Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-12-27

meet similar reductions on Lne part vi ouI
contemporaries, but the paper will be kept up
to is old excellent standard as a weekly
county paper.
THE PRESENT ATTITUDE OF THE
UNITED STATES.
A few weeks ago we gave a history OF
the Monroe doctrine, and expressed the
opinion that it was not applicable to the
Venezuela dispute, and that If this country
attempted to apply it to every dispute OF
the half civilized South American repub-
lies with European powers, we should
ssenter on an unending road OF war and
rumors of war; The action OF the Presl-
dent and Congress of the United statet has
nut the country in a fair way to test the
value of that opinion.
Our case. We have no case under the
Monroe doctrine. 1t was doctrine lifted
to the time and circumstances under winch
it was uttered, and meant simply what IL
purported to mean. After the monarchles
of Europe had been SO shattered by Napo-
leon. and after he had disappeared III the
quiet of st. Helena, the crowned heads
resolved to put things back just where
they were before Napoleon appeared on the
scene. In this Spain was deeply interested.
she having lost all her South American
possessions, which had seized upon her time
of trouble to blossom into republics-and
very sorry republics they were and are
The combination of the crowned heads
was called the Holy Alliance. partly be-
cause the the Pope of that day who had
seen the disastrous effect on Christianity
and his church in France by the revolu-
ton, had sanctioned it, and partly
because all crowned heads Of that day
deemed their cause holy AID direct
from the Almighty. England was not Ill
the Alliance, for great many things had
happened to continental monarchies between
1896 and 1915 which she did not wish to see
repaired. President Monroe in his mes
sage to congress lii 1928 expressed the de
termination to have no new monarchles
established on this continent, and Europe,
which had Just been through many years OF
him. His message was brought about sole
" by the formation Of the Holy Alliance
and he explicitly stated that this country
did not intend to interfere with any tex
listing colonies OF dependencies OF any
European power" on this continent, but II
the called powers" should attempt to e1,-
tend their ''political SYSTEM (monarchies)
in South America it would be regarded as
unfriendly to the United States. When
that message was written England held
british Guiana which it had acquired
from the Dutch, which bordered on Nene-
zuela, and the boundary line Of which was
then, and had for nearly two hundred years
been unsettled and in dispute, England
claiming under her title more than Nene
zuea would allow. And for the seventy
two years since that message was written.
it has been the subject of negotiation be
tween England and Venezuela, the dispute
becoming more acute Of late because gold
had been found in part of it. So 1t must
he conceded that it is case of disputed
territory and not an attempt to ''eXtend
their system, subvert republic, and es.
tablish monarchy, as WAS the case CT
sss2 aximilian in Mexico, where the United
States intefered, and as contemplated 10y
the Monroe doctrine.
Our clients. Our client in this
particular case is Venezuela. 1t
is republic, the population Of
which is ninety-nine pei cent. Indians
I'd breeds, with only OLE
per cent. Of whites. The people are
totally unfit for self government, and the
country has been, with the exception Of
eighteen years, continually in q state OF
revolution with fighting, nlassacres, execu-
tions and confiscations, for forty-siX years
the bloodlest revolution OF all occurring
at all, under the protection of law and
order, are the forty thousand British. sub
jcets who live on the territory claimed by
that government. And Venezuela is q
fair sample OF the revolutionary populations
that infest the country from Central
America to Patagonia, and live under so
called republics. Their governments
from frequent revolutions are poor and un-
able to pay for outrageS on the citizens Of
foreign governments, and never do SO save
on compulsion. How is the United States
to stand between such peoples as these and
CIVILIZED nations? What, ii a civilized ma
ton that cannot get money reparation for
outrages on its citizens, determines to take
territorial reparation, is our coun-
try to do? War upon the civilization of
the world until we are exhausted, III defense
of the rights of these semi-ciyilized PEOPLES?
What will we do about France who is to-
day reported as settling boundary dispute
with Brazil by sending troops into the
debated territory?
The respondents. Great Britain is not.
OF rather will not be. the only respondent
in this case. Germany and France and
other European nations have possessions III
2 South America. They will stand by each
other against such a construction of the
Monroe doctrine as the United States has
announced. Whatever their sympathies
may be, their interest will constrain them
tG stand by each other. The United States
is not loved i'll Europe. Our persistent
and active competition for the trade of the
world has crossed the path of every Euro
pean nation. In war We would not have
a single friend on the other side of the
Atlantic. But we cannot believe this is
to be tested. It is impossible to believe
that the civilization of the nineteenth CEN
fury will permit a conflict of arms between
the two great English-speaking nations of
the world.