Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-05-03
PRESS COMMENTS.
The Monroe Doctrine.


A correspondent, writing from Urbana,
Ohio, asks us to ''explain the Monroe doc
trine, just now SO widely spoken of in
the newspapers"
The Monroe doctrine had its origin in
events which arose early in the century,
when the Spanish American colonies of
South America revolted against Spain
and sought to establish their indepen-
dence. The sympathy of the United
States was entirely with the efforts Of the
colonies, and in 1919 Henry Clay pro-
posed to congress the acknowledgment
of the South American republics. Such
action, however, was regarded as prema-
ture and it was not until 1921 that res
olution proposing their recognition was
finally adopted. In his message TO con-
gress in December of that year, Presi-
dent Monroe suggested that as these re-
publics were now independent of Spain
that they we're entitled to distinct ac
acknowledgements at the hands of our gov
eminent. In January of the following
year C1S22) congress thus formally ac-
knowledged them. During the year 1923
part of other European powers to assist
Spain in her efforts to regain
control of her South American colonies,
and it was in view of this fact that in
December of that year the so-called Mon
roe doctrine was formulated in the presi-
dents annual message. In this message
he said: "We owe it to candor and to
amicable relations existing between the
United States and these (European) pow
ers, to declare that we SHOULD consider
any attempt on their part to extend their
system to any part of this hemisphere as
dangerous to our peace and safety. With
the existing colonies and dependencies of
any European power we have not inter-
fered, and shall not interfere, but with
the governments which have declared
their independence and maintained it,
and whose independence we have ac-
knowledged, we can not view any inter-
position for the purpose of expressing
them or controlling in any other manner
their destinies by any other European
power, in any other light than as mani
festation of an unfriendly disposition to-
ward the United States" This amounted
to an assurance that moral support would
be given by the United States to other
American republics in preventing hostile
interference on the part Of hostile powers,
and it had the effect to put an end to the
designs to which the message referred
By some the declaration thus made has
been regarded as affirming a determine
ton on orr part to prevent further col
onization by any European power on the
American continent. But this is an err
roneous view. In 1926, when the ques-
ton of the boundary on the Pacific be-
tween the United States and Russia was
under consideration, the house of rep
resentatives declared formally, in reso-
luton, that the United States sought not
to become parties with any of the South
American republics to any compact for
the purpose of preventing colonization
upon the continent of America" The
sum and substance of the Monroe doc
trine, then, as now understood, is that
while the United States will maintain
strict neutrality in the broils of other
countries, we will resist all attempts of
European powers to interfere with the
constitutions of states or republics on
THE side of the water in any way which
may affect their integrity or prejudice
our interests. 1t does not commit us to
the principle that the acquisition of ter
ritory on this continent by any European
power must not be allowed by the United
States.-Leslie's Weekly.