Arizona republican., 1901-12-04

as it Is of the United States. Just seventy eight years have passed since | President Monroe in his annual mes | sage announced that "The American continents are henceforth not to be con sidered subjects for future coloniza- tion by any European power" In other words, the Monroe doctrine Is a | declarat tion that there must be no terri | torial aggrandiZement by any non American power at the expense of any American power on American soil. It 1 is in no wise intended as hostile to any nation in the Old World. still less is | it intended to give cover to any aggres | sion by one New World power at the expense of the other. It Is simply step. and long step. toward assuring | the universal peace Of the world by se | curing the possibility of permanent peace on this hemisphere.
 During the past century other in iuences have established the perman- ence and independence of the smaller states of EuropeL Through the Mon- roe doctrine we hope to be able to | safeguard like independence and secure like permanence for the lesser among the New World nations.
 This doctrine has nothing to do with the commercial relations of any Ameri- can power. save that it in truth allows
  In other words, it is really a guarantee of the commercial independence of the Americas. We do not ask under this doctrine for any exclusive commecial dealings with any other American state. We do not guarantee any state against punishment if 1t miscon- ducts itself. provided that punishment does not take the form of the acquisi- tion of territory by any non-American power.
 Our attitude in Cuba is a sufficient guaranty of our own good faith. We have not the slightest desire to secure any territory at the expense of any of our neighbors. We wish to work with them hand in hand, so that all of us may be uplifted together. and we re- joice over the good fortune of any of them. we gladly hail their material prosperity and political stability, and are concerned and alarmed if any of them fall into industrial or political chaos. We do not wish to see any Old World military power grow up on this continent. or to be compelled to be- come military power ourselves. The peoples of the Americas can prosper best if left to work out their own salva- tion in their own way.
 A BIGGER NAVY.
 
 must be steadily continued. No one point of our policy, foreign or domestic, is more important than this to the honor and material welfare. and above all. to the peace of our nation in the future. Whether we desire it or not, we must henceforth recognize that we have international duties no less than international rights. Even if our flag were hauled down in the Philippines f to build the isthmian canal, We should need a thoroughly trained navy of adequate size. or else be prepared definitely and for all time to abandon the idea that our nation is among those whose sons go down to the sea in ships. Unless our commerce is always to be carried in foreign bottoms. we must have war craft to protect it.
 1nasmuch. however. as the American people have no thought of abandoning the path upon which they have entered. and especially in view of the fact that the building of the isthnian canal is fast becoming one of the matters which the whole people are united in demand ing. it is imperative that our navy should be put and kept in the highest state of efficiency. and should be made to answer to our growing needs. So far from being in any way q provoca-
 
 trained navy is the best guaranty against war. the cheapest and most ef- fective peace insurance. The cost of building and maintaining such navy represents the very Hghtest premium for insuring peace which this nation can possibly pay.
 Probably no other great nation in the world is so anxious for peace as We are. There is not single civilized power .t,; ;,l, from aggresiveness on our part. All we want is peace: and toward this end we wish to be able to secure the same respect for our rights from others which We are eager and anxious to ex- tend to their rights in return. to insure fair treatment to us commercially. and to guarantee the safety of the Ameri- can people. Our people intend to abide by the Monroe doctrine and to insist upon it as the one sure means of securing the peace of the western hemisphere. The navy offers us the only means of malS- Ing our insiStence upon the Monroe doc Urine anything but a subject of derision to whatever nation chooses to disre- gard it. We desire the peace which comes as of right to the just man armed; not the peace granted on terms of ignominy to the craven and the weakling.
 It is not possible to improvise a navy after war breaks out. The ships must be built and the men trained long in advance. Some auxiliary vessels can be turned into makeshifts which will do in default of any better for the minor work. and a proportion of raw | men can be mixed with the highly trained. their shortcomings being made l good by the skill of their fellows; but the efficient fighting force of the navy when pitted against an equal opponent | will be found almost exclusively in the war ships that have been regularly | built and in the officers and men who through years of faithful performance of sea duty have been trained to handle | their formidable but complex and deli cate weapons with the highest effi- .ciency. In the late war with Spain 1 the Shins that dealt thf, decisive hlnws