Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-02-09
The Bothersome South Ame: leans.

There will be a general feeling of re-
lief when the differences between Ven
ezuela and the European powers nave
been laid before 4 court of arbitration
for final settlement. The people of this
country do not look with pleasure upon
between the United States and Ger
many and the United States and Great
Britain disturbed by a job lot of South
American regulators.
With their usual quickness of percep-
| ton, Americans have recognized the
large element of selfishness in the mo-
tives which have led Germany and
Great Britain to pounce upon the Cas-
tro government. and the manner in
which those nations have acted the
bully has not appealed to public senti-
ment in the United States. But, on the
other hand, there is no disposition to
overlook the fact that Venezuela and
all it's people are not worth placing In
the balance against our cordial rela-
lions with the allied powers
! Americans have a feeling of tolera IT
friendship for the South American re-
publics, but there is a due appraisal of
their shallow liking for us and of the
! characteristics which set them apart
from the Anglo-Saxon race. The COM
nonsense view of the existing difficulty
| is expressed by the Financier when i:
says:
! Venezuela cannot pose as martyr
before the world, for VIGOROUSLY she
has not shown that hig.. sense Of honor
expected of nations which incur finan-
cial Obligations from friendly powers
but for all that the United States canno,
permit her to be wiped off the map
The Monroe doctrine. however, no mat
ter how literally it may be interpreted
! does not condone financial dishonesty
1t premises just discharge of obliga-
tons to begin with. and stands for the
protection Of the weak against the
strong only in the sense that American
republics shall be left alone to work
out their own destiny. Unfortuna tely
the destiny of several of these South
American states seems to be so entan-
| gled, between private greed and publi1
| Indifference thereto, that our European
neighbors are in measure justified il
| taking an extreme course in collecting
claims long overdue But when one ma
ton assumes the role of debt collector
| as against another, about the only as
set of consequence which it can levy
upon is the territory of the debtor, am
that, in the case of the South American
republics. is something which tn.
| Init cd
going beyond the truth to say that thi
country has no love in particular TO
| the Latin American republics-at ieas
1t does not bear them in higher esteem
than other friendly governments. Blu
as the one great power of the western
hemisphere it holds that its own inter
ests are paramount to those of others
and therefore it cannot assent to ,
proposition that involves a seizure D
territory as an offset for debt Nor i
1t certain that European government
are laundering particularly after Soutl
American territory. The German EN-
peror is credited with desire to pusl
colonization work in order to find al
outlet for home production. and the ac
ton of his government in China is evi
dence that Germany does desire add
cident had different inspira ton Re
duced to a last analysis, the blockad
maintained by Germany and Englan
represented merely a sheriff's levy
and to that extent it was justified Bot
or the allies knew in the beginning tina
nothing further. would be allowed b.
the United States, and it is scarcel
conceivable that either of the tw
blockading powers had an Interior mo
tive in the effort to coerce payment 70
claims due
THE responsibility OF the Unite
States as the upholder of the Monro
doctrine, however. is apt to be brough
sharply to notice in the future if Sout1
American republican republics are +,
be allowed to go on in the old way
. rashly mourning debts which they hay
no means of paying promptly. AS
nation we cannot endorse bushes
methods which are open to question
and it certainly seems as if the tim
had come when when the question q
| debt payment should be taken I'D an
incorporated in the Monroe doctrine a