The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-30
pecayine National Reputation.

! Decaying National Reputation.
| Arguing from the reported intention of
| the Administration to coerce the little
| State of Venezuela into submitting to the
demands of the Asphalt Trust, the Lon
| don Morning Post says that it sees in
the affair new tendency in the politics
of the world According TO our English
contemporary. the LATIN peoples of South
America have turned to Spain since the
expulsion of that power from the Western
Hemisphere, and now look TO their once
hated mother country for sympathy and
friendship. rather than to the Anglo Sax
on Colossus of the North. whose tyranni-
cal course toward Porto Rico. and sus-
pected designs upon Venezuela. have filed
the Western tropics with alarm The
Morning Post" goes on to say that South
Americans now read between the lines of
the Monroe dogma. in which much
more is meant than can be safely set
down in black and white at the present
moment"
Ii is humiliating to read such criticisms
and to feel that while they may not be
]
cused by recent and current phenomena.
1t is regrettabIy true that our total breach
of faith with the Porto Ricans. and the
callous and cynical way in which this
Government has abused and oppressed
them for the benefit of a few great Amer
lean trusts. has forfeited the prestige and
respect that the Emitted States until re-
Gently enjoyed throughout the southern
continent. as the friend and champion of
free institutions and American liberty
! 1t may be added that while our uneonsti-
tutiona1 and looting policy in Porto Rico
was a startling surprise and sorrow to
our Latin neighbors, they were not in the
least astonished when the Washington
authorities threatened the armed invasion
of a weak sister Republic. as alleged and
widely believed, to support another
American trust in claims at least open
to question in advance of regular adjudi-
cation.
These grave mistakes in statecraft have
placed this country in defensive p 81
ton before the civilized world. They
create a ground upon which our Europt an
critics and rivals can stand in assailing
the bona fides of the Monroe Doctrine
and declaring that the Porto Rico and
Venezuela instances prove that our ia
nous hemisphere policy is a sham, and
thai We only wish TO protect Latin Amer
lea from Europe that we may dominate
and loot it for our own profit.
In concluding it's editorial on the sub
/ ject. the London Morning Post asserts
that lit has long been evident to all stu
| dents OF American politics that both the
! Democrats and Republicans regard Cen
! trail and South America as spheres Of N
nuence belonging solely TO the United
States" There is no doubt concerning
the truth of this statement, though the
truth is not what the London journal as
sumes it to be. The American people
without distinction of party do believe
/ and always have believed it the duty of
/ the United States TO protect Central and
/ South American States. peoples and Ter
| ritory from political absorption or domi-
nation by the Powers of the Old World
To that and only that extent has 1t ever
been conceived that Central and South
America are spheres of influence exclu-
sively American. No one of our parties
or statesmen has ever advanced the idea
of demanding or seeking preferential ad-
I vantages over Europe. Asia. Africa. or
Australia in trade relations with Mexico
or any other of our neighbors. All this
country has asked and asks is Hands
off and let all the independent nations
on this side work out their own salvation
without interference from Europe.
The foreign answer TO this argument
| viii be that States, like persons, are to
be judged by acts and practices rather
! than by precepts. This is colorado OBJ
! lection: but it needs to be remembered
that all of our departures from right
principles" have occurred within the life
Of one short Administration. Neither
four nor eight years amount to much in
| history and the American people at heart
are what they always have been-lovers
Of peace and Justice. We must admit that
of late they have shown apathy regarding
the bold defiance of the Constitution by
their rulers But the masses are slow of
understanding in new matters of national
and international Importance. When once
they wake UP anu realize the DANGER TO
their own Institutions involved in such
violations of our plain duty as have
been committed in Porto Rico and else
where. they will find way TO get lack
| TO the ancient landmarks.
The British press which might more
deco-ously wait until after the late
| Queens funeral to STIR up questions of
| difference between the two countries. is
seizipg upon recent sins OF the Admins
tration to found case applicable to
Nicaragua and the canal. That, however