The record-union., 1896-01-04
DOLLARS AND SENTIMENT.


ezuelan matter that the suggestion of
war is distasteful, and comes as sur
prise and an unwelcome threat to the
commercial world. 1t is added that the
whole interest of the United States in
the affair is merely sentimental, and
that it is the judgment of the chamber
that arbitration is the only proper mode
of settling the trouble.
The dollar, then, views the main
tenance of the Monroe doctrine as the
output of mere sentiment. Very we'll;
sentiment always underlies patriotism.
The men dollars furnish to maintain
the national honor seldom breed pa
triots. We are glad to have our opinion
confirmed that sentiment lies beneath
the patriotic protest of the people
against any further monarchical ex-
tension upon the American continents.
Sentiment is serving us nobly indeed,
when it so moves the people to protest,
and to back the Intervention with
threat Of use of force.
OF course, arbitration is the wise,
just and desirable means to employ be-
tween nations at outs, and of course
war should be avoided. But it takes
two to agree to arbitration. Now the
United States Government distinctly,
urgently and repeatedly advised arbi-
tration of the Venezuelan controversy,
and Venezuela, as one of the principals,
gladly acquiesced. But England re-
fused, as the chamber well recites, and
still stands out against its employment.
What, then, would the Chamber of
Commerce of New York have the Amer
lean Republic do? Stand aside and see
England, by the might of her arm,
force policy upon, and wiring eonces-
sions from a weak and all but helpless
American State, protesting that it is
being robbed of its territory and
stripped of its possessions?
What would the chamber do were it
placed in similar predicament? Sup
pose it was under the thumb of what it
deemed oppression, and appealed to
have its rights adjudicated by arbitra-
tors; and suppose the oppressor re-
fused arbitration and proceeded to
grind out the blood of the chamber,
would it or would it not make threat of
resistance by force, and would 1t or
would it not appeal to it's friends and
neighbors to protest against what it
deemed injustice, and to come to it's as
sistance?
The Review of Reviews makes ex-
preston that may serve to the answer
to the Chamber of Commerce, when it
says, sensibly and conservatively, that
our Government is right in its action,
but that war should be and will be
avoided:
I'VE have never known a case of in
ternational dispute in which, on all
grounds, a settlement by arbitration
seemed more urgently advisable; and
Lord Salisbury's denial of our friendly
request seems to us as reckless and as
evil thing as modern history can
show His expressed contempt for the
Monroe doctrine is wholly offensive to
us as a nation. But Salisbury will not
always be Prime Minister; and that
which is right and just should triumph
in our relations with England without
one single hint of so inconceivably hor-
rible catastrophe as war. While we
believe Lord Salisbury wrong and Pres
ident Cleveland and Secretary Olney
right regarding the applicability of the
Monroe doctrine and the principles of
arbitration to the Venezuelan difficulty.
| it does not seem to us that the resources
of diplomacy have been by any means
exhausted. We are confident that the
| Venezuelan question will be settled
within this year 1896, and that the So
Der, peace-loving people of England
and the United States will conclude not
to hate each other or to fight each
other"