The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-10-20
Discusses a Practical Way to Be Pur-
sued by Us as a Nation
IN DEALING WITH THE ISLANDS.
Uncle Sans Wise Course Toward Mex
leo, Hayti and Venezuela.
OBSERVE AMERICAN PRECEDENTs.

"Walk Alone" Heretofore Pursued
by Us Toward Neighboring Com
munities, Is Distinctly American,
Recognizing the Principles of the
Declaration of Independence and
the Existence of the Monroe Doc
trine, Which Constitute the Essen
tials of Our American Polity.
Hon. Charles Francis Adams has dis
cussed by letter and pamphlet prac-
tical policy to be pursued by us as
nation under existing conditions. Fol-
lowing are extracts from his writings
on the subject:
There has, 1t seems to me, been a
great deal Of idle Duty Mission, and
Call talk on the subject of our recent
acquisition of Islands beyond the Sea-
and the necessity of adopting some pol
icy, commonly described as Imperial
In dealing with them. This policy is,
In the minds of most men who favor
It, to be indirectly modelled on the pol
icy heretofore so successfully pursued
under somewhat similar conditions by
Great Britain. 1t involves the aban-
donment or reversal Of all the funda-
mental principles of our government
since its origin, and of the foreign pol
icy we have heretofore pursued. This,
I submit, is absolutely unnecessary.
Another and substitute policy, purely
American, is contradistinguished from
the European or British, known as i'm
periar policy, can readily be. fcrmu-
lated
This essentially American policy
would be based both upon our cardinal
political principles, and our recent for
eign experiences What has
been our course heretofore under SIM
liar circumstances? Precedepts, I sub
NIT, at once suggest themselves. Prece-
dents, too, directly in point, and with
in easy recollection,
,-.I refer to the ceur; pursued by us
towards Mexico in the year lS48 and
again in 1866; towards Haytt for 70
years back; and towards Venezuela as
recently as three years ago.
What has been, historically, our
policy-the American, as distinguished
from the European and British policy
towards those communicative of
them Spanish, one African? So far as
foreign powers are concerned, we have
laid down the principle of hands Off
So far as their own government was
concerned, we insisted that the only
way TO learn to walk was to try to
wall, and that history of mankind did
not show that nations placed under
systems OF tutelage'-tau ght to lean
for support on a superior power-ever
acquired the faculty Of action.
l. THE Romans occupied Great Brit
ain, and they occupied 1t hard upon
four centuries, holding the people in
tutelage and protecting them against
themselves, as well as against their
enemies. What was the result?
As nearly as can be historically stated,
1T took eight centuries for the people
of England to overcome the injurious
influence of four centuries of just such
q system as is now proposed by us to
anfict on the Philippines.
From the historical point of view,
dt is instructive to note the exactly diff
ferent results reached through the
truly American policy we have pursued
in the not dissimilar cases of Hayti
end Mexico. 1t can not be
gainsaid that through our insisting on
the policy OF non-interference our
selves, sand of non-interference by
European nations, Hayti has been
brought into a position where it is on
the high road to better things in the
future. That has been the result Of
the prescriptive American policy. With
Mexico, the case is far stronger.
"We did not reduce Mexico into a
condition OF 'tutelage,' or establish
over ii 'protectorate' of our own. We,
on the contrary, insisted that it should
stand on its own legs; and, by so doing,
learn to stand firmly on them, Just as
q child learns to walk, not by being
kept everlastingly in leading strings
This was the American, as contradis-
tinguished from the European policy;
and Mexico today walks firmly,
FINALLY. take the case of Venezuela
On 1895. believe ! am not mistaken
when say that during the 25 preced.
ing years, Vens-"sla had undergone al.