The Van Buren press., 1895-12-21
THE MONROE DOCTRINE.
The President Urges the Importance
of Maintaining II and Forcing
the British to Terms.

the British to Terms.
WASHINGTON. DC. Dec. 1.-THE fol-
lowing is part of the message sent by
the President to congress today:
In my annual message addressed to
congress on the 3d inst | called atten
tion to the boundary controversy be-
tween Great Britain and the republic Of
Venezuela, and the substance of the
representation made by this government
to her Britanic Majesty's government
suggesting reasons why such dispute
should be submitted to arbitration for
settlement and inquiring whether it
would be so submitted. The answer Of
the British government which was then
awaited. has since been received and
together with dispatches, to which is a
reply, is hereto appended.
Such reply is embodied in two COM
munieations addressed by the British
prime minister to Sir Julian Pauncefote
the British ambassador at this capital.
1t will be seen one of these communi
ations upon the Monroe doctrine and
claims that in the present instance a
new and strange extension and develop
ment of this doctrine is insisted on by
the United States, that the reasons JUS
tifying an appeal to the doctrine enun-
eiated by President Monroe are gener-
ally inapplieable to the state of things
in which we live at the present day, =
and especially inapplicahle to a eontro-
versy involving the boundary line be-
tween Great Britain and Venezuela.
Without attempting extended arguments
in reply to these positions, it may not
be amiss to suggest that the doctrine
upon which we stand is strong and
sound. because its enforcement is i'm
portant to our peace and safety as a
nation, and is essential to the integrity
of our free institutions and the tranquil
maintenance of our distinctive form of
government. 1t was intended to apply
to every stage of our national life and
cannot become obsolete while the repub-
lie endures. If the balance of power is
Justly cause for jealous anxiety among
the governments of the Old World, and
the subject of our absolute non interfer
ance, none the less is ali observance of
the Monroe doctrine of vital concern to
our people and their government. As
suming therefore, that we may properly
upoI tfilo boNtl iCSdl VI
to ''the state of things in which we
live or the changed conditions here or
elsewhere, it is not apparent why its
application may not be invoked in the
present controversy. If European
power by an extension of it's boundaries,
takes possession of the territory of one
of our neighboring republics against its
will and in derogation of its rights it is
difficult to see why to that extent such a
European power does not thereby at
tempt to extend its system of govern
ment to that portion Of this continent
which is thus taken. This is the pre-
else action which President Monroe de-
clared to be dangerous to our peace
and safety, - and it can make no differ
ence whether the European system is
extended by an advance of frontier or
otherwise. 1t is also suggested in the
British reply that we should not seek
to apply the Monroe doctrine to the
pending dispute, because it does not EN-
body any principle of international law
which lis founded on the general con-
sent of nations, and that mo states
man, however eminent, and no nation,
however powerful, are competent to
insert into the code of international law
novel principle which was never
recognized before, and which has not
since been accepted by the government
of any other country.
Practically, the principle for which
we contend has peculiar If not exclu-
sive relation to the United States. 1t
may not have been admitted in so many
words to the code Of international law
but since in international counsels every
nation is entitled to the rights belonging
to It, if the enforcement of the Monroe
doctrine is something we may justly
claim it has its place in the code of
International law as certainly and as
securely as if il were specifically men
toned, and when the United States is a
suitor before the high tribunal that ad-
ministers international law the question
to be determined is whether or not we
present claims which the justice of that
, code of law can find to be right and
valid The Monroe doctrine hnds its
recognition in those principles of inter
national law which are based upon the
theory that every nation shall have its
rights protected and its just claims en-
forced.
The President message TO congress
relative to the Venezuelan boundary
dispute, created a sensation in Wash
ington to day.
| In the dignifed United States Senate
body that rarely exhibits emotion on
any occasion. there was witnessed the
unparalleled spectacle Of hand clapping
and applause. which was the .pontsn-
T eous expression Of approval Of almost
every senator without regard To party.
AT the White House messages poured
+ in from every quarter Of the country
congratulatlng the President upon hi
message. They came from men Of al
parties and Of every station and they b.
I gan % come in sOon after the delivery 9.
i tie document 70 congress