BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-12
sAtlJUAN, SEPTEMBER p
Monroe Doctrine Hysteria

Monroe Doctrine HySIerla.
There are certain editors in London
and Berlin who spend their days appa-
rently in nervous dread of the words
Monroe Doctrine" To the principle
embodied in the words they have that
absolute indifference which comes from
simple and complete ignorance, but OF
the words themselves they live in such
terror that the minute anybody in au-
thority on this side the Atlantic utters
them, they turn pale, seek safe Sc
clusion somewhere and shout: HE said
it Did yout hear him ? He spoke OF
the Monroe Doctrine, and anybody
with half an eye can see his sinister
purpose in mentioning the thing at this
time" One of the most pathetic VIC
tins of this neurotic affliction is in the
office of the "Times" in London, and
his cries of alarm grow in shrilliness
and agony with each deliverance.
A week. or two ago President Roose :
velt made casual allusion to the Mon
roe Doctrine, merely reiterating what
he said in his first message to congress
and what Secretary Hay said in his
speech at the Chamber of Commerce
banquet in New York last winter,
1t passed without notice but when It
reached the office of the Times" its de-
Wish portent was at once laid bare.
What the President had disclosed was
simply American greed and hypocrisy,
and he was avery dull Englishfnan who
could not see in the Presidents words
the danger that was threatening the
British Empire through American ex-s
pansion. Z The United States is the
only great power separated from the
British Empire by nothing but a land
frontier, and it is the settled object of
the United States to ultimately include
Canada 7. While the British public
was being warned about Canada, one
Berlin victim of the Monroe neurosis
was shouting that the Presidents words
were ilnpregnated with an i.nperialis.
tic spirit and should be interpreted with
an eye on what is occurring IN Venez-.
uela :" another victim, at the same mo
ment, was scenting convert warning
to Germany on general principles; and
a third saw in the same words a sign
that some power had been threatening
the United States, for they were clearly
a "defense from attack"
And all the time the President was
unaware that he had said anything that
called for attention. He was greatly
surprised-"pace, Times he was not
humbugging this time lat the distur-
bance his words had aroused, when he
learned Of it and took occasion to res.
tate his position on the immortal Doc
trine with precision and clearress as fol-
lows:
We believe in the Monroe Doctrine
not as means Of aggression at all. 1T
does not mean that we are aggressive
toward any power. 1t means merely
that as the biggest power on this conti-8
nent we remain steadfastly true to the
principles first formulated under the
presidency of Monroe, through John
Quincy Adams-the principle that this
continent must not be treated as a sub
jeet for political colonization By any.
European power As say, that is not
an aggressive doctrine. 1t is a doctrine
of peace. "A doctrine of defense, a doc
trine TO secure the chance on this conti-
nsnt for the United States here to de-
velop peaceably along their own lines
Now we have formulated that doctrine
Ifour formulation consists sim ply OF
statements on the stump or on paper
they are not worth the breath that utters
them or the paper on which they are
written. Remember that the Monroe
Doctrine will be respected as long as
we have first class, efficient navy, and
not very much longer. Oar attitude
toward all powers must be one of such
digni6ed courtesy ard respect as we
intend that they shall show us in return.
We must be willing TO give the friend
ly regard that We exacr from them.
We must no mole wrong them than
we must submit to wrong doing b. (
them, but wilen we take a position let
lis remember that our holding It de-
p ends upon ourselves, depends upon our
showing that We have the ability to-
hold il.
Compare this with what the Presi
dent said in his message last December:
z The Monroe Doctrine is a declaras
.ion that there must be no territorial
aggrandIzeme BIZ any non American
power at the expense Of aay American
power on American sod 1t is in no
wise intended as hostile 10 any nation
n the Old World Sill less is it intend.
ed to give cover to any aggression byl
3ue New Word power a. the expenscl
of the other Il is simply a step and a
Iong step, toward assuring he universal F
peace 81 the @ofld1bg scoring me pos
5ibilily Of permanent pesqs On this +
hemisphere Dit'ns tie past century
3tber influences nave established the
'ers3anenss 'a s. 'nespea<snss 9I TIE