The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-12
Argentina's Exegesis.

Argentinas Exegesis.
The Argentine Minister Of foreign 5af-
fairs has sent a note to the legation Of
his country at Washington, setting forth
Argentines position as to the Monroe doc
trine, notably as to the relation which
the coercive collection Of public debts
of the American republics by European
nations bears to the doctrine.
The point Is made that the compulsory
and immediate demand for payment at a
given moment Of public debt by means
of force, would tend to ruin the weaker
nations an dto the ultimate absorption Of
their governments by the stronger. nations,
but it is not intended by such protest to
convey the idea that Argentine defends
bad faith or irregularity and deliberate
and voluntary insolvency, but she holds,
and with justification. that a public debt
cannot under the equities of interna-
tional law, give rise to armed interview
tion and, certainly, it can no more give
rise to territorial occupation by a. creditor
under the principle already accepted and
which is embodied in the Monroe doc
trine.
Practically, this position is in accord
with the obvious meaning Of the Monroe
doctrine, whose principles are limited to
two points only. First, that no foreign
power should thereafter establish, as Of
their own right colony within the terri
tories of any of the de facto independent
states of America. meaning thereby to
include all parts of both continents, not at
that time GS23) held as colonial posses
sions; second, that no European power
should attempt by force to introduce mon
archical institutions into any American
territory, or otherwise interfere to Cypress
the American states. or control their in
dependent development.
Senior Calvo, the Unknown Spanish
American expert in interna tional law, In
ferring to colonial ton, suggests that
the European colonial system has no ap-
plication to the new situation in America,
because the civilized nations on those con-
tinents have absolutely the same title as
European nations with respect to their
independence and to alien sovereignty
over them. and American public law is the
upon the same basis.
The Spanish-American states, benef-
Charles of the Monroe doctrine, designed
chiefly to protect our own interests from
European obtrusion, know that, by our
recognition of their independence of old
Spain, we rescued them and fortified them
against subjugatlon at any future period.
They have, however, shown little graft
tude or recognition Of the benefit con-
ferred. Argentina certainly recognizes
the obligation.
AS to the latter's view OH the coercive
collection of public debts by the European
powers: The Monroe doctrine separates
the interposition for the purpose of op-
pressing and controlling in any other
manner the destiny Of the Spanish
American states, from the clause relating
to the extension Of the European systems
ON this hemisphere. The coercive col
lection of debts may easily be carried to
the extreme of oppression entirely un-
justifable.) Germany and Great Britain
tried the latter method recently and the
influence of our government called halt
and brought about the settlement of the
debts question by arbitration. Secre.
tary Hay, replying to the Argentine note
strongly affirmed the policy Of the United
States to be the reference to an i'm.
partial tribunal of all questions of the
justice of claims by one state against an.
other, growing out of Individual wrongs
or national obligations as we'll as guaran
tees of execution of whatever award ma,
be made. This is rational doctrine
which ought to be read into the. tex
Of international law in words which have
a, potential and unnistakable meaning
1t is properly an explanatory note :ap
pended to the text of the Monroe doctrine
question of a public debt. in the interes
CT peSra and international obligations t.
maintain peace, should go to an irnpartia
tribunal Of arbitration. -