Evening star., 1896-11-17
British interpretations of Monroei.m

London seems to be deriving a vast
amount of satisfaction from the self-assur-
ance that Salisburys acceptance of the
Monroe Doctrine ties the United States
down to perpetual suzerainty over all the
Latin-Arnerican nations in the south. The
Spectator. for instance. expresses great
grief on behalf of this country in view of
the prospect that 1t will henceforth stand
in constant peril of being dragged into
war whenever a oetuldnt American half
caste state chooses to pass an insult on a
European power" This is considerate. but
silly Tie Monroe Doctrine implies no such
degree of paternal care. 1t does not bind
the United States to disciplinary guard
ianship hat Will be 4 guarantee of good
behavior on the part of all occupants of the
western hemisphere. The republic can not
therefore accept the following further sug
gestion of the Spectator:
'If the United States assumes suzerainty
1t must guarantee decent order. Thirty or
fifty years hence Europe pressed almost to
madness by inability to feed cvercrowded
peoples. will want to swarm into South
America under its own flags. To deny
them will mean attempting to crush the
fleets and armies of the combined continent
of Europe
The republic is not a policeman to pre-
serve order on this continent. or a profess
sional bruiser to protect the other occu-
pants of the western hemisphere from the
consequences of insults OF injuries inflicted
by them upon others. The republic views
the new world as longer subject to col
onization by Europe. and. so far as it's
ability goes, it will not permit any govern
ment of the old world to overturn by vio-
lence any of the republican institutions to
which the new world is dedicated, or to
make such territorial extensions in this
hemisphere will tend to subject the
Americas to European and monarchical
influences The foundation of the Monroe
Doctrine is the instinct of self-preservation.
America is for Americans. The new world
is dedicated to republican seif-government
The United States will be it's own judge of
the emergency which calls for assertion of
the American doctrine. The republic re-
announced the principle when cessation of
civil strife gave it the opportunity to pay
needed attention to foreign affairs. and
France vacated Mexico. 1t conceived that
the doctrine was affected in the Venezuelan
controversy and it interfered and has
made its position good. Possibly in con-
nection with Cuba or the canal across the
lsthmus some other appropriate occasion
for its aSse rtiOn may soon arise
There VIII be no difficulty on the part of
either America or Europe In recognizing
such an occasion when 1t presents itself
We are under no contract to regulate the
acts and manners of any. of the peoples of
Central or South America. One sentence
used by the Spectator points. however, to
our true continental function. 1t predicts
that thirty or fifty years hence the over
crowded peoples of Europe will want to
swarm into South America under their
own Tags. and will combine to fight for
this territory. Under the Monroe doctrine
combined America will oppose with force
any such effort. The overcrowded peoples
OF Europe have for many years come by
the million to the world, without
bringing here their flags. This method of
peopling the western hemisphere is to con-
tinue. If the immigrant insists upon re-
tanning as colonist his European flag and
allegiance let him go to Africa, which is
being divided up among the European ma
tions. A similar division of the Americas
is never to be made, unless by the con-
querors in q continental war; after the
American military power as well as the
American doctrine have been crushed and
destroyed