The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-12-25
From the Baltimore Herald.

fTom the BdlilnDIe 1tRfdlu
 I HE strong indorsement given to kSV the Monroe doctrine during the
 past week by an English states man served to allay approximations of many persons who regarded the Vene- zuelan troubles as a source f danger to the peace of the world This indorsement was, nevertheless, not new departure in British diplomacy. Even at the time Lord Salisbury disagreed with President Cleveland concerning the Venezuelan boundary dispute the premier of England did not set up the claim that tho Mon- roe doctrine was an untenable one, but he endeavorcd to suggest that it was given meaning not originally Intended. Salisbury, however. gracefully yielded to the American suggestions on that occa- sion, which waa probably the only ecca- sion when the interests of Great Britain ran counter to the Monroe doctrine. In fact, some Englishmen claim that the un- deriving idea of the Monroe doctrine originated not in Washington, but in London. sThe basis of the claim is thus set forth by a Canadian newspaper, the Toronto Mail and Empire.
 ''When Spain was in the throes of that struggle a.-inst Napoleon known as the Peninsular war, her long-oppressed colo nies in South America took the opportu- nity to throw off her yoke. At the con- clusion of peace steps were considered for re-establishlng her government over these former dependencies. That was one of the tasks the Holy alliance set itself. The declared Object of this alliance was to prevent the recurrence of such great disturbances as Napoleon had caused in the affairs of the world It had other ends, one of them being to restore the old balance as far as possible. The name Holy alliance was adopted because the ostenslble purpose was to subordinate politics to the Christian religion. Russia, Austria and Prussia were the leading powers in it. Great Britain was at no time a party to 1t. So far as the South American states were concerned she could not countenance a joint attack on their newly-acquired independence, and, moreover, the resubjection to Spain was contrary to her commercial interest. As colonies they had no freedom of trade They were held in a state of thraldom by Spain, who kept to herself the bene- fits of their markets. When they ob- tained their independence, they traded wherever they found it most to their advantage to trade, and, above all other nations. with Great Britain, the chief commercial power of the world. Britain, therefore, both by her traditional sympa- thy with aspirations for freedom, and by her trade interests, was against any compulsion by the powers to bring Span ish America hack to it's old dependence.
 Accordingly. George Canning, the Brit ish foreign minister made a proposal to MT. Rush, the United States minister in London to the effect that Britain and the United States join in declaration, of which the following were two of ths clauses: First, We aim not at any pos- session of any portion of these (the colo nies of Spain) ourselves Second, We could not sec any portion of them trans ferred to any other power with indiffer- enoe.' Rush asked, as a condition to the United States joining in this declaration, that Great Britain formally recognize the new governments in South America, but Canning thought it would be inexpedient overtly to do so at that moment. because