Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-12-18

the adoption in other countries OF poiiti.
cal institutions which they dislikcd, and
to uphold BY external pressure thoss
which they approved. Various portions OF
South America had recently declared their
Independence, and that independence had
not been recognized by the governments
OF Spain and Portugal, to which, with
small exception. the whole Of Central and
South America were nominally subject.
1t was not an imaginary danger that
he foresaw IL he feared that the same spirit
which had dictated the French expedition
Into spain might inspire the more power
fu! governments Of Europe with the idea
OF imposing, by the force Of European
arms, upon the South American commun.
tiles the form Of government and the Do
iittcal connection which they had thrown
on. In declaring that the United States
would resist any such enterprise II IL was
contemplated, President Monroe adopted
policy which received the entire sympa-
thy Of tho English government of that
date.
THE dangers which were apprehcnded
by president Monroe have no relation to
the state of things in which we live at the
present day. Great Britain is imposing
no system upon Venezuela, and is not
concerning herself in any way with the
nature Of the political institutions under
which the Venezuelans may prefer to live.
But the British empire and the republic
Of Venezuela are neighbors. and they have
differed for some time, aud continue to
differ, rs to the line by which their do.
IL
with which the United States has no an.
parent practical concern"
His lortiship argues that there ia no oues.
tion involved that the Monroe doctrine
covers, and proceeds: 1.-The government Of
the United States do not sav that Great
Britain, or that Venezuela. is in the riohs
in the matters that are in issue Rut thev
lay down that the doctrine of President
Monroe confers upon them the right of de.
manding that when a European mower has
q frontier difference with a Soutb Amer.
icnn communitv tbs Euroroor ,,,,,,or sb.I,
consent to refer that controverSv to .rh;.
tration. Whatever NAV he tho antbor;tv
Of the doctrine laid down bv President
Monroe there IL nothing 4, his lanonaoo
to show that no ever tbonoht of clo;,n;nr,
this novel prero0ative for the ITnita,i
States"
ANTEhEsTS OF THE UNITED STATES
So' A'''"Neo IN An international Dispute To
o ""r" "emsPnere'
Salisbury says that II the United States
II going to protect these South American
republics that government must necessae
rily take upon itself the burden of 80
trolling the action of those Soutb Amer%
can governments. He then states that
although the Nonroe doctrine NAV
be sound it is not international
law. And in this connection
says: ''The United States have a right.
like any other nation, to interpose
In any controversy by which their own in
terests are affected; and they are the Judge
whether their interests are touched and
In what measure they should be sustained.
But their rights are in no way strength
ened or extended by the fact that the con.
troversy affects some territory which Is
called American"
"The government Of the United States
Is not entitled to affirm as a universal
proposition with reference to u number Of
independent states for whose conduct 1t
assumes no responsibility, that its inter-
csts are necessarily concerned in whatever
may bcfall those states, simply because
they are situated in the western hcmis.
phcrc. IL may well be that the interests
Of the United States are affected by some-
thing that happens to Chill or to Peru
and that the circumstance may give them
the right Of interference; but such.a con-
tingency NAV equally bappcn in the case
OF china or Japan, ana the right OF inter-
surcd in tho one case than I'm the otber ,,
He then quotes from Olnev: s.That
distance and 1900 miles of intervening
ocean make any permanent political union
between European and an American
'u'S unna.ura an" ihexpedienI Will
"y .s"n w ucnieu, anu repiies' Inc ne
cessary meaning Oh these words Is that
G",a .ne un,ou oe'ween Urea. britain ana
O''"ua, ~ E.weeh ueae britain ana ia
"sA "no ro; oe.weeh ureat bri-
tam anu nri1ish honduras or British
Guiann are 1nexpedient and unnatural.