The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-02
MONROE AND HIS DOCTRINE
Mr.. KinsoIving Replies. to MIR, Ford's
Paper on Adams.
Editor sc The Times:

| Mr.. kinsoIving Replies. to MIR. Ford's
Paper on Adams.
Editor 81 The Times:
Sir.-It is not q. thing altogether un-
heard of in history that a man should
be stripped of his laurels. denied the
right to wear the "l1aerentem capite
cum multa laude coronam," and relegated
TO lowly place among the common herd
by the spurious proofs produced by some
asprant to the cup Of fame, who him
self longs to sip Of the nectar which he
would deny to the great man that had
honestly won the right to drink OF it.
An effort of this kind. to weave a crown
for ones self out OF the material torn
from the worthy brow of another, is the
more common where the man whose
character is attempted to overthrow has
| closed his eyes in death and may no
longer raise his hand to defend his hard
Won trophies, for in this case there IS
no reason to fear that abundant docu-
nentary evidence shall be forthcoming
to place the stigma Of emptiness and ire
levancy upon the high-sounding phrases
by wrich. fclsooth, the 'au,!lGi.s in
vestIgator OF unpublished pape:s' would
deny lo:.or to whom honor is due.
Ne know that a female wrlt:r OF the
maine Bacon once sought 20 prove that
the glory q. having written the plays
comnrriy 2:cribed to the pen Of Villain
| Shakespeare belonged III fact to Elanc;s
| Bacon. The great Lord Vernlam, a gen IS
! already overwhelmed with honors, and
| for that matter with dishonors enough
| without its being added to his charge
| that he was both liar and fool-liar be-
| cause he gave another credit for his own
| work. and fool because he did not know
| the value of that work. We know, also,
| that the heresy thus originated by this
person (worthy of the swinish name
! BaconD has not yet been completely
| stamped out. and that ever and anon
some straner after a gnat deems it
| important that he prove two and two
make five, and that all the furniture
of history needs to be overhauled, aired.
thoroughly busted and revarnished by
such a connoiseur of genuine articles as
he believes himself to be- OF this type
must that man be who declared that
John Quincy Adams and not James Mon
roe originated. the Monroe Doctrine.
In the issue of the New York Times
supplement for July u, 1902, Mr.. c. r.
Miller proves quite satisfactorily that
the position taken by Mr.. W. c. Ford in
his book, John Quincy Adams" ETC..
is not at all tenahle. and states further
| more his surprise that Mr.. Ford should
allow himself to be SO misled. Mr.. Mil
| Ter cites sufficient evidence to prove that
| Washington Jefferson and others had
| entertained and given expression to views
| strikingly resembling the Monroe Doc
| trirle as far back even as the time of
| Mr.. Adams precocious childhood. The
present writer has carefully consulted
| the works mentioned below, as well as
| some not noted, with the result that the
| following facts. among others rejecting
| yet more credit upon Monroe, have been
| discovered to be the verdict of posterity.
| a verdict as just as that Shakespeare
| wrote Shakespeare or Tennyson, In Me-
moriam.
In the first place. in ISL James Monroe.
| at the age Of twenty-seven, entered upon
| the study of law in the Office and under
| the eye Of Thomas jefferson, who was
| then Governor of Virginia; and always
thereafter Monroe was allied to him in
| political views and looked upon him as
| his friend and counsellor. OF Monroe
Jefferson was wont to say that IF his
| soul were turned inside out not a spot
would be found in it, If Cicero was
right, and that praise is highest which
proceeds from praised man." then even
''Opulent Adams" might have envied the
enConium which Jefferson bestowed on
Poor MonrS.a.''
Now in 1901 jefferson. in his inaugural
address, expressed the desire that peace.
commerce and honest friendship should
be established lin regard to al nations.
and entangling alliances with none"
This was one of the essential princi-
pies which he put 'in the narrowest
compass they will bear" This was quite
an early statement OF the doctrine that
We should attend to our own business.
and allow the foreign powers i: he
| other hemisphere to attend to theirs.
! In October of the same year, as MI
| Miller stated, Jefferson wrote to Hart
in the same strain. In 1920 he favored
the essential policy of interdicting in
the seas of both Americas the ferocious
! and sanguinary contests of Europe. So
much for Jefferson's views. a morei
| careful search. with access to a large
| library. would doubtless reveal more
along this line,
/ In ISIS a motion was made in Con-
! gress by Henry Clay to send "a mis-
sion 10 South America to express the
| sympathy of the United States for the
/ colonies that had declared their indie
| pen6ence. This molten was not carried.
| but 1t proved. as is elsewhere stated.
| that an important feature of Henry
! Clay's policy was desire to free Amer
| lea frem Euperean control. which led
| him TO advocate in some of his most
| powerful speeches the recognition of the
/ South An.ericn republics which had re-
VOTED from Spain" The acknowledge
ment of the independence of these re-
1 pupllCS N6S tctEdilS sent IN lS2t THESE
| facts merely prove that nearly quar-
| ter of a century before the message in
which President Monroe gave expression
to the principles, since termed the Mon
r.. doctrine, Jefferson. Monroe's friend
| and adviser. believed in the essence Of
\ what was TO become, by further ampiifi-
cation and the amendments necessitated
by circumstances, the ex-aficio utterance
| Of President Monroe. which has justly
| entitled it to be called in his name the
Monroe Doctrine. 1t is hardly proba BILE
| that John Quincy Adams. then travelling
in Germany. put this bug in jefferson S
II is true that in 1907. when the United
states shin Chesapeake was fired upon by
| the British vessel. The Leonard. Mr. Ad-
ans earnestly supported the measures