The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1900-06-01


There has been in the last few
months much loose talk about the
abandonment of the Monroe doc
trlne." Some writers. have assumed
that, when the United States acquired
Oriental territory, it necessarily gave
up Its position as the dominant Ameri-
can power: The state department has
seemed to feel that the Haunting of
the Monroe doctrine in the face OF
Europe, under the conditions that
prevailed after the treaty of Paris has
been signed was ungracious, discorte-
Gus, and impolitic. Hence the Am
erican delegates at the Hague treated
the Monroe doctrine as ii it were a
dead letter until they were brought up
with a sharp turn by the protests OF
the American people.
Events seemed for time to con-
spire to give strength to the stupid
theory that, in claiming rights IN the
Asiatic Pacific we are necessarily CIV
ing up rights to the continent.
Secretary Root, in a recent address,
said: mo man who carefully watches
the signs of the times can fail to see
that the American people will within
few years have either to abandon the
Monroe doctrine or fight for it, and we
are not going to abandon it. If rec
essary, we will fight for it, but unless
there is greater diligence in legisla-
ton in the future than in the past,
when the time comes it may find us
unprepared."
This is the most encouraging declar-
alton that has come from the admins
tratlon for many months. 1t touches
vital point in the line that safe
guards our nationality. All temporary
issues aside, it is clear that we must
hold to this fundamental idea OF
primacy on the American continent.
When we yield an inch on this line we
open the doors to our enemies on every
side. We pave the way for foreign
control in Cuba, for European aggres-
sion in Central and South America,
for another European invasion Of
Mexico. In fact, we prepare to sur
render republican institutions on the
western continent TO monarchical in
trusion and supervision. When we
yield one point we yield all, and lose
the ground we have conquered in a
century.
Rather than yield the bulwark oil
peace that Monroe gave us, we must
fight for it. This is not debatable
question. The only debatable question
in this connection is how efficiently We
shall prepare to fight for it. There
are those who blinded by the cry OF
the sentimentalist idealists, resist the
upbuilding of the navy and the arm y
These men, who prefer to believe that
a nation is strong when it strips itself
of the power to defend itself, do moi
realize that we enforced the Monroe
doctrine in Mexico because we were
prepared and that France yielded be-
cause we had 10000 600 trained soldiers
ready for war.
| Secretary Root is right. We viii
not abandon the Monroe doctrine
We will never surrender the primac,
OF the American continent. We will
continue to defend republican nation
alities and institutions. While w
assert our sovereignty in Hawaii and
the Philippines, we will continue tc
protect the American republics, and t.
resist European intrusion into the at
fairs OF this continent. We shall d.
this with out war if we be strong il
army and navy; with war if we tempt
aggression by the weakness OF both.
-Olympian.