The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-04
TIE MONROE DOCTRINE.

Our contemporary, the Maui News,
has the following rejoinder to an article
in these columns, which we are glad TO
print as a side-light upon a subject
which may at any time assume grave |
national Importance:
In an deliberately written and apparent |
IL well considered editorial in the Adver |
tiser of Monday last the matter of the |
Monroe doctrine is discussed, and its
abandonment advocated. If the Advert !
ser speaks as a mouthpiece of the Re-
publican party, it is simply trying blindly
to open joint in the armor of that par
ty through which the lance of it's oppo-
nents will pierce its vitals with deadly
effect
To take the view that the Monroe doc
trine should be abandoned simply be-
| cause it is not producer of loaves and
fishes for the United States, shows that
| the writer has not looked beyond the
| length of his nose into the true raison
d'etre of the existence and perpetuation
OF the doctrine. Suppose for one moment
! that the Monroe doctrine We're abandon
ed, how long would 1t be before England,
| France and Germany would pick quar-
rels with ..ie weak republics south of us,
| and coolly proceed to dominate them and
reduce them to provinces. The lust of
| expansion is strong, and not growing
weaker, and the result would be in the
end that the Continental countries-and
the United States too. for that matter
would soon be snarling at each other like
hyenas, while they gnaw the bones of the
defunct South American republics. Re-
member Maximilian.
The points We made were that the
United States cannot defend South Am
erica against the encroachments of a
first-class European power without
maintaining a larger army and navy
than the people are wiling to pay for. A
navy for such purpose would have
to be big enough to cover our own i'm
mense coasts and to also prevent the
landing of a foreign army on Latin Am
er-can soil. Moreover, our army would
: have to be large enough to spare two
] or three corps for service in the coun-
= tries lying south OF the United States
i 1t Is conceivable that, for such a pur-
pose, this nation would be forced to ac-
o cept marine budget as large as that
: of Great Britain, and adopt scale OF
: military expenditure as great as that
: OF Germany.
: But one thing could possibly excuse
= the outlay, namely, the monopoly oil
: South American trade. The United
s States at the present time is very
= small exporter to the countries south Of
/" the Isthmus, as compared with three
1t or four powers against whom, POLITICAL
y ly speaking, we assert the Monroe doc
n trine. For its work as a continental
y policeman this country gets no graft
n tude and few favors. Under such cir
y cumstances is it not an absurd santi
ID mentalism to assume the enormou
n risks of a protectorate, which include
D. the peril of a billion dollar war?
$ The time is near at hand when Eu
i; rope will knock imperatively at tn
ed South American door. Germans ar
IS overrunning Southern Brazil and set
rs ting up their institutions there; tw
W, millions Of Italians are in Argentina
IL Great Britain covets portions of Ven
So ezuela; France wants districts /
be Northern Brazil. One of these day
Germany may form dual alliance @
n a Dreibund to demand concessions i
IS, South America, or some Europea
w, power may wage war upon one of tn
IL Southern republics" de.eat it and tax
le- a land indemnity. Should the Unite
OF Stat fight over that? Heaven forbid
les Our political interests are not gre;
he enough south of Panama-they are al
ng embracing north of ito be worth IL
e loss of a single brave sailors life; an
al our commercial interests there are NJ
lis of enough account to compensate us f
ia three months of war
en- True, the abandonment of the MOI
u! roe doctrine would bring about the pa
ere tition Of South America; but what
IN 1t? Probably we should get our shal
TAT or the spoils or. at least, be granted
lai free hand north of the Isthmus .
ud Panama. To the practical mind. pa
u tition is what South America deserv,