The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1902-12-26

OOR SUI II HMENECHIV NELA II 1ONS.
The situation in Venezuela is i'll a
somewhat better condition since the
proposition to arbitrate has been
virtually agreed to by all interested
powers. The United States is anxious
that all questions be submitted to
the International Court at the Hague,
but there seems to be a disposition to
refer the matter to President Roose-
welt. Our Chief Executive is holding
his decision under consideration as he
may be placed in a somewhat awk-
ward position. 1t seems to be the
impression of many Of our leading
ing men that this is simply trap
which is being laid to compel this
country to accurately define the out
lines Of the Monroe Doctrine. Dur
ing the past fifty years repeated
efforts have been made to compel
this government to outline its policy
once and for all as to its position with
regard to the Central and South
American Provinces. Statesmen Of
bygone days have always avoided
this delicate question prefering to i'll
terpret with a broad generality
which could be made to fit individual
cases without establishing a set pre-
cedent, which the war powers might
compel us to adhere to too ri gidly in
future occurrences of this nature.
Chief Justice Richard Alvey, of the
District of Columbia Court of APP
peals, who was a member of Mr..
Cleveland's Venezuelan Commission
i'll 1896, recently gave an extended
interview in the Sun which marked his
views on the present situation. He
said that he regarded the present
condition of affairs at Venezuela as a
serious crisis for the United States
and contrasted the action of Presi.
dent Cleveland with that ofPresident
Roosevelt In 1895 the former took
the bull by the horns and made lis
protest before Great Britain had pro-
ceeded to any extremely overt act.
1t was then easy for that country
to make concessions without any
great loss of dignity, and serious
consequences were avertcd. The
Chief Justice considers it is the duty
of the President to protest against
what the allies have already done
and what they evidently contemplate
doing, and against them making
war on these people. This should be
done for the preservation of inter-
national law. The method which
the allies have adopted, ostensiblv
for the collection of debts, is no way
to collect debts and is in contravcn-
ton of the established laws of ma
tions.
"The protest should have been
made when the Venezuelan ships were
sunk, and in failing to do so the Adj
ministration missed a golden oppor-
tunity. The sinking of ships and
the bombardment efforts is no recog-
nized method of collecting debts.
When England and Germany adopt
this method it is an indication that
these countries have an Interior mo-
tive. They have acted apparently
with great adroitness and it is be-
lieved that they submitted their plans
to Secretary Hay, and obtained from
him some sort ofacquiesencein what
they were going to do, as long as they
refrained from anypermanent acquisi-
ton of territory.
tits strange that the administration
did not take alarm and make pro-
test, but if Secretary Hay has made
the acuuiesence he is credited with,
then he has, to considerable degree,
surrendered the Monroe Doctrine
For the permanent acquisition of
territory is not the only way in which
that safeguard can be overleaped.
The'oppression ofthe South American
people or controlling their destiny
was expressly specified by President
Monroe as an act which would be
viewed as unfriendly to the United
States.
"The conduct ofthe allies indicates,
to my mind, their settled proposition
to destroy the Monroe Doctrine.
England is, perhaps, chagrined at her
failure to obtain the whole of the
splendid territory she laid claim to
in 1895 and is Selling this opportu-
nifty. Germany has always secuted
the right of the United States to in
tervene in South American affairs
and may be enlisting the aid of Eng
land to get rid Of the assertion Of
that right by the United States for
all time = Lord Salisbury in his
correspondence with Secretary Olney
in 1895 laid much stress upon his
contention that the Monroe Doc
trine had never been incorporated in
international law. Perhaps it has
not, but whether it has or not, it is
the settled policy ofthe United States.
II is a policy which has been firmly
established with us as the maintain
ance of the balance of power is the
settled policy of European nations.
The Monroe Doctrine was adopted
in 1923. at the suggestion of the
British Government, as measure of
self-protection. While England has