New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-23
SOrTH IuERTCi MONROE DOCTRINE.

Their, seems 10 be- Il general bracing up If for
cl,n policy in South America. Efforts are being
made to settle disputes and 10 rcctify bounda-
rlc- 10 conserve national interests and To resist
territorial or other aggrcssionS by foreign Pow
crs In this two of the three great States. Bra-
iii and Argentina are taking the lead, while the
third. Chli. shows signs II Joining them. In
decd. the most wholesome feature Of the is
the evident intention of all IN" States 10 act in
concert ard 10 exercise toward the old World
a harmonious and consistent American policy.
That the United States should regard such
movement with sympathy is natural That it
should extend 10 II NIL possible moral encourage
mcnt and such practical aid IL It's good offices
may on occasion provide is entirely proper. But
nothing we feel sur" j. further from the desire
II rational people in this country, and nothing
could be- more rcplgnant to the free republics of
South America or could more surely defeat the
purpose Of their present laulabe movement.
than that the United States should oiiic!Orsly
interfere in such matters. impose n suzerainty
upon those States, or. a. "A French paper graph
ically describes it. reduce them 10 slavery with
ont protection" Nor would II BE- endurablc that
this country should be drawn pcrforce into every
dispute great or small which South American
State should have with European Power. and
be compelled To champion the side Of the former,
right or wrong
A case in point is presented by the reopening
Of the Falkland Islands question. Argentina
intends II is said. 10 renew her claim to owner
ship Of those islands and expects the United
States 10 back her mp in so doing on the strength
Of the Monroe Doc trinc. We trust that the
IL hnf AFRO, Ipps M
really cherish such IN expectation, for II she
does she will surely be- disappointed. The Mon
roe Doctrine cannot be invoked in that case. rs
"A brief review Of the facts will make clear. The
Falkland Islands were originally discovered by
the British, three hundred years aga The right
Of ownership by discovery WAS not claimed or
enforced, and first France and then Spain pos
scsscd them But about III. or half century
before the Monroe Doctrine was put forward.
they were indisputably given over to Great Brit
ain. 1t Is quite true that Great Britain did not
for many years actually occupy and improve the
islands. but that fact did not under international
law invalidale her title to them. And as that
title antcdates the Monroe Doctrine by more
than fifty years. it is idle To quote the Doctrine,
which is explicitly nonrctroactivc, against It,
In 1870. seeing that no British colony had yet
been planted there, the Republic Of Bucnos
Ayrcs established a settlement on the islands
It's right to do SO was not conceded by Great
Britain, nor by the United States. The settlers
and officers regarded by this Government
as parties claiming under Bucnos Ayrcs." and
nothing more: and when they treated harshly
and opprcssvcly American fishermen who had
landed there. the commander Of IN American
warshp acting on his own responsibility inter
fered and drove them from the islands alto
gether. The Argcntlncs denounced this act as
IN outrage, and demanded compensation for It,
even down to a few years ago But this GOV
eminent always maintained that its naval officer
had acted well within his rights I'm "brcaking up
II piratical colony" and Argentina M last aban-
dOncd her claims against ii. For this country
now to support the Argentina claim to owner
shin of the islands would bc 10 condemn it's own
act of 1881 and lis consistent attitude since
Surely no Argentine statesman can expect that
In 1872 the British formally occupied and colo
nized the islands. and have held them ever since
Argentina has protested against such occupn-
ton, and has put forward again and again hey
own claims to ownership. based partly on the
fact Of her settlement on the islands in 1870 and
partly on tn ancient Spanish ownership Of
them. but has never, far as we are aware
successfully challenged the British title of Ill
Not the least interesting feature Of the ease
Is the parallel II presents To that of Venezuela
1t will be remembered that one leading British
claim To the upper valley Of the Cuyun is based
on the fact Of actual settlement. Even II that
region did originally belong to Venezuela, ii Is
argued, Venezuela did not colonize it, nor In any
way take actual possession Of 1t. She altogether