The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-12-19

government of the United States does not
saw that Great Britain or Venezuela are
right in the matters in issue; but they
Law down that the doctrine of President
Monroe. when he opposed the imposition
of European systems OF the renewal OF
European colonization conters upon them
the right of demanding that when Eu-
rOpean power has a frontier dlHerence
with a South American country the Eu-
ropean power shall consent to refer the
controversy to arbitration, and MI Olney
states that unless her majesty's govern
ment accedes to this demand it will great
" embarrass the future relations between
! Great Britain and the United States.
Whatever may be the authOrit! of the
doctrine laid down by President Monroe
there is nothing in his language to show
that he ever thought of claiming TINS
novel privilege for the United States. 1t
is admitted that he did not seek to assert
a protectOrate over Mexico or tie States
of Central and South America. Such a
claim would have imposed upon the
| United States the duty of answering for
! the conduct of those States and conse-
quently the responsibility of controlling it..
! His sagacious foresight would have led
! him theoretically to deprecate the addi-
| ton Of so serious burden to those which
the rulers of the United States have to
| bear. 1t feels of necessity that # the
government of the United States will not
| control the conduct of these communities
neither can it undertake to protect them
| from the consequences attaching to any
misconduct of which they may be guilty
! towards other nations. If they violate
| in any way the rights of another State
or Of its subjects it is not alleged that the
Monroe doctrine will assure them the as
sistance of the United States in escaping
from any PREPARATION which they may be
bound by in their national law to give.
"Mr. Olney expressly disclaims such
an inference from the principles he lays
down. But the claim which POUNDS up
on them is that if any Independent
States advance a claim for territory of
which it's neighbor claims to be the
owner and that neighbOr is the colony of
a European state, the United States have
right that the European shall submit
the demand and its own impugned rights
to arbitration.
II will not enter into a discussion of
this method of determining international
settlements. 1t is not free from defects
which often operate as serious draw
back to its value 1t is not always easy
to find an arbitrator who is competent
and who at the same time is wholly free
from bias and the task of insuring COM
pliance with the award when it is made,
is not exempt from difficulty. 1t is a
mode of settlement of which the value
varies much according to the nature of
the controversy to which it is applied
and the character of the litigants who
appeal to it. Whether in any particular
case it is a suitable method of procedure
is generally Il delicate and difficult ques-
hn nnl1 ptI hn
petent to decide that question are the
two parties whose rival contentious aIein
issue. The claim of third nation which
is unaffected by the controversy, to i'm
pose this particular procedure on either
of the two others can not be reasonably
justified and has no foundation in the
law Of nations.
'In the remarks which have made
have argued on the theory that the Mon
roe doctrine in itself is sound | must
not, however be understood as express
ing any acceptance of it on the part of
her majesty's government. 1t must al
ways be mentioned with respect on ac-
count of the distinguished statesmen to
whom it Is due and the great Nation who
have adopted it, but international law is
founded in the general consent of ma
tons and no statesman however emln-
ent and no nation, however powerful, Is
competent to insert into the code of inter-
national law novel principle which was
never recognized before and which has
not since been accepted by the govern
ment Of any other country.
"The United States may have a right,
like any other nation, 20 interpose in any
controversy by which their own interests
are affected, and they are the Judges
hot ho Ioc ;,,+,
i'll what measure they should be sustain
ed. But their rights gre in no way
strengthened or extended by the fact
that the controversy affects some ter
ritory when is called American.
"Mr. Olney quotes the case of the re-
cent Gillian war in which the United
States declined to join with France and
England in an effort to bring hostilities
to close on account of the Monroe doe
trine. The United States were i'll the
right in declining to join in an attempt
at pacficaton if they thought fit, but
Mr.. Olney's principle that American
questions are for American decision
even if it received any cOuntenance from
the language of President Monroe which
it does not, can not be sustained by any
reasoning drawn from the law OF nations.
THE government of the United States
proposition with reference to a number of
independent States, for whose conduct
it assumes no responsibility, that its in
terests are necessarily concerned in
whatever may befall those States, simp-
ly because they are situated in the West
ern hemisphere. 1t may well be that the
interests of the United States are affect
ed by something that happens to Chile
or to Peru and that the interests may
give them the right of interference, but
such contingency may equally happen
in the case of China or Japan and the
right of interference is not more extern
sive or more assured in the case than the
other. Though the language of Presl-
dent Monroe is directed to the attain
ment of objects which most Englishmen
would agree to be salutary, it is impos-
sible to admit that they have been in
scribed by any adequate authority in
the code of international law; and the
danger which such admission would in
volve is exhibited both by the strange
ceived at Mr.. Olney's hands and the
arguments by which it is supported in
the dispatch under reply. In defense OF
| it he says:
THAT distance of 5000 miles of inter-
vening ocean makes any political distinc-
ton between Il European and American
State unnatural and eXpedient will
hardly be denied. But physical and
geographical conditions are the least inn
portant part of such questions. Thus
| far in our history we have been spared
| the burdens and evils of immense stand