The times., 1898-01-21
ELOQUENT PLEA FOR CUBA.
Speech OF Hon. Champ Clark De
Ityered in the House yeste rfiay.

hveFed iii the House YeSte rday.
Hon. Champ. Clagk, of Missouri,
fired what may really be considered the
first gun of this session on behalf of
| free Cuba, in set speech yesterday.
His remarks bore evidence of careful
preparation, and We're as follows:
This republic ohgfM to grant bellig-
erent rights to the Cuban patriots. She
should recognize the independence OF
Cuba. If Spain does not bring the
war to speedy conclusion, the United
States ought to expel her from the
Western Hemisphere. These things
ought to be done in the cause OF hui
manity. They ought to be done as the
beginning of sound and permanent
business policy. They ought to be done
as evidence of our settled determina-
tion to be supreme in the affairs OF
our half of the world. Man does not
live for himself alone. Neither does q
nation.
Certainly we owe something to those
struggling bravely for freedom at our
very doors. They lighted their torch OF
liberty at our fire. They are only fol-
lowing our example. In very large
sense we are responsible for their con-
duct. We were the first rebels or revo-
lutionists in this hemisphere; for let
it never be forgotten that the only dls-
tinction between a rebel ana reVolu-
ZIONIST is that the latter succeeds, While
the former fails. It's not dlfference
of principle. but of results-that's all
There can be no doubt as to what has
been our traditional foreign policy.
What our foreign policy is under the
Mckinley Administration, like the
peace of God passeth all understand
ing There ought to be no question as
to our foreign policy IN the future. 4
Tersely and bluntly stated, it is this,
and it ought to be enforced with iron
hand-that we intend at all hazards
and at whatever cost to thoroughly
dominate the Western world.
The germ of the Monroe doctrine is
found in Thomas Jeffersons letter TO
President Monroe, bearing date Oh oc-
tober "a 1923, in these words:
''The question presented by the let
ters you have sent me, is the most mo-
mentous which has ever been o1ered
to my contemplation since that or IN
dependence That made us nation,
this sets our compass and points the
course which we are to steer through
the ocean of time opening on US. Ana
never could we embark on 1t under cir
cumstances more auspicious. Our nrst
and fundamental maxim should De,
never to entangle ourselves In the DrollS
of Europe Our second, never to Sufrer
Europe TO intermeddle with cis-Atlan-
tic affairs. America, north and SOUTH
has a set of interests distinct from
those of Europe, and peculiarly her
own. She should, therefore. have
system of her own. separate ana apart
from that of Europe. While the iasI
in laboring to become the domicil or
despotism. our endeavor should surely
be to make our hemisphere that OF
freedom" %
That is the celebrated Monroe doc
trine. When he penned that fatetui
paragraph (ths Monroe doctrine),
Monroe little dreamed that he
was laying hold oof earthly I'M
mortality - but such is the truth
of history. We are very much
disposed to underestimate Monroe, but
to our Spanish American neighbors he
is, next to Washington, the great
American We neglect him; but they
delight to build monuments to his
memory.
His utterance became part of our
creed political We have forced ii into
the Code of International Law. Other
nations affect to sneer at it theoret-
ically. but they never fail to give heed
to il when we assert it in particular
cases.
A note from William n. Seward TO
Louis Napoleon caused that AMBITIOUS
lingo to Withdraw his victorious le-
gions from Mexico, when he was in the
pIentitude of his imperial power. and
when his arms glittered from China to
Peru.
That was the splendid. courageous
and magnanimous manner in which
Republicans enforced the Monroe doc
trine when their party was in its best
estate and when Abraham Lincoln was
at its head.
How are the mighty fallenl Then
the Republican party might have stood
against the world. Now none so poor
as to do il reverence. In these days
of Mc-Hannaism our foreign policy is
so feeble so cringing, so cowardiy, that
even old and decrepit Spain insults our
flag, maltreats our citizens and
searches our ships with perfect i'm
punity: and President Mckinley, in
stead of sending men-of-war to pro-
tect our honor, assert our supremacy
and teach the insolent and impotent
Dons lesson they would never forget,
passes the hat around and invites the
American people to contribute aims
for starving and dying Cubans.
The Monroe doctrine has grown with
our growth, strengthened with our
strength. increased with our territory.
1t ought to be enlarged. stretched
expanded. until it becomes an irreSisti-
BILE force in international politics.
In it's infancy Mr. Monroe simply
notified European nations that new
schemes of colonization in this hemi-
sohere would be regarded with an un-
friendly eye by this republic. That
was a sufficient assertion of our posi-
ton, so long we were a feeble folk:
but now that we are the most puiS-
SAINT nation on the globe, we should
restate our position, and should at once
signify to all European powers that
they retain a fOothold in the Western
Hemisphere only by our sufferance-
that they are mere tenants at willard
that when notified by us they must va
cate the premises.
Congress should formulate the Mon
roe doctrine as we now understand it
and il should be in words about as fol-
lows THE American Republic hereby
takes all of North America, Central |
America. South America, and all the |
islands of the adjacent seas under the |
shadow of her protecting wing and no.
titles Europe. Asia and Africa that |
they must keep their hands off the !
Western Hemisphere on the penalty of |
being thrashed within an inch of their |
lives"
That's the Monroe doctrine. as in |
terpreted by a Missouri Democrat. We |
should extend, moral protectorate |
over them all. Not one of these Cen
trail or South American republics can |
maintain its independence without our
support. They caught the spirit of |
freedom from rs. They copied their |
form of government from ours. Round |
about the young and feeble republics
already formed. in this hemisphere we |
should throw our friendship and infiu-
Is,,r~.