Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-02-06

The powers all understood that he was
not laying down doctrine, but deal
ing with practical matter. They un-
derstood that the people of the United
States had not been reduced to state
Of imbecility.
lin 1896 Mr.. Adams proposed that we
send delegates to congress of Ameri
can republics to meet at Panama. That
proposition was accepted by Congress-
but in the course Of the debates in the
House of Representatives vote was
passed by 80 to 95 against the United
states entering into any arrangement
with American republics on the subject
Of their relations. 1t has been stated
lately that this defeat was made by the
slave holding interests. There is abso-
lutely no foundation for such state
ment. If the measure had not been
entered as an amendment TO an appro
priation bill there would have been
very few votes against it. Mr.. Webster
himself, who led the opposition to it
on constitutional grounds, as interfer-
ing with the prerogatives of the Exec
utive. expressly declared that he was
not opposed to the principle itself.
Now it seems to me that If we are
dependent for our prosperity on the
Monroe Doctrine as somebody may
conceive it to be. we ought TO be in
feeble condition to-day unless we
have followed it strictly. Have we en-
forced it in the sense in which it is in
terpreted Ia. day? If not, have we suf-
ered any detriment?
g In 1929 the government of Buenos
| Ayres established colony on what we
call the Falkland Islands. Our citi
hn1 ,nt. naaI
on those islands, and they continued to
do so until they we're arrested and their
vessels confiscated. An American man
of-war happened to be there, and the
captain released the prisoners and scat
tered the natives up and down the
coast. To this day the government of
/ Buenos Ayres is making a claim
against MS. alleging that this was a
violation of the Monroe Doctrine
"a few years later it was alleged by
the government of Central America
that British colonists were encroach-
ing, and they commissioned man
named John Golindo to appeal to the
| United States. At that time Prof.
Andrew jackson was President Of the
United States. He had an LII. b.
/ from Harvard. He refused to have
anything to do with it, and he will
probably now be cassed with Calhoun
as a milksop or perhaps even a Mug
wump.
"In 1874 Great Britain and France
participated somewhat in the affairs oi
Uruguay and Buenos Ayres. In 1925
the governments of Brazil and Buenos
Ayres set Uruguay up as an indie.
pendent state. In 1913 the President
Of Buenos Ayres violated that treaty
and made war on Uruguay. Uruguay
then appealed to Great Britain and
France TO intervene. They blockaded
the coast of Buenos Ayres until the
government admitted the independence
Of Uruguay. The matter was brought
to the attention of this government,
which refused to interfere. What detri
ment did the United States suffer from
refusing?
"When Polk came into office in 1S4i
he had great deal on his hands. HI
had Congress on his hands, and he haC
scheme to annex Texas, and perhaps
some other things in the South, anC
moreover he had come in on the plat
form of '54-40 or fight. To hack vi
his schemes he did the natural practi
cal thing of attempting TO make al
outcry against Great Britain. In hi
message of 1915 he perverted the ide;
of no colonization in the message o
President Monroe to no acquisition o
territory without the consent of tn
United States, but only as regard
North America. The part of the Mon
roe Doctrine in regard to colonization
had been considered as exhausted be
] cause the powers had extended thei
/ claims TO all the territory, although
!, the boundaries were unsettled. Poll
sent Senator Benton to England witt
instructions that he could settle ol
{ the line of 40. His public opinion wa
. $40 or, flight. His private opinion wa
, 40. That was decided by Senator Ben
{ ton to be the just line, and we divide,
] about equally with Great Britain abou
6,O0O, 600 square miles. 1t does seer
to me that il we are dependent for ou
prosperity on this new doctrine, W
) ought to be in state of decrepitud
and of humiliation Whether one
humiliated or not depends upon wha
D he claims Our present attitude re
? minds me of man in Boston whom
/ saw put his hat in the middle of tn
( floor and state that anybody who az
t preached it would insult him. Th
$ Monroe Doctrine has been extende
/ by some gentlemen as far as Samoa
o Some day we may have a canal throug
: Nicaragua and ships sailing throug
a this canal pass Samoa. This is nc
v testing. The idea has been seriousl
r advanced.
+. "'Gentlemen, say the United State
f needs no doctrine. Our people hay
: ability to see when their interests al
t threatened without going about wit
e telescope. l will give you an o.
T. ample. In 1911 it was feared that son
n European power would take advantae
Il Of the condition of Spain to seize II
a Floridas. Congress in secret sessic
t tthey did not care to give notice, the
It we're acting practically passed a res
q luton saying that the possession {
d the Floridaa would be menace to II
United States That was tr,
7. American doctrine, for it had son
10 relation to our real interests.
y "Oh, but everybody says, the Mo-
+. roe Doctrine drove France out
g Mexico. In that whole controverl
" Seward never mentioned the Monr'
IF Doctrine, and when one of our repr
,r sentatives in Europe did mention
d Seward rebuked him. He was n
A. fighting windmills. He was confron
in ing an emergency.
a. "At the present time there is res
ID luton before Congress. Passing Il
g. question of grammar the substance
A. it is that il any power shall do an
at thing dangerous 10 our peace al
at safety we shall consider that act u
a. friendly. Now is not that magni
Ie cent declaration? A choleric old mi
IN in Boston was informed, as he walk
r. tho street, that some soldiers had sh
10 down some citizens. As soon as
s cnrld nnnnlr for rarh he eYnlaime