The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-12-17

has been Knocked hSnef tn.lIl
-. kite by. the Anglo-German
alliance Mifli 'refetence to- Venezuela
are, of course. inexact. The wish is
father to the thought Up to this time
the Monroe doctrine has not been
scratched. And the probabilities are
that for the present it will not be over
stepped, certainly not by Great Britain,
which would have nothing to gain and
much to lose by challenging 1t, and in
all likelihood not by Germany, whose
navy is not yet sufficiently strong to
think of trying conclusions with our
own in our own hemisphere and near
our own bases Of supplies. What has
happened is that n bunch of subordin-
ates has become just a shade too eager
and too fresh in carrying on. the plans
formulated at headquarters. This
means that headquarters will accept
this excess of zeal as far as it is un-
challenge and repudiate it as far
as it is objected to by the United States.
The real peril of the Monroe doctrine is
later on.
With one or two exceptions. the So
talleu TepuDllcS VI StlllEul anu tOoullt
America are grOtesque travesties on the
American idea of free republics. Order
in them is not maintained. Justice is
not free nor is it clean. The admins
tration of laws is conducted on the basis
of favortism and blackmail and as Il
result, natural resources go begging for
development and the influx of foreign
;rr,o ION, la IF
ficient gradually to work out improved
conditions is discouraged and made i'm
practicable Whatever may be held in
theory as to the right of the inhabi-
tants of a country to do within their
own borders as they please without ref
erence to outside interests or conse-
quences, the fact is that civilization
more and more is demanding of the
great and Intelligent powers of the
earth that they exercise increasingly a
kind of humane police supervision over
the smaller and less developed powers
and peoples, not alone for selfish pur-
poses but generally in the interest of the
worlds progress. AS electricity reduces
distance and knits together more close
ly the threads of international COM
merce, philanthropy ana politics, this
demand will increase. The United
States within the past three years has
been swept far out into its current and
the Venezuelan affair shows that it has
by no means reached the maximum
of its responsibilities.
The immense empire of South Ameri-
ca is one of the few remaining large
pieces of International real estate which
has not been improved up to the pre-
vailing standard. Civilization is grow
ing restless at the slowness with which
it is improving from within, and more
and more in the future we may expect
that it will try to expedite that i'm.
provement by means of pressure from
without. The United States by virtue
Of the Monroe doctrine undertakes tt
limit the processes by which this out.
side pressure may be eXerted. The con.
verse of this proposition cannot be es,
capped. What we will not let other dc
we must, if necessary. do ourselves
We cannot fence in one-half of the
worlds habitable territory and say
it shall not be made fit for enlightened
human habitation. Either we must b,
ourselves do what can be done from
without to make it fit or powers SUI
perior will do it over our heads ant
despite our protest, .A
This is the lesson which the presen
turmoil in Venezuela is teaching I,
those who look below the surface ant
ahead.