Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-26
THE MONROE DOCTRINE
The Claim of the English Press as to
Its Origin Oonsiderd
Advantages Resulting From an ALL
ance With Great Britain Not
Clearly Perceptible.

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
We can always derive amusement from
the holdings forth of the English press,
and this is especially the case now. when it
seems anxious to show how much it Doesn't
know about the past history and present
temper of Our people.
We are undergoing a course of instruc-
ton to the effect that the Monroe doctrine
is English, that We copied it, and that Eng
land is an older American power than the
United States And vet cold history shows
that Canning's doctrine" was against the
Holy Alliance and was determined upon In
1924. the year after Monroe had announced
that any European encroachment on this
continent would be looked upon as UNI
friendly. The Holy Alliance is as dead as
Canning. while the Monroe doctrine never
was livelier. and is directed against the
only European power which is encroaching
on this side. Lastly, the United States and
Great Britain are coeval in America; when
We repudiated the expressions of monarchy
neither the land nor the men We're created
anew; a church reformed does not give up
it's past history, nor !oGS washed face
become another face.
We are also instructed that the American
claim against British 1ndia-rubber boun-
Diary lines is easily answered thus: There
is no such thing known to international
law as the Monroe doctrine" But cold his
tory once more shows that resistance to
taxation without representation, resistance
to the right of search, resistance to the in
EQUITIES Of British free trade, etc, were
quite unknown to international law until
the United States made them not merely
known, but profoundly respected. by her
enforcement of them. And so 1t will be in
1897, If not sooner with the Monroe or any
other American doctrine.
We are assured that there can be no war
on this question for several reasons. First,
1t would be a civil war; again, cold history
replies that there have been civil wars in
England, in the United States, and between
the two nations, and that when a conflict
Is irrepreSSible, any reason will serve. Sec
ond, we will not fight land this idea is the
secret of their ''firmnesSo. The Spectator
says We are only giving the Monroe doc
trine that judiciCus exercise which is as
Punch sings in doggerel parody of vile
song, that we will back down in a j:ffy,
and drop-for the present-Monroe' From
this point of view, and judging from recent
'indifferences," the English are eXcuSable
In thinking SO, but as they are always mis-
taken on American questions, they may find
that our present Invertebrates at the court
of st. James and nearer home have mis-
represented the American people Third,
SO far from fighting. when 1t was believed
that Russia had annexed China" the Ven
ezuelan question was thrust aside and we
were assured for at least week, that ma
ture, sentiment and all manner of things
showed that an Anglo-American alliance
was the only hope for the civilized world,
1. E., England. And our friends the enemy
We're brutally frank in setting forth the
benefits which would accrue from that al
lance, somewhat as follows: