Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-06-14
Brazil and the Monroe Doctrine.

The proposal of Brazil to celebrate
the coming Fourth of July and also to
raise memorial to President Monroe,
forms twofold and in some respects
an unexampled honor to our country.
| Brazil, while the youngest conner
among American republics, unless we
are to include Hawaii in that list, is
second only to the United States in
area and population. Occasionally
some American republic manifests a
little apprehension over the towering
supremacy of our country, even while
recognizing the latter as its model and
exemplar. Not very long ago we had
little tiff with Chill. Occasionally
Mexico, our good friend and neighbor,
wrinkles its brows at us trife. In
the main, however, there is a grateful
recognition among American republics
of the disinterested friendship of the
United States and of the value of that
friendship, to the maintenance of free
institutions among them. But the spe
cific and popular honors proposed by
the people of Brazil to our national
holiday, and to the president whose
name is specifically associated with the
exclusion of European control from
North and South America, constitute
demonstration as significant as it is
satisfactory.
The question is sometimes raised as
to how far the Monroe doctrine applies
to countries not on the continent of
North America, and distant many
thousands of miles from the nearest
point of our territory. Rightly to un-
derstand that matter we must go back
beyond the Presidency of Monroe to
that of Jefferson, who may fairly re-
garded as the author of the policy with
which Monroe's name is associated.
In letter written to Governor Clai-
borne of Louisiana, Oct. %, 1903, if
teen years, therefore, before the FAM
Gus message of Monroe, President JEFF
ferson declared, in regard to Cuba and
Mexico, that "we consider their in
terests and ours as the same, and that
the object of both must be to exclude
all European influence from this hem
isphere." Such declaration would
probably be secuted as Jlngoism if
made at this day, and in view of the
small figure which the resources and |
prowess of our country made at that
time compared with the present bold
ness of the proposition becomes more
noticeable than its far-seeing states
The main point, however, to note Is
that jefferson used the phrase ''this
hemisphere" and not merely ..this con
tinent," although at that time the in-
of some of the republics
south of US had not been acknowledge
ed. Fifteen years later, Mr.. jefferson
then in retirement at Monticello,
wrote as follows to President Monroe,
who was about to PROFOUND the doc
trine associated with his name, and
had consulted jefferson in regard to it:
'.Our first and fundamental maxim
should be, never to entangle ourselves
IN the broils of Europe. Our second,
never to suffer Europe to intermeddle
With cis-Atlantic affairs. America,
North and South, has set of interests
distinct from those of Europe aud Pc
culiarly her own. She should there
'ore have system of her own, sepa-
-ate and apart from that of Europe.
While the last is laboring to become
.he domicile of despotism, our endeay-
,r should surely be to make our hem
sphere that of freedom"
Here. again, the careful words,
North and South" as we'll
Is the phrases 'scis-Atlantic affairs"
Ind .'our hemisphere, denote the
.eal extent to which the doctrine ap-
,lies. Finally, the two main propo-
,itions on the subject in President ,
Monroe's message of Dec. 2, 1928. COW
n the same ground in Official form.
The first of these is that 1.-The Ameri- I.
an continents by the free and inde- !
,endent conditions which they have :
ssumed and maintained, are hence :
orth not to be considered as subjects
or future colonization by any Euro !.
,ean power The second is that ..the
United States consider any attempt on
be part of European powers to extend
heir system to any portion of this
as dangerous to their peace
nd safety The plural american ]
ontineutsn is once more noticeable in
his historic utterance.
Brazil may we'll, in view Of her re- 9