Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-01-29

JFrom the San Francisco CALI
MOSBY AVERSE TO WAR.
Monroe Doctrine Obsolete-Was Directe'
Against the Holy Alliance.


Monroe Doctrine Obsolete-Was Directed
Against the Holy Alliance.
Col. John S. Mosby, the famous ex-
guerilla chief, has some decided views
regarding the present strained relations
between England and this country, the
action of President Cleveland and OF
Congress and the construction and ap
plication of the Monroe doctrine.
The colonel has served as munster TO
China and is an attorney of high stand.
ing and more than usually well posted
on diplomatic matters and questions in
international law. In an interview
recently he said:
President Cleveland and the action CT
Congress. look upon the whole thing
as pure demagogism practised just to
get the votes of the Irish. and each
party is endeavoring to Guido the 9th
er in demagogism. These people who
are hurrahing for the Monroe doctrine
don't know what it is.
George Canning a former Prime Min
| lister to England, is the real author Of
the Monroe doctrine. Ia 1928 England
was fighting the Holy Alliance, which
| had issued circular announcing =
crusade against free institutions ali
over the world. At the instigation of
Mr.. Canning, President Monroe emf
bodied declaration in his message to
Congress- that any attempt on the part
lof fhs Holy Alliance to carry out its de-
signs on this continent would be con
isideresi as an unfl iendly act towards
the Government of the United States.
/ But the Holy Alliance has long ago
been dissolved, and there is no such
danger now menacing our institutions.
The Holy Alliance had proclaimed its
purpose to establish absolute Govern
ments all over the world, and to sup:
press any uprising in favor of popular
institutions and it was against the Holy
Alliance that President Monroe fulmi
} mated his now famous proclamation.
1t is perfectly absurd to announce
, that if England should take possession
of a little strip of territory on the
J Orinoco it would be a menace to ouI
: institutions, when England already has
/ Canada on our northern frontier and
| Jamaica and Trinidad in the Gulf OF
Mexico. 1t would be no more menace
to us than if she were to take posses
sion of gold fields in Africa.
} What constitutes menace is ques
ton of fact and not of law.
Mr.. Calhoun was in President Mon
roes cabinet at the time when this de
: claration was made. and if any one will
read his speech on the Yucatan ques
r ton, he will see how utterly President
3 Cleveland has perverted and misinter
preted Mr.. Monroe's message. Inc U
s. had about 100000 people at thai
time, and now has 10000, 900. and ne
t man outside of lunatic asylum can be
r lieve that the occupation of this little
e strip of territory on the Orinoco by
Q England can endanger the United
t States.
e am utterly opposed to war with
81 England, because if war comes | an
/ going to war for my country. Those
: people who are now most loudly clam
r curing for war have not the least ides
Y of fighting, but wantItoisend somebod!
else to do the fighting.
e Secretary Olney's dispatch to Lore
e Salisbury Is utterly nonsensical. H,
+ tells Salisbury that Europeans, mean
2 ing of course Englishmen, are devoted t.
monarchical forms of government ant
f that Americans are devoted to self gov
: eminent as if there was any incOnsis
r tency between constitutional mon
3 archy- like England and self govern
3 ment, or as if the English people wer'
D less devoted to selfgovernment thar
the American. He also tells Salisbur.
r that the days of the crusades are over
If Cleveland by his laundering sue
ceeds in getting us into a war will
e Great Britain about little strip o
3 territory away down in South Ameri
: ca, in which we have not the slightes
\ interest, it will be the most ridiculou
and Quixotic crusade that was eve
undertaken; far more so than those
] that had for their objects the recover.
| of the holy seDulcher