Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-30
MONROE DOCTRINE
Senator Lodges Exposition Of Its
Principle and Application.
THE VENEZUELAN DISPUTE DISCUSSED
No Mistaking the Temper Of the
American People.
GREAT BRITAIN RESPONSIBLE

Senator Lodge said in the Senate today
that he would try to show what the Mon
roe doctrine is, what it means to the United
States, and that it Is vitality involved in the
Venezuelan controversy; also that this is
not a petty question of a South American
| boundary, but in which, far as 1t
| concerns us, the safety and the honor of the
United States and its place in the scale of
nations are all deeply involved.
These. said the Senator, are the gravest
| questions which can confront any people,
and must be treated by those charged with
the conduct of public affairs with dignity,
calmness and frmness. Wild denunciation
of public men responsible for the nations
peace and safety and bound to protect her
| rights are as wholly out of place on the one
hand as buster, threats and violent Ian
guage are on the other.
The war scare and the war talk do not.
the Senator continued, from those
charged with the responsibility of govern
ment, but from outside, and chiefly from
the stock market and the meetings of the
advocates of peace No responsible public
man desired war.
History of the Doctrine.
Then followed a sketch of the history
of the Monroe doctrine up to and including
President Folks time to show the views
l.
all our statesmen. with one exception. in
tie course of which the Senator made the
statement that it was interesting to OBJ
serve that the first public proposition look
Ing to the exclusion of Europe from the
western hemisphere was made by Great
Britain and accompanied by a remuneration
on her part of any desire to acquire new
territory there herself.
President Polk s Administered ton sustained
the Monroe doctrine in its widest applica-
np11 Ar,a
lean statesman of any standing who tried
to limit it's scope. Since 1898 there had been
| many cases in which the Monroe doctrine
had been cited and discussed but until the
present time the French invasion of Next
CO was the only instance in which it had
been openly disregarded and actually in
fringed by European power. A second case
rad now arisen, and the maintenance of the
Monroe doctrine was again threatened, it
was by the French in 1852 This second
attack upon the principle of the Monroe doc
trine came from Great Britain, and was
made under cover of boundary dispute with
Venezuela, while Lord Salisbury, in his let
ter to Mr.. Olney, assailed the validity of
the doctrine itself.
Importance of the Present Contro-
Hersy.
To understand the Importance of the con-
troversy and how deeply the very existence
of the Monroe doctrine was involved, the
Senator traced very briefly the history of
the dispute between Great Britain and Ven
ezuela, which had now reached crisis
affecting almost gravely the honor the in
terest. the rights and the well-settled pol
Icy of the United States. No new rights had
come to England or to Venezuela since 1873
1914, /. e., since the declaration of President
Monroe. They had the rights of Spain and
Holland, respectively, nothing more and
nothing less. Every British minister had
offered different line within which Great
Britain would not consent to arbtrate, and
every British minister had gone beyond
his predecessor in making fresh claims to
territory beyond the line which he offered
and about which he would arbitrate There
was apparently just much support for
one line as another, when they passed be-
yond the valley of the Essequibo. From
Schomburg down, every line was entirely
arbitrary.
Personally he did not believe that Great
Britain had good claim to a foot of land
beyond the Essequibo. All that he desired
to show was that there is a dispute as to
the ownership of the territory lying west of
the ESsequibo, and that neither Great
Britain nor Venezuela holds an uncontested
title to any portion of it. That disputed
territory either belonged to Holland or it
did not. If it did. England ought to have
| it, and there would not be the slightest dis
position on the part of the United States to
interfere with her possession of it. If it
did not, it belonged to Venezuela, and
Venezuela ought to have it. The question
was one for the arbitration of impartial
tribunal. and by the decision of such a
tribunal the United States would cheerfuly
abide.
But if England with no authority but a
disputed claim seized territory and declined
arbitra ton upon it, her action did not diff
fer from selling and holding new territory
in the Americas by the right of conquest.
If she could seize territory under a claim
which had grown larger with each succeed
ing year, there was nothing to prevent her
taking indefinite regions in South America.
A Violation of the Monroe Doctrine.
Senator Lodge, continuing, said:
1.-THE seizure of this South American ter
ritory by England is an absolute violation
of the Monroe doctrine. We declare the
Monroe doctrine as a principle which We
believe essential to the honor, safety, the
interests of the United States. 1t inter-
feres in no wise with the rights which the
principles of international law give to all
nations. 1t does not touch the question of
reparation for injuries inflicted upon the
subjects of any European power by any of
the Central or South American states. We
cherish that right jealousy ourselves; We
do not deny it to others. But Mr.. Pres-
dent, the question of reparation must not
be mixed up with the acquisition of terri
tory.
In this connection the Senator referred to
the claim for PREPARATION made by Sails
bury upon Ven0uela account of the
arrest by the authorities of the latter coun-
try of British subjects on the disputed ter
ritory. If Venezuela pays now the indemn-
ity fixed and demanded by England, the
Senator held she acknowledged, in SO do
ing, that that country is British territory,
and gives the whole case away.
The Monroe doctrine very simple,
merely the declaration that foreign
power must establish a new government,
| acquire new territory by any method what
ever. or seek to control existing govern
ments in the Americas. This is what Mr..
Monroe declared That is what We should
declare it to be and to have always been.
Continuing, Senator Lodge said, in part
Our Foreign Policy Neglected.
"Mr. President, we have neglected too
long Our foreign policy and the great in
terests Of the United States which lie be-
yond her borders. We have permitted this