Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-25

Prof. McMRstcr COmmends the Presf-
dents Venezuelan Message.
From the Philadelphia Press.
Prof. John Bach McMaster of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, the eminent his
torian, was yesterday asked for an ex-
preston of opinion on the Monroe doctrine
as involved in the Venezuela dispute. He
said:
''Mr. Cleyeland's message is timely and
sound in every particular. The day has
come when the Monroe doctrine, which
might more properly be called the Amer
lean doctrine should either be enforced or
abandoned. Lord Salsbury's claim that
the doctrine was for a particular time and
a particular purpose is not tenable. Before
Monroe wrote his message of December,
1873, he sent to jefferson the Canning
Rush correspondence in which England
requested the United States TO join With
her IN a declaration that the holy allies
who had just put down constitutional gov
eminent in Spain should not be allowed to
NEEDLE in the affairs of the South Amer
lean republics. In his answer jefferson
said: The quest presented by the letters
you have sent me is the most momentous
which has ever been offered to my con-
temptation since that of independence.
That made us nation. This sets our COM
pass and points the course which We are
to steer through the ocean of time opening
on u.s. This is the correct view. The doc
trine was net for lS23, but tor all time. Ii
is applicable to the state of things in
which We live at the present day Monroe
not only announced a doctrine, but applied
it at the same time. Mr. Cleveland up
holds the doctrine and makes another ap-
plication. The applications are different,
but the doctrine is the same.
In 1S4S, when the case of Yucatan was
discussed Calhoun, the only member of
Monroe's cabinet of 1873 then living. denied
this, and asserted the view now taken by
Lord Salisbury. He held that the first part
of the doctrine related to the conduct of the
holy allies, and persisted with the events
that called it forth, and that the second
part, relating to interposition in the affairs
of the South American republics, also be-
longed to the history of Monroe's time In
this view he had but few followers.
when Great Britain did to US in the
case of the Maine boundary what she is
now doing to Venezuela, We considered it
an attempt to extend her system over
part of our territory. We are bound, there
fore, to take the same view with regard to
Venezuela. She is now doing to a part of
Venezuela what, in 1923. We declared that
Russia, Prussia, Austria, France and
Spain should not be allowed to do to all of
Venezuela.
Mr. Olney's view that the United States
is practically sovereign on this continent,
and that its fiat is law on the subject to
which it relates, Is not sustained by our
past record. Yet it must be remembered
that We are the only people in America
who would announce the Monroe doctrine,
| because we are the only one powerful
enough to make such an announcement re-
spectacle Mr. Olney is getting near the
position of England in 1872, when she as
serted the right of search, the right to
impress, the right to lay paper blockades.
None of these, as Lord Salisbury says of
the Monroe doctrine. was to be found in
the law of nations. Yet she upheld them
because she was sovereign of the sea, and
We fought her for SO doing"