The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1903-01-30

the latter In the portico Of tho
temple ottjustioe. It looksSike, tn
terantionl contempt of court. IN
The German residents Of Caracas
are reported as protesting against
what is being done. The, Enlgishs
allies Of Germany are 'disclaimingt
responsibility. Even from Berlin
comes a dispatch asserting that the,
German a., foreign Office and navy
department deny knowledge Of what
has taken place and declare that no
orders were given forsths lombard,
linent. German offioials, the dispaach
continues admit thatsthssn
hkelysto renewsantis e erman agita-.
ton in the United States" "a
They are right in that. It can
have no other,efect. s;Heweyer, the
hot-headstin the United States who
thinks it the duty of Uncle&sam Is
pitch in with a show of force and
set matters right in 2 jiffy are as
little Ito be. countenanced As the
Gern naval officers responsible
for heyorrder to open fire upon tho
fort. tits, time for GOODNESS and
Edeiiberatien, not forimpdlsiye h&ste.
In the past, Uncle Sam has palsed
through graver trials than this With.
out showing temper: There was,
for instnce, the Virginius affair. in
1873, when a vessel sailing under
the American flag was fired upon and
captured on the high seas BY the
Spaniards, who executed the captain
and several of the crew. The Span
iards claimed that she was carrying
men and arms to aid the insurgents
in Cuba. ;: Indignation rose high in
the United States, and there was a
hoarse cry'for war. Gen. Grant was
president at the time-a man not dis
posted to shrink from responsible
tiles of war or peace man of calm,
cool soul, who always stopped, to
find out that before he went ahead.
The United States demanded the
surrender of the vessel and the sur
vivors, and repartion for the insult
to the American flag. The Virgihius
had been captured in October. In
December she was surrendered,
but sank on the way to New York.
The prisoners we're liberated, and
the Spanish government disclaimed
any intention to insult the United
States. There continued in many
American newspapers demand for
retaliation, but in the end it turned
out that the Virginius had no right
to sail under the flag of the Unitsd
States. 4
This is the Twentieth century. The
United States is likely to move at
least as deliberately and sanely in
the Twentieth century an she did in
the Nineteenth. Uncle Sam will
not let any harm come to the Mon
roe doctrine or the American flag;
but it ism It his way to wear either
of them in the fashion Of a man who
puts a chip on his shoulder and dares
every body too knock it off.
Somewhere there is going to be
great loss Of prestige on account of
the present Venezuelan affair. It
will not be in the United States.
The Monroe doctrine will not suffer-
If Germany we're to go half as far
in defiance of that doctrine as
France did during our Civil war she
would receive a prompt reminder
from Washington that it is a live
issue. So far Germany has not run
counter tothe Monroe doctrine, for
the Monroe doctrine, does not pre-
vent the collection OF debts even
if that operation be accom- panied
by force-it merely forbids E1rop-
can monarchies from extending their
institutions to this hemisphere.
Should it turn out that Won Holle-
ben has been recalled becuse he gave
assurance last year that Germany
has no intention Of violating the
Monroe doctrine, and shouli Ger
many undertake to establish 1erself
in South America, then she would
have an account to settle with the
United States. So far there is no
sign that such contingency vii arise.
The serious consequence likely, to
result from the course of events in
Venezuela saem at present to -hreat-