since Its ex'
y cution in 1850, has colonized and fort
fed wide area of Central America.
very truth the Monroe doctrine hi
been surrendered. Its assertion W,
:, made impossible by this treaty and
n is too late now TO assert, as an exclusiN
!. right. an assumption Of pow,
D which has been silently, il not expires
! " knd deliberately, abandoned f
ID learly thirty years. Aud yet Burnsld
=. and those who propose to compete viii
he De Lesseps in building rival route f
commerce between the oceans woul
have the United States embroiled
ID war to prevent the consumml
9 ton Of the eminently desirab
Y. purposes of the French engineer. "
3 do not doubt that the owners Of Il
81 Central and Union Pacific railway m
.: nopolies viii become suddenly exa
9. perated and discover that foul indi,
n nlty has been profered the Americ.
eagle by the French engineer. b
the uprosr win signify nothing. tt
world has oufgr0wn such selishne
!. and mankind will Be enriched and ci
~ tfkzsS by an achievement which do
honor 10 the brain that conceived Al
ihs arm sud genins that viii eSecu