The San Francisco call., 1895-12-29
But Nations Object to the Warn
ing Of America to Keep
Off the Grass.
SO DECLARES WHITELAW REID.
The Ex.Minister to. France Tells Of
the Uncertainties of Old Span.
iSh Boundaries.

PHOENIX, ARIZ., Dec. 2S.-Whitelaw
Reid, ex-Minister to France, refused to
talk about the Venezuela controversy
when the telegraphic abstracts of the cor
respondence were first received. He said
he was unwilling to form an opinion, even
much less express it, until he had an op-
portunity to see the full text of the CORE
spondence.
To-day the ex-Minister was more willing
to be communicative. He was asked by
THE CALL correspondent whether there
was any possibility that the United States
could make an alliance with France and
Russia against England, as suggested in
Eastern papers.
"At present, he replied, mot the slight
est. They are both against us-not that
they love England, but that they despise
the Monroe doctrine. Ii we should get
into a war with England and a general
European war over Turkey or Egypt or
China should break out about the same
time, then France and Russia would be
with us. But even then they would not
be in favor of the Monroe doctrine, unless
on the principle that any club is good
enough to hit your enemy with"
>'You don't believe, like some of our
papers, that the Monroe doctrine is good,
binding international law?''
What rubbish all this talk is about the
Monroe doctrine being international law.
Whoever thought it was? 1t is a tre-
mendousIy. good American doctrine,
which we have backed up with tolerably
fair success for three quarters of cen
tury-almost as good an American doc
trine as the Republican form of Govern
ment-and it is about as repugnant to
every conviction of every European Gov
eminent. There has not been moment
since it was first advanced, when the ma
tions of Continental Europe without al
ex4eA ton, have not been solidly opposed
to il. Why shouldn't they? These two
American continents constitute an extra
ordinarily attractive pasture. The Monroe
doctrine is simply notice to all monarch
les to keep off the grass, and the United
States is the big policeman with a club
standing by to inforce the notice. Euro
pean nations, up to this time, have obeyed
it pretty well, but what nonsense to sup
pose that they like it, and would accept it
as any way authoritative, unless COM
PEELED to. They arc all land hungry-all
crazy to be dividing up weak countries
L
barbarous ones like Africa. Over the
whole stretch of the two American CONT
nents the Monroe doctrine stands as no.
tice not to trespass. There isn't nation
in Europe that doesn't resent being thus
told to keep out; but there is not one
either that will fight us in order to get in.
They have too many chances just now to
fight nearer home, and are too much afraid
they may have to embrace some of them"
''No, we are not going to have any war,
if things are well managed. A little diff
ferent turn to the message would have
maintained our attitude just as well,
created less alarm, and given England a
better chance to get out The message is
splendidly American, but Mr.. Cleveland
is not strong in diplomacy, and diplomatic
situations which compel either the humili-
alton of your adversary or war with him
are always to be avoided if possible. Never
theless, with time and little common
sense on both sides, we shall get out with
out fighting. The whole affair. though
deplorable in some OF its present aspects,
will turn out to be good thing. European
nations will real sF} st that the Monroe
doctrine is more than a phrase, and will
that the United States cannot be trifed
with about American interests.
There ought to be another excellent
good thing resulting from 1t. This ought
to give the crown to Mr.. Blaine's splendid
work in the Pan-American Congress, the
reciprocity treaties and his other efforts,
not merely to strengthen the political ties
between us and the other American re-
nublIcs. but to knit us far more closely
with them in intimate and constant COM
mercial intercourse Senator Allen of
Nebraska has already offered a wise reso-
lution TO that end. This is the golden op-
portunity for our merchants to extend our
trade to every quarter of Central and
South America, and never before could
thew have had such welcome as now
awaits them, if only our diplomacy and
our commercial enterprise can work to-
gether to seize 1t.
"Don't mistake me, however, about the
international obligation of the Monroe doc
trlne. Europe, to be sure, has never &C
knowiedged it. But England ought to
recognize and obey it. She inspired it orig
inaHv, reioiced over its declaratlo and
made. haste then to accept it. Lord Sails
bury admits as much even now, but only
maintains that since then the times have
changed. or as Disraeli once said more
cvnically. when likewise convicted OF an
inconsistency, a good many things nave
hapnened since then They are right;
good many things have happened. One OF
them is that the United States has fought
a great civil war in the face of the scarcely
disguised hostility of both the British and
French empires, and has nobly reunited
the warning sections. Another is that the
loose -iointed, feeble infant among nations.
wNch this country was in Monroe's time.