Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-01-06

In the COutleTM Lao IIetLSW lot OC-
cember, Mr.. Charles r. Grant contri-.
butes paper on the Monroe Doctrine, J"
which corrects a good many misappre-
tensions concerning the origin and scope
Of this famous enuncistlon of American
policy. AS a matter Of fact the Monroe
doctrine, or opposition to foreign colo
nization on the American continent, has
never been the policy of the Government
of the United States. It was never any
thing more than a mere recommendation
in Presidents message, and though the
matter was repeatedly brought to the at
tention of Congress, that body invariably
failed to sanction Mr.. Monroe's de-
claration. Thus this doctrine" has
not even the force of a precedent
to guide the government of today.
So far from indorsing Mr.. Monroe's re-
commentator, Congress has repeatedly
legislated in direct opposition to the
principles enunciated in his message.
In 184S President Polk urged Congress
to extend protectorate over Yucatan
He said in his message that here was an
opportunity to lift the Monroe doctrine
up from its position of a mere waif of
an abstraction, and to give it the force
Of positive pledge, committing the
United States to its observance as a set
tied rule Of governmental conduct. But
Mr.. Calhoun said, in the Senate, of this
so called Monroe doctrine: mo, it is
not, and never has been, the settled policy
Of the country And if it should ever
become so to the wide extent to which
these declarations (of Monroe's message)
have been interpreted to go, our peace
would ever be disturbed; the gates of
our ganus would ever stand open; wars
would never cease. l am not
willing to have this task, which does
not belong to US, assumed by our gov
ernment." And Congress refused to es-
tablish the protectorate. In 1856 Mr..
Clayton said, in the Senate: Whenever
the attempt has been made to assert the
Monroe doctrine in either branch of
Congress, it has failed You
cannot prevail on majority, and l will
not hesitate to say that you cannot prevail
on ons-third of either House of Congress
to sustain it." Subsequently Mr.. Cass
asserted that Congress ought TO give the
Monroe doctrine some legal status beyond
mere dictum, and admitted that it
never had been done. Referring to
Folks definition of the doctrine, he said !:
eve refused to say a word; and. re-
peat, we refused then even to take the
system into consideration" Congress
also retreated from the position assumed
in the Monroe doctrine. when the 49th
parallel was accepted as the boundary
line between the United States and Great
Britain. Before that time a consldera-
BILE party were clamorous for ''54 40 or
fight, but our statesmen were wiser, and
did not insist on the application of the
Monroe doctrine to the Northwest ter
ritory. The Memphis AUalanche, from
which the above synopsis is taken, says
tire are several other points of great in
terest in Mr.. Grants article, which it
will notice hereafter.
The political principle or policy in
Volved in the Monroe doctrine is one
which it might be proper for this coun-
try to maintain under certain circum-
stances But until the doctrine, as a
political principle, has ''some legal status
beyond mere dictum," it would be I'M
wise to attempt to enforce it for the
obstruction of great information
al enterprise like the Panama canal,
which is purely commercial in its char.
acter, and in which the citizens of all
commercial nations subscribing their
money for its construction have equal
rights and interests. Besides, even if
the so called Monroe doctrine were a
right, such rights are valueless without
the power 10 enforce them.