The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-11
THE MONROE DOCTRINE AGAIN.


itself is the proof.
THE MONROE DOCTRINE AGAIN.
To the Editor of The Herald:
Thanking you for printing my letter
the other day concerning the Monroe
doctrine, 1 wish at the same time to
explain how 1 obtained the brief text
which | quoted Of that celebrated doc
trine Not being, at the time, in posses
sion of a better authority than C-ham-
ber's Encyclopedia, l resorted TO II
for desired information, and found on
page 427 of volume V of that work, a
brief reference to James Monroe, IN
which, among other things, the follow
ing appears:
His CMonroe) most popular acts,
perhaps were the recognition of the
independence of Mexico and the South
American republics, and the promulga-
ton of what has since been called the
Monroe Doctrine in which he declared
the American policy of neither entang-
ling ourselves in the broils of Europe,
nor suffering the powers of the Old
World to interfere with the affairs or
the New and, that any attempt 10 ex-
tend their system to any portion or TINS
hemisphere would be dangerous to our
peace and safety"
In the absence of other, and per-
haps more accurate historical data con-
corning that particular portion of our
political politics, I did not know of
better way TO ascertain the meaning
of the term Monroe doctrine" than
reference to standard work such as
the one from which this quotation is
made, and in thus relying upon such
authority, felt that 1 would not be Tar
out of the way; should IL be true that
this quotation does not convey the true
text or the exact meaning Of the term,
the fault is not mine; and if Cham
ber's and The Herald's version of the
doctrine in question are not in accord,
I cannot help it, and am not disposed
to decide which is correct, or if either
be accurate.
Still entertaining the views formerly
expressed. but not wishing to prolong
the discussion, I wish to suggest to my
valued friend of more than a score of
years-the Editor of The Herald-that,
when he says 1T is always easy to
find fault" 1 hope he does not mean
TO refer to me as a chronic "kicker."
If l did. by inference, criticise Mr..
Secretary Gresham for his failure to
caution England not to infringe upon
the Monroe Doctrine, 1t was because
believe it to be always in order for
an American citizen to criticiSe such
acts of his government as he may
deem inconsistent with what he be-
Heves to be right, whether the then eX-
listing administration be Democratic or
Republican.
Should the time ever arrive when par
tisanship shall have become so des-
potic that one cannot criticlSe the ac-
ton or policy of his own party as well
as those Of the opposing party, at that
precise period viii cease to exist the
freedom of belief and of speech so dear
to every true American.
It is in vain that / am asked to take
the example of Lincoln's adminiStra-
ton through Seward, to fortify the
position of Gresham; or the ipse diXit
of Senator Hill; or the opinion of the
New York World. backed by even as
GOOD authority as my friend, the Salt
Lake Herald, as sufficient reasons
why I should abandon my own opinion,
formed on due reflection, and backed
bv evidence sufficient to convince me
that 1 am correct in my conclusions.
Very truly,
II. D. JOHNSON.
In reply to the foregoing we have to
repeat that The Herald, in it's COM
ments on the Monroe doctrine, did not
rely upon any outside version of what
that doctrine signifies, but upon the
dCiudl lang UclSC VI bA4C esNl44OII 4ilCH
we printed as sent to Congress De
cember ?. 1928. If that is not as good
authority as the Interpretation given
to it by a Scotch editor, no matter how
celebrated or able, we have nothing
further to say as to the exact meaning
of the enunciator of the doctrine. It
was because so much more than the
message of President Monroe contains
has been made out of his utterances
that we reproduced them verbatim in
The Herald.
AS to the expression, 1T is always
easy to find fault" for which we claim
no originality, il referred particularly
10 the Republican papers, which have
endeavored to make it appear that
there was something about the Near
auguan affair that did violence to the
Monroe doctrine, and that the Demo- |
cratic administration was censurable
for its attitude in relation to it. If
our friend chooses to apply it to his
own remarks we have no objection,
although that was not intended.
The Herald comedies the right Of any
citizen to criticize every public officer
who says or does anything deserving
Of reprobation. We have not init
mated anything to the contrary. But