The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-07-17
THE MONROE HEMISPHERE.

I I HlLE there may be differences OF opinion IN
\NI regard to the position of the United States IN
hegemony OF the Monroe hemisphere these are
confined to us and the nations within that hems-
phere. Necessary acts OF outside OF that hems-
phere in military conflict with nation outside OF 1t,
do not work any abandonment Of the Monroe doc
trine provided they defensive and not for con-
quest. Such act the battle of Manila Bay and
its result we may hold the territory it put into our
hands until its people pay us for their enranchse-
ment or by other means recouped the cost of
that campaign. To this policy nation in the
European hemisphere may reasonably object. q
To hold the Philippines as permanent conquest
raises graver issues, which be discussed they
appear
The West Indies and Hawaii lie within the Monroe
hemisphere and what we do there is not of European
concern II we hold Porto Rico or take Cuba away
from the mongre bandits who have mortgaged it to
American spectators and agtators, such action is to
be governed by our interests solely, and Euro
pean interference would be unriendly act, to
rouse resentment
SO far then, it is apparent that we have not pro-
voked any intrusion by Europe upon field in which
our primacy is established by both policy and arms
This view of it increases responsibility. We
perhaps settle issues easier with Europe where
rivalry of national interests sets up system of
hemisphere into Asia and Africa, than with Latin
American neighbors. They jealous of their
autonomy, resourceful and defiant
If in terms of peace with Spain we are hard,
and if we take Cuba away from the insurgents die
tate to them too much their future action, with the
example OF Hawaii before them these neighbors in
hemisphere will be reused to a watchfuness which
will harden into hatred.
In present enterprise have not friend
among them. They passive, but the GOODNESS of
their negative position is unmstakabe. The friend
ship generated in the Venezuela incident has evap-
Grated The ties of a common ancestry ally their
sympathes with Spain The traits OF the Spanish
character and the heat of the Spanish blood vital
from the Rio Grande to the Straits OF Magellan.
Their aggregate population equals If it
come to pass that they in the fate OF Hawaii a
settled policy of the United States toward its weaker
neighbours if they convinced that we desire ter
ritoria ACKNOWLEDGMENT and seek it by melting re-
belon and accepting sovereignty from its leaders
whom we hrSt put IN power, our own hemisphere
will offer volume of problems which will occupy
our diplomacy and test maybe capacity for pro-
longed military adventure far beyond our own
borders.
Perhaps people too sentimental We may
think deserve gratitude from these nations. We
may learn that gratitude is elusive element in ma
tional affairs. When do you find it toward England
survival of the leadership OF William III against
Louis XIV, or the delivery of the Continent from
Napoleon at Waterloo?
1t will appear that in the present situation we may
be little troubled about the attitude OF Europe and
that perplexities generate in the attitude of
America