Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-04-09
THE PRESIDENT AT CHICAGO.
Talks OF Monroe Doctrine and Our
Position in Western Hemisphere.

FoSitioh IN western hemisphere.
Chicago, April 3.--Six thousand
people, in hall the seating capacity
Of which is but 5000, gave enthusiasts
tic greeting to President Roosevelt.
when he stepped upon the stage Of
the Auditorium last night. The greet
building has held many throng, but
never one that was more hearty and
unstinted in its applause for any
man than the crowd that filed it
last night. From the first floor TO
the roof 1t was packed to its utmost
capacity.
The address of the president dealt
with the Monroe doctrine and the
position of the United States in tho
Western Hemisphere. He said in
part:
Ever since the time when we de-
flnitely extended our boundaries west.
ward to the Pacific and southwark
to the gulf, since the time when the
old Spanish and Portuguese colonies to
the south of us asserted their indie
pendence our nation has insisted that
because Of its primary in strength
among the nations of the western
IL mas Gel Idtu anu
responsibilities which oblige 1t to take
leading part thereon. We hold
that our interests in this hemisphere
are greater than those of any Euro
pean power possibly can be, and that
our duty to ourselves and to the
weaker republics who are our neigh.
bors requires us to see that none Of
the great military powers from across
the seas shall encroach upon the ter
ritory of the American republics or
acquire control thereover.
This policy, therefore, not only for.
bids us to acquiesce in such territorial
acquisition, but also causes us TO OBJ
ject to the requirement of a control
which would in its effect be equal to
territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This is
why the United States has steadily be-
lieved that the construction Of the
great isthmian canal. the building
of which is to stand as the greatest
material feat of the twentieth CEN
tury-greater than any similar feat
in any preceding century-should be
done by no foreign nation but by our
| selves"
The president here referred to the
different steps taken to secure the
canal, and then discussed the course
of the United States in the recent
Venezuelan trouble, asserting that
both Germany and Great Britain
"cssured us in explicit terms that
there was not the slightest intention
on ,neir part to violate ---e principles
of the Monroe doctrine. and this as.
surance was kept with an honorable
good faith which merits full acknowi-
edgement on our part"
The Monroe doctrine" he de-
clared, lis not international law, and
though think one day 1t may be-
come such, this is not necessary as
| long as ii remains cardinal feature
o. our foreign policy and as long as
we possess both the will and the
strength to make 1t effective. This
last point, my fellow citizens. is all
| important. and is one which as a
people we can never afford TO forget.
| believe in the Monroe doctrine with
all nay heart and soul: l am convinc-
ed that the immense majority OF our
| fellow country men so believe in It.:
but I would infinitely prefer to see US
abandon it than to see US put II for
ward and buster about 1t, and yet fail
to build up the efficient fighting
strength which in the last resort can
| alone make II respected by any strong
foreign power whose interest 1t may
ever happen to be to violate II.
Boosting and clustering are as OBJ
| jectionable among nations as among
| individuals, and the public men of a
| great nation owe IL to their sense of
national self-respect to speak courte-
ously of foreign powers just as a
brave and self-respecting man treats
| all around him courteously. But
though to boast is bad, and cause
lessly to insult another, worse: yet
worse than all is 1t to be guilty of
Boosting. even without insult, and
when called to the proof to be un-
| able to make such Boosting good ("
In conclusion the president said:
I'VE wish powerful and efficient
navy. not for the purposes of war,
but as the surest guaranty of peace.
II we have such a navy-if we keep
| on building 1t up-we may rest as
sured that there is but the smallest
| chance that trouble will ever come
| to this nation; and we may likewise
| rest assured that no foreign power
will ever quarrel with us about the
Monroe doctrine"
In his Random "reminiscences"
Charles II. e. Brookfeld says that hts