Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-01-03

tue MONROE DOCTRINE a.
1. It Was Suggested by England to the
United States.
IS It will doubtless be a surprise to many
to learn that a policy similar
a to that outlined by the Monroe doctrine
7 was suggested to us officially by Great
Britain in August, 1928; that its enuncia-
ton in December of the same year was
greeted with suppressions Of joy by
leading statesmen of that country; and
that the doctrine was spurned by the
same government only the year after,
when 1t was found to oppose their own
projects of territorial ACKNOWLEDGMENT
says a writer in the Pittsburg Dispatch.
1t came about in this way: Spanish
America was then at war with the moth
er country, and had declared its indie
pendence, and been recognized by the
government of the United States.
France had entered into alliance with
Spain, and it was feared would aid that
country in subduing the revolted states,
and thus gain an advantage in the new
World, which prospects aroused Eng
lands jealousy.
In 1923 Mr.. Canning, with the concur
renee of the cabinet in London, in
formed Mr.. Rush, American minister at
the Court of st. James, that Great Brit
ain could not see with Indifference the
intervention of foreign powers in Span
ish America, or the transfer to those
powers of any of those colonies, and
suggested a joint declaration to that
effect by the United States and Great
Britain. Transatlantic mails were then
slow, and the information was not re-
ceived at Washington until October 9.
1t was then carefully considered by
President Monroe, who asked advice of
leading men, and, instead of acceding to
the suggestion of Great Britain, he en-
bodied the idea Independently in his IA
nous presidential message of December
+ Though Great Britain was unwilling
to see any other European power gain
any advantage on these continents, she
herself had no notion Of foregoing any
possible means Of increasing her own
acquisitions, and just one year from the
time of her suggestion of joint declara-
ton to keep out other p overs she de-
clared officially that she considered
the whole of the unoccupied parts of
America as being open to her future
settlement in like manner as hereto
fore" This declaration was occasioned.
by the opening of that long dispute in
reference to the great northwest, which
was finally settled by the compromise
of the 49th parallel as our northern
boundary line to the Pacific.
But the idea of America for the Ameri-
cans was already in the wind before the
British suggestion, for a dispute arose
between our government and Russia in
that same year of 1923, regarding terri
torial limitations, and on July % John
Quincy Adams, then secretary Of state,
wrote to Mr.. Middleton, minister at the
Russian court, as follows: There can
perhaps be no better time for saying
frankly and explicitly to the Russian
government that the future peace Of the
world, and the interest of Russia itself,
can not be promoted by Russian settle
ments upon any part Of the American
continent. With the exception of the
British establishments north Iof the
United States, the remainder of both
the American continents must hence
forth be left to the management of
American hands,"
President Monroe, zone Of our wisest
and most discreet presidents" as Mr..
Buchanan later called him, declared
to the world at large, cas- principle in
& which the rights and interests of the
81 United States are involved, that the
American continents, by the free and in
dependent condition which they have
assumed and maintain, are henceforth
not to be considered as subjects for flu
ture colonization by any European pow
ers." This clear, manly and bold dec
laration of our then chief executive
practically settled the question of the
general recognition of the independence
of Spanish America; it was later in
yoked in reference to Cuba and Yucca
e tan; 1T became embodied in the famous
Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and thus pre-
vented Great Britain from Selling ex-
tensive territories in Central America,
Though, through f1nesse, she secured
large tracts for her subjects; and it is
doubtless due to the official announce
ment that we would see the Monroe doc
brine maintained, that our neighbor
Mexico is today a republic and not a
French dependency.
Before giving voice to his doctrine,
president Monroe consulted the vener-
able author of the declaration of indie
pendence on the matter, who answered:
-FOUR first and fundamental maxim
should be never to entangle ourselves
In the broils of Europe; our second, new
or to suffer Europe to intermeddle with
cis-Atlantic affairs" Shall we remem-
Der only the first part of this sage ad-
vice, and forget the second? In 1848 Yu-
catan offered to transfer it's dominion
and sovereignty to either the United
States, Great Britain or Spain; in in
swer to which President Polk declared
that 1--WE could not consent to transfer
Of this dominion and sovereignty to
either Spain, Great Britain or any other
European power"
TUE pOIICY NOT A NARROW ONE