The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-15
FIRM ON MONROEISM
PRESIDENT WILL TAKE STAND
 IN ITS FAVOR.
American Sphere Fixed-Will op- pose Direct Acquisition of Terri
 tory or Purchase of
 Coaling Stations,
Walter wellman's Washington Special to
 Record Herald

l NO European encroachment upon the
 soil of America. either by direct acquisi-
 ton or by the purchase of coaiing sta- | tons, is to be one of the keynotes of President Roosevelt's message to Con- | gress.
 The President is to have something to
 say about the Monroe doctrine, and he | will speak in no uncertain words. He | intends to reaffirm the vital principle of | Monroeism, and to apply 1t to modern 1 conditions. In the Presidents opinion | a consistent enforcement of the Monroe l doctrine requires the United States to l object to the establishment of foreign naval stations in the special sphere of
 American interest and infiuence-namely
 the West Indies, the Caribbean Sea and | the Isthums of Darien.
 l On account of the acquisition by the l United States of Porto Rico. our suzer- | ainty over Cuba, our contemplated pur- chase of tine Danish Islands in the West | Indies and the moral certainty that
 sooner or later the United States will
 dig an isthmian canal, the interests of | the United States in that region assume | paramountcy over those of all other
 powers. The West Indies and the 1 isthmus are in other words. zone of
 American special interest. and the Carib-
 bean Is an American sea.
 To safeguard the rights of the United | States in this region, with an ultimate view to protection of the canal, is a pur- | pose near to the heart of President | Roosevelt. Hence his reaffirmation of the Monroe doctrine, and hence his desire so | to state his position that foreign govern
 ments may read between the lines and
 understand that naval stations are not to be had within striking distance of the proposed canal without mourning the dis
 pleasure of the United States.
 The United States is undertaking great responsibility in the isthmus. It proposes to construct a canal costing at least s2O0. GOO, and perhaps $500, ,000 900. | It undertakes to keep that waterway open to the ships of all nations. On equal terms, in times of peace. In war times | it naturally will have to defend the | canal as part of its coast line, as l central feature of its scheme of national | defense. Hence it would be foolishiy short-sighted of the United States to permit other great powers to secure
 strong foothold in the immediate neigh | borhood of the canal. It is not the in- tention of the United States to permit | any such footholds to be secured.
 The policy which the President is about to declare means nothing that can req
 ssonably, be construed as an unfriendly disposition toward any foreign power His language, while of unmistakable sig
 nificanoe. will be carefully chosen, with | view to avoid giving offense. Even if there were no such thing as a Monroe
 doctrine in existence, still the United States would be justified, according to the
 usages of nations. in adopting just such measures of self-protection. This is true because the interests of the United States in the isthmus and the adjacent
 lands and waters are almost infinitely | superior to those of other powers. Whatever may he said about lower America TiSOn with
 this field of special interest nearer our shores may be regarded almost as q neg ligble quantity. the isthmus is about to become virtually a part of the coast line of the United States The United States does not propose to seize territory there unless such seizure should become neces- sary for it's protection or for properly
 carrying out it's great purpose. but it cannot in justice to itself or the great international trusteeship which 1t is un- dertaking permit European powers to en-
 u cnch tnemselve' therein. From the stra- tegic and military point of view such ter ritory must virtually be regarded as al- ready belonging to the United States.
 Doubtless the Presidents utterances on this question will rouse fierce criticism in some parts of Europe-not in England, but on the continent. Such criticism ap- peared when Colonel Roosevelt. at Mime apolis. few days before fate called him to the presidency, declared:
 "The United States must not shrink
  nations. We cannot avoid hereafter hay
 ing duties to do in the face of other nations. We do not intend to sanction any policy of aggression by one American commonwealth at the expense of any other, any policy of commercial dis crimination against any foreign power whatsoever Commercially all We wish is a fair field and no favor but if we are wise we shall strenuously insist that un- der no preteXt whatever shall there be any territorial aggrandiZement on Amer jean soil by any European power, and this no matter what form such territorial aggrandizement may take"
 Tn some parts of Europe there has been a similar outburst of feeling about the utterances of Senator Lodge at Boston last Saturday in like vein.
 But when the governments of Europe l sit down to thin; the matter calmly over they. will perceive that the United States to pursue as to the isthmus, the West | Indies and the Caribbean Sea. The United States is prop 1sing to do only that which any other power in the world l deferslble and necessary, so far as this | special region is concerned. upon the | principle of superiority of interest. which | in the relations of nations is always em- ployed to mark out such zones and to de- fine relative rights therein
 If a contest must come over the Mon- roe doctrine, as it is likely to come dur Ing the next generation, the United | states should have the advantage of | knowing on it's side just what the doc Urine is and precisely what its scope of 1 applicability, It also wants to be in the | right and insofar as 1t takes its stand upon the obvi DuS plramountcy of it's in- | terests in the West Indies, the Carib- bean Sea and the isthmus. it must in the end be acknowledged to be wholly within its rights.
 It is believed. therefore, that while at lrSt there may be some discontent in the press, and perhaps in the public mind of Germany and perhaps other conu- mental countries, this feeling may not extend to the governments themselves and probably will not be challenged in any way. Thus while President Roose- velt's message may be regarded by Eu- to any friction with the nations which are now the friends of America, and which the United States wishes to hold as such.
 The German newspapers. which nout Senator Lodges Monroe doctrine utter ances and speak of him as "President ROosevelts future Secretary of State. are not familiar with persons and %ltalrs in this country It is quite safe 70 say that Mir. Lodge will never be Sc retary of State under President Roosevelt
 The Isthmian Canal Commission will report in favor of the acquisitioc of ab- solIte control by the United States or strip of territory across the lsthmus about twelve miles wide. It is; under stood that this strip can be had along either the Nicaragua or the Panama route. In the case of the fo mer, and perhaps of both. it will be necessary 10