The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-04-09
PRESIDENTS VIEWS.
President Roosevelt Makes Three I'm
pOrtant Addresses on Matters
>%& of Public Concern.
The 1onr0e Doctrine, the Tariff and
"& Trusts==Three Great Issues
&~
Ably Discussed.

people some good, clear, concise views
on the important topics that concern
the nation at the present time. In his
Chicago speech he gave good review
and Interpretation of the Monroe
doctrine, and the reasons for main
tanning it. He said: Ever since the
time when we definitely extended our
boundaries westward 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 independence, our nation has in
sisted that because of its primacy in
strength among the nations of the
Western hemisphere it has certain
duties and responsibilities which OBJ
hge it to take a leading part thereon.
I'VE hold that our interests in this
hemisphere are greater than those of
any European power possibly can be,
and our duty to ourselves aud to the
weaker republics who are our neighbors
requires us to see that none of the
great military powers from across the
seas shall encroach upon the territory
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 object
to the requirement of control which
would in it's effect be equal to territor-
lal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. This is why the
United States has steadily believed
that the construction Of the great 18th.
mlan canal, the building of which is to
stand as the greatest material feat OF
the twentieth century-greater than
; any similar feat in a preceding century
; should be done by no foreign nation
but by ourselves. The canal must Of
, necessity go through the territory oil
) one OF our smaller sister republics.
We have been scrupulously careful tc
abstain from perpetrating any wrong
upon any of these republics in this mat.
ter. We do not wish to interfere with
their rights in the least, but while care.
fully safeguarding them, to build the
canal ourselves under provisions which
will enable us, if necessary, to police
} and protect it, and to guarantee its
neutrality, we being the sole guaran.
, tors. Our intention was steadfast; we
) desired action taken so that the cana
could always be used by US in time Of
peace and war alike, and in time O.
war could never be used to our detri
ment by any nation which was hostile
, to US.
''We do not guarantee any state
against punishment if it misconducts
itself, provided that punishment does
, not take the form of the acquisition oil
territory by any non-American power
I'VE do not intend to assume any
position which can give just of.
Tense to our neighbors. Our adherence
to the rule of human right is not
merely profession. The history of our
dealings with Cuba shows that we re.
duce it to performance.
1.-THE Monroe doctrine is not interna-
tional law, and though I think one day
it may become such, this is not neces-
sary as long as it remains cardinal
feature Of our foreign policy, and as
long as we possess both the will and
the strength to make it effective. This
last point, my fellow citizens. is all i'm
portant, and is one which as a people
we can never afford to forget. I be-
lieve in the Monroe doctrine with all
my heart and soul; I am convinced that
the immense majority of our fellow
countrymen so believe in it: but would
Infinitely prefer to see us abandon it
than to see us put it forward and blus-
ter about it, and yet fail to build up the
efficient fighting strength which in the
last resort can alone make it respected
by any strong foreign power whose in
terest it may ever happen to be to
violate it,
In his Milwaukee speech he talked
about the trusts. He said: "We
should be false to the heroic principles
of our government if we Disseminated,
either by legislation or administration,
either for or against man because of
either his wealth or his poverty.
There is no proper place in our society
either for the rich man who uses the
power conferred by his riches to enable
him to Cypress and wrong his neigh
bors, nor yet for the demagogic agita-
tor who, instead of attacking abuses as
all abuses should be attacked wherever
found, attacks property, attacks pros
perity, attacks men of wealth, as such,
whether they be good or bad, attacks
corporations whether they do we'll or
ill, and seeks, in spirit of ignorant
rancor, to overthrow the very founda-
tions upon which rest our national we'll
being"