The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-01-09
HERE'S THE MONROB DOCTRINE.
A LUCID EXPLANATION OF THE
VENEZUELA QUESTION.

Senator lodge Makes Strong His
torical Argument in Defence or
Our Position.
Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge, (Sep.) :
Senator from Massachusetts, ad- ;
dressed the Senate on the subject Of
the Monroe doctrine. He said it was
not his intention to speak until the
Joint resolution introduced by him
giving to the declaration made by MIR.
Monroe in his message OF December,
1923, the formal sanction Of Congress
had received the consideration of the
Committee on Foreign Relations.
But since then tho President had sent
in his message on the Venezuelan
difficulty and Congress without a dis
senting voice had authorized the com
mission which the President request
ed. This action had led to much wild
talk and cries more vocal than numer-
Gus from those who believo we should
never do anything to clash with Eu4-
lands interests. This outcry coupled
with London's attempt to frightcn
Cougress by producing q stock panic |
had tended to confuse the issuc. ,.a,
therefore, thought q little cool cXplM..n-
tion would not be out Of place.
Two cardinal principles, he said, I'D |
always governed the United States in |
their rotations with foreign nations. |
The first was Washington's ncutraHty !
doctrine as laid down in the farewell !
address. The second was the Monroe
doctrine, tho history of which nc traced
in detail The only uttcmpt hereto
fore made by outside powers to break
through that doctrine was the joint in
terventon of England, France and |
Spain in Mexico in 1861. A second
case has now arisen, and the main
tenance of the'Monroe doctrine isagain
threatened rs it was by the French in
1862. This second attack upon tho
principles OF tho Monroe doctrine
comes from Great Britain and is made
under cover Of Il boundary dispute
with Venezuela. In ordor to show the
Importance OF this controversy which
= had now reached a Crisi affecting most
gravcly the honor, tho interests, the
rights, and tho well-settlcd policy of
the United States, he skctchcd "brilly,"
rs he said, but with elaborate "details,
the history Of tho dispute between
Great Britain and Venezuela and Of
the negotiations between the two coun-
tries.
He continued as follows: ct will
be observed from this brief outline OF
the dispute, that no now rights have
come to England Or to Venezuela since
1914, /. O.. since tho declaration o
President Monroe. They have the
rights Of Spain and Holland, respcc-
lively, nothing more, and nothing less,
and are entitled to exactly what those
Inherited rights give thom. In 1896 a
British minister acknowledged that
Point Barima belonged to Vcnozucla
and asked the Venezuela government
to erect II light house there. In 1910,
a British court in Demara declared
the territory of the Morocco, far to the
cast Of the Orinoco. to be Venezuelan
territory. In 1871 an English engineer
laid out q perfectly arbitrary line
running from the mouth of the Orinoco
in southerly direction until it
reached the southern boundary of
British Guiana. Lord Aberdeen dis
avowed this line and proposed another
starting at the River Morocco and
going further into the interior ; Lord
Granville proposed another reaching
further to the west; Lord Rose berry
another inside the schomburgk line
but coupled with the free nuvigutiOr
of the Orinoco. In 1893, he propose,:
second limo, and meantime Lur,l
Salisbury had extended tho British
claim while he was secretary Tor
foreign affairs. Every British minis
ter offered q different line within
which Great Britain would not cOnson nj
to arbitrate, and every British minis
ter has gone beyond his predecessor
In making fresh claims to territory
beyond the line which he offered about
which he would arbitratc. At first
sight this seems to denote inconsis-
tency on the part Of the British govern
ment, but in reality their course has
been just the reverse. There is ap-
Parently just as much support for one
line as another when they pass beyond
the valley Of the EsseQuibo. From
Sphrp, b,,,,
tlrely arbitrary, and the constantly
growing claims beyond tho various
lines offered was in entire keeping
with the policy of the British govern
ment. Their object was to get rs
much new territory as they coutu .s
The matter over came to q scttlGiuCr.
which they have used every artilico p.
delay"
Asserting his belief that Great Br;,
ain had no good claim to q foot OF laui
beyond to Essequibo, Mr.. Lot,yo laid
down the principle that if England,
with no authority but IL disputed claim,
selZed the territory and declined ar
6itration upon it, her action does not
allier from seizing and holding new
territory in the Americas by right of
conquest. The seizure Of this South
american territory by England, he
asserted, was an absolute violation of |
the Monroe doctrine.
AT the last session of Congress, said |
hr' Lodge, | called the attention of !
'e senate and of the country, to the !
inner In which England had absorb
Ihe Islands OF the Pacific and to the |
'esslty or our controlling tho Ha-
IN islands, necessity which now |
hes more pressing with each suc
,,ig day. ask you now 50 look at |
Carioogan. Sea. ask Won to notr
strong naval station which EnoIanG
established at ST. Lucia. Follow
tS.,ne thence to the westward and Won
and Trinidad the development of wb{icb
mas mas peen strongly pushed Of late years,
duras. The line faces the sn,,th
American coast. This territory olaiT.
Led from Venezuela ia being pushed