The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-12-21
BACK DOWN OR FIGHT.
THAT IS THE CHOICE ENGLAND
HAS
Cleveland's Message to Congress on
the Boundary Between British
Guiana and Venezuela.

! President Cleveland sent TO Congress on
| Tuesday the following message
In my annual message addressed to the
! Congress on the Sd instant | called attention
| to the pending boundary controversy between
! Great Britain and the Republic of Venezuela,
| and reclted the substance of a representation
| made by this Government to her Brtlanlc
majesty Government suggesting reasons why
such dispute should be submitted 10 arbitra-
! ton for settlement and inquiring whether it
! would be so submitted.
| The answer Of the British Government,
which was then awaited. has since been re-
| ceiyed, and together with the dispatch to
! which ii is reply is hereto appended
Such reply is embodied in two cOmmuni-
cations addressed by the British Prime Minis
! ter to Sir Julian Pauncefort. the British Am
bassador al this Capital. 1t will be seen that
one of these communications is devoted ex-
! clusively to observations upon the Monroe
| doctrine, and claims that III the present in
! stance new and strange extension and de-
velopment of this doctrine is insisted on by
the United States that the reasons justifying
an appeal To the doctrine enunciated by Presi-
| dent Monroe are generally inapplicable ito
| the state of things in which we live at the
! present day, and especially inapplicable to a
| controversy involving the boundary line be-
tween Great Britain and Venezuela.
! Without attempting extended argument in
reply to these positions, it may not be amiss to
! Suggest that the doctrine upon which we stand
| i imnoTtant to onr ra,cn ona safet,, rs a ma
tion and is essential to the INTEGRITY of our
free institutions. and the trag1oIIil maintenance
| of our distinctive form of government II
,,o. ;mtonIaJ ~ .,,,i,. f., a,.er,, .t,,,n nf onr
! n.t;or.I I;fa I'D na,,,,o, LoIo,,o ,,Isolate
! I'LL o,,,. ro,,,,ii;n o,,Jnras II the balance
| Of mower i instIv = r,nsn fnr ieaIous anxiety
| amonot the Governments of the old World and
| . s,,hirrt FIR our ab.nIutn uon-interfnreucc
! no,ntbc los, X am ,hsnry,p,a nf tho Monroe
! doctrine If vital concern f. our nro,le and
! their Government
Iss,n,,;na ILnrct;,r. t,,t wa may ,.oncrI,
io.,st anon hi. .in,.,,;nn y.;tb,ut r..,.,rJ Ia
..,be -tair of rLi9os IN v,birI, we live. or anv
chanund conditions here or elsewhere. il is moi
| apparent why il, opplica1ion NAV net be in
| yoknd in thr nrnsn,t coutroyersv
IF n Euroneau bower. by an extension of
its boundaries. takes possession Of the terri.
tory Of one OF our neighboring republics
against its will and in derogation of It's rights,
it i, difficult to see WHY. to that extent. such
European power does not thereby attempt to
extend lis system OF government to that por-
ton of this continent which is thus taken.
! This is tine precise action which President
Monroe declared To be dangerous 10 our
peace and safety. and 1t can make no diifer-
ence whether the European system Is extended
by an advance OF frontier or otherwise
II Is also suggested IN the IrltlSa reply mat
We would not seek to apply the Monroe doe
t1ne TO- the pending dispute because II does
nol embo"F any pFihcilIc OF international law
when Is iouhued ON the general consent OF
nations ana mat n" statesman, however
eihIheh'' ana no nation: however powerful
| are toihPV!C"l t" insert M" thS co't oi III
tefhaIl"ha Ia" mover pFlhclpic when was
never recognized before. ana when mas not
since been accepted by the government OF any
other country. PfachcaIiy. the prnclple Tor
"hica we contend mas pce",iaf' II nor eAc!"-
'Ne. felaIloh 10 tne Chlteu otateS' ii may
| not nave heen ADMITTED IN 50 many WORDS 10
the code OF international law, bat since IN
| international counSels every nation Is entitled
to the rights belonging to 1t. it the enforce
ment OF the Monroe doctrine Is something we
may justly clam, lt'has ITS place IN the code
OtmternatIonal law as certainly and as securely
as II II were Specically mentioned, ana when
the United States Is Sult0r before the high
tribunal that administers international law the
question 10 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 finds its recognition
III those principles Oh lnternaliOnai Ia" when
are based upon the theory that every nation
shall have its rights protected and its just
claims enforced. Of course this government
Is eatirely confident that under the sanction
of thus doctrine we have clear rights and I'M
doubted claims. Nor is this ignored in the
British reply. The prime minister, while nor
admitting that the Monroe doctrine is apple
able to present conditions. states in declaring
that the United States would resist any such
enterprise il it was contemplated President
Monroe adopted policy which received the
entire sympathy Of the English Government
Of that date. He further declares. though
the language Of President Monroe is directed
to the attainment of objects which most Eng
liSh would agree to be salutary, it is impossible
to admit that they have been inscribed bv in
adrouate authority in the code of international
law.
Aoaip he saws. ..TEev (ber maiestv's gov
ernmcnt) fully concur with the view which
President Monroe apnarentlv entertained
that any disturbance of the existing territorial
distribution in that hemisphere by anv fresh
acquisition on the part OF any European State.
wonId be 4 bighIv ineypedient change"
In the belief that the doctrine for which
we contend was clear and definite: that it was
founded mpon substantial consideration and