The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-06
AMERICAN DIPLOMACY.

The Nicaraguan difficulty having
been settled satisfactorily, both to
Great Britain and the Nicaraguan
government, it might be supposed that
lookers-on would also be content. But
not so. There are people in the
United States who seem 20 think that
patriotism consists of belligerency,
and that it is the duty of Uncle Sam
to defy the world and be always ready
for a row with England. They are
disguised because the United States
did not interfere in the Nicaraguan
affair and drive the British vessels
back to the British shores.
The failure to embroil this country
in a conflict with England, affords an
opportunity for those lingo patriots
to find fault with Cleveland, and to
use stupid phrases about the enforce
ment of the Monroe doctrine" as
though it was an international law,
and as if it had direct reference to
the little trouble England has had
with a Central American republic AS
The Herald has heretofore explained,
the Monroe doctrine is merely the eX-
preston of views entertained by
President Monroe against the estab-
hshment of European systems of gov
eminent on this continent, and the
acquisition of American territory by
any European power.
The Nicaraguan trouble arose over
an indignity to a British proconsul,
which England resented and for which
the British government demanded
damages. There was no intention to
annex any Nicaraguan territory, no
purpose to overturn the form of gov
eminent prevailing in Nicaragua. 1t
was a determination to collect the
amount demanded and with that the
United States had nothing whatever
to do.
The offending republic has acceded
to the terms demanded. Why should
the United States object? Papers that
want to find fault say that we should
have prevented the bully across the
sea" from imposing upon a weaker
state. as though it was the province
quarrels of the Central American re-
publics and shield them from spank
ing when they deserve it.
Republicans talk of Democratic
diplomacy as though it was some dis
tinctive sort of article. and they de-
mand what they designate as "Ameri-
can diplomacy" If the Democratic
administration had involved this
country in a war with Great Britain,
on any such untenable ground as the
Nicaraguan runpus, it would have
been deserving of the anathemas of
the American people, and the policy
would not have been Democratic, but
A writer in a recent issue of the
North American Review, which by
the by appeared before this question
was settled. put the matter justly in
these words:
while 1 declined, at the outset, to
recognize such a distinction as that
implied by the terms Democratic
and Republican diplomacy,
ann prepared TO admit that I have
heard of spurious diplomacy-some-
times called thoroughly American
which its advocates are welcome to
the privilege of calling Republican
if they so desire. It's con-
scious advocates are perhaps few, but
there is reason to fear that its dupes
are many; and neither it's advocates
nor its dupes are exclusively confined
to one party. But, unless the glories
Of our past history are to be discarded,
it is not American diplomacy. 1t is
and aggressive it is en-
vious and suspicious; it is covetous
and not very scrupulous; it exenpli-
fies the evil of power without self-con-
troll and of susceptibility to insult
without a due proportion Of self-re-
spect. It's spirit is that if conquest;
It's first reason, as we'll as its last, is
ng us, under a Republican secretary
If state, in the quarrels of South
republics in 1881, only to
be rebuked by another Republican
of state in 1882. 1t has
claimed the right, in disregard of our
own most cherished traditions, to
visit and search the ships of friendly
powers on the high seas in time of
peace, only to be condemned by an
impartial tribunal of arbitration. 1t
1verthrows by force queen in Ha-
vail in the name of liberty and an
1exation, and maintains by force a
king in Samoa in the name of indie
pendence and autonomy. If this be
diplomacy, and we are to
nave more of it. God help the Ameri-
IAN republicn'