The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-20

claim 10 the title. tspeclally IN he pro-
fessor OF and an authority on the history
of his country, these United States of
America. his "History of the People
OF the United States" ranks very high,
we believe
Professor MAoMAsTER made speech
in Boston the Other night. His subject
was the Monroe Doctrine and Its appli-
cation in the Venezuela matter. After
referring to that almost insolent "note"
OF Lord SALISBURY that coolly assured
the American people that the Monroe
Doctrine did not by any means apply 10
the Venezuela case, Professor MAoMAs-
TER proceeded to show why and how ii
did apply. Tie argument is not unfa-
miliar to readers who have followed the
matter in The NEWS, but what Professor
MAcMAsTER had to say about the conten-
tion of SALISBURY and some of the hair
splitting tutors at Harvard that the Doe
trine could not apply because it "vas not
international law" is interesting because
it is fat. Said the professor: "The
Monroe Doctrine is not international
forefathers established republic, but
that did not make republican form OF
government necessarily one to be recog-
nized by the nations of the earth"
The Monroe. Doctrine is likely to be-
come international law, IL it is enforced.
Conditions, precedenis and the things
that -have-t to- be-so make law. The pres
ent controversy is likely to open the eyes
of the world to the evident truth that the
Monroe Doctrine is not for the tenefit OF
the American republic alone, but for the
interests OF every power that owns terri
tory on this hemisphere. When the
Monroe Doctrine was promulgated the
country had only 10000, 600 inha bitants,
but the Doctrine was promulgated Cor all
time because the statesmen of the young
nation saw its destiny with marvellous
prescience. We were not the only repub-
Alliance, toward which Great Britain was
opposed for trade reasons, and President
MONROE. in the hour of danger, an
nounced to the world that thereafter no
European government should be allowed
to extend fits system on this continent,
saying 1t was necessary to defend Repub-
licanism in America.
In the opinion Of Professor MAcMAs-
TER the Monroe Doctrine Is good doc
trine; it applies in the Venezuela case and
it must tie enforced. II England is on
Venezuelan soil it Is manifestly our duty
to protest The only reason for pausing is
to find out for certainty. What England
has apparently none Is to settle the terri
tory in dispute with her subjects and
make this point OF possession the chief
factor in her claim. She has occupied ter
ritory all over the world and secured her
title in this way on many occasions. She
used this argument to settle the bound
ary disputes in Maine and Oregon. En-
glsh opinion as to English authority
was strong in both these instances as it
is today. The London Examiner observed
at the time that the great Oregon territory
was in dispute between the two English
speaking nations: "We wonder that
ignorant Americans are disposed TO quar-
rel over a country, the whole in dispute
not worth to either party ego, oool" The /,
Edinburgh Review, with prophetic eye-
sight, says; "Only small part OF the land
is capable of cultivation. In few years |
all that gives life to the country, both |
the hunter and his prey, viii be extinct,
and their places will be supplied by thin
white and hnlf-breed population, grad
ually degcnerating into barbarism far
more offensive than hackwoodism!"
Out OF that worthless" territory have