Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-01-02
THE MONROE DOCTRINE.

low England Has Evaded It and Sur
rounded Us With SuOngholds.
Correspondence from the Philadelphia
| 1lmrs.
In Jeifcrson's letters will be found one
to Monroe Ia which he inculcatca the
Monroe Doctrine" which that president
announced some fifteen years later lis
tue puliCy OF the Lulted States.
England alone Of the European powers
seems disposed to eynde II, and under
one lnsldiVus pretext or another infriuges
the territorial rights OF our American
neghbors, who are not strong enough 10
reslst her.
Already sue surrounds us with cor
don of fortified lslnndS and places from
Hal fox all the way around by Vancouver
10 Hniilux again. When We won our
independence aud had France tor our
nIy We should have denied England
claims TO Bermuda and other OF her out
lying stronghVlds with which she threat
Gus U.S. We are far more able now than
We were then TO dictnte to hrr about
questions which concern our dignity aud
| safety. Bermuda IL within easy suil Of
our eastern coast, ana Is Ms strong as
Gibraltar, md Is equipped as naval
depot OF great capacity and held always
ready for immediate hostihties; with our
seaports undeiended us they are, we may
t<tA tlAt va u httl
army within tho capes Of Delaware or
the Chesapeake bay simultaneously with
an English declaration of war. At Mas
sau, Jumaicq, ltuatan, Honduras, Paua-
ma mud other convenient pOluts she has
her ports and conllng stations. AT Van
couyer she Gun assemble her navy, and
In few days an army can be thrown
there by rail from haliinx.
Our whole Pacific cOast Ia entirely un
prote cted. When, n short time ago, we
seemed on the eve Of war with Chill. We
had not coaling station or watering
station from San Francisco to Nalpa-
lalso, and were dependent upon the cour-
tcsy Of the English for the use of their
depo,s along the way. We are bound by
treaty to guard the isthmian transit
against all who may seek TO hold II, yet
we have not II gun nor supply depot In
all of thnt region and our men-of-war
depend upon the British depot on the
border of the island OF Taboga for coal
and water. When, very recently,
British squadron took possession of the
seaport OF Cor.nto, near the mouth Of
the projected Nicnraguan canal, we heard
with satisfaction that one of our most
powerful cruisers, the Monterey. we be-
nevc, had steamed away from san Frnn
csco To protect the rights of our weakly
neghbor and most desired friend. But
the Monterey got no further on her way
than Acapulco. and our fag did not APP
pear upon the waters OF Nicaragua until
the British had eNtortcd nn exorhltant
penalty from our pennlcss neighbor be
cause of some alleged nffront TO petty
English consul. by our frequent nm.
nouncemcnt OF the Monroe doctrine"
during this century the less powerful re-
publlcs OF America have been taught to
look TO us MS their natural protector and
friend In such emergencies rs that of
Nicaragua, and our people feel that We
ARE under a very solemn obligation TO
see that they suffer no wrong at the !
hands Of amy European empire. especially |
whcn that empire is England. against |
whose greed and cruelty we have such |
reason TO guard them
The boundary issue now made with |
Venezuela is Of long standing.
For fifty years English people have |
hcen trespnssing upon the territory Of |
Venezuela, occupying II wherever rich |
gold mine or other desirable goods Of |
thnit neiehbor tempted their Invasion,
until now they occupy and despoil re-
glon within the lawful boundaries OF |
Venezuela as large as the State OF Penn
sylvania.
England hns ever refused to submit
this territorial question to arbitration,
for II now includes the mouth Of the
Orlnoco. which she has fortified, and
so controls the m rigHtion OF the deepest
and the greatest artery OF trnde In oil
that portion of South America.
Since our government has af last been
aroused 10 the wrong of England, we
hear that she still evades the just aud
peaceful arbitration Of her territorial
claims and has made a new Issue upon
a question Of wrong done TO her subjects
wbO We're occupyine this Venezuelan
territory and were summarily elected by
the authorities Of that country.
This does not change the question at
issue 1t Is only shadow attempt TO
cvndc IT,
II ever we are going to assert tine Mon
roe doctrine, England now invites US,
at . most unfortunate time for her.
We are today the most powerful people
upon the earth. We have an army Of
soldiers. There are prob
ably more expert sharpshootcrs In the
Guard than can be found In
any army. Our resources for war are
lDexhnustivc There are thousands OF
veterans trained In our great war be
tween the States stlll able aud ready to
cad the millions of young men who hive
,een matured In admiration and envy of
heir fathers.
Our people are familiar with ouch bat
les as England never saw. And today
South and North will unite In common
'auss against any foreign ensrny aud