The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-03
GREETED WITH
SIGNAL HONOR
President Roosevelt Was Warmly Received by
the People of Chicago-Honors Conferred
Upon Him-His Speech on the Monroe Doc
trine-His Western Trip Fairly On

exactly fulfilled by the legislation and
treaties of the last two years. Two
years ago we were no further advanced
toward the construction of the isthmi-
an canal on our terms than we had
been during the preceding eighty years.
BY the -Pauncefote treaty, ratified
in December, 1901, an old treaty with
Great Britain, which had been held to
stand in the way, was abrogated and
1t was agreed that the canal should be
constructed under the auspices of the
government of the United States, and
that this government should have the
exclusive right to regulate and manage
it, becoming the sole guarantor of its
neutrality.
Venezuelan Trouble.
about the same time trouble arose
in connection with the republic of Ven
ezuela because of certain wrongs al
legged to have been committed. and
debts overdue, by this republic to citi-
Gems of various foreign Powers. nota-
bly, England, Germany and Italy. After
failure to reach an agreement these
Powers began a blockade of the Vene-
zuelan coast and a condition of quasi
war ensued. The concern of our gov
ernment was of course not to interfere
IlCCOlGSSly IN any 1udTTel SO lar as II
did not touch our interests or our
honor, and not to take the attitude
of protecting from coercion any Power
unless we were willing to espouse the
quarrel of that Power, but to keep an
attitude of watchful vigilance and see
that there was no infringement of the
Monroe doctrine-no requirement of
territorial rights by a European Power
at the expense of a weak sister repub-
lip--Vrhatba fhic foI,f 10
the shape of an outright and avowed
seizure of territory or of the exercise
of control which would in effect be
equivalent to such seizure.
Both Powers assured us in explicit
terms that there was not the slightest
intention on their part to violate the
principles of the Monroe doctrine, and
this assurance was kept with an hon
orable good faith which merits full ac-
acknowledgement on our part. At the same
time, the existence of hostilities in
region so near our own borders was
fraught with such possibilities of dan
ger in the future that it was obviously
is less our duty to ourselves than our
duty to humanity to endeavor to put
an end to that. Accordingly, by an Of
fer of our good services in a spirit of
frank friendliness to all the parties
concerned, a spirit in which they quick
ly and cordially responded, we secured
resumption of peace-the contending
parties agreeing that the matters which
they could not settle among themselves
should be referred to The Hague tri-
bunal for settlement. The United States
had most fortunately already been able
to set an example to other nations by
utilizing the great possibilities for good
contained in The Hague tribunal,
question at issue between ourselves and
the republic of Mexico being the first
submitted to this international court
of arbitration.
Not international Law.
THE Monroe doctrine is not inter-
national law, and though 1 think one
day it may become such, this is not
necessary as long as it remains a car
dinal feature of our foreign policy and
as long as we possess both the will
and the strength to make it effective.
all important, and is one which as a
people we can never afford to forget
l believe in the Monroe doctrine~w with
all my heart and soul; l am convinced
that the immense majority of our fell
lOW-countrymen so believe in it: but
l would infinitely prefer to see us
abandon it than to see us put it for
ward and bluster 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 interest it may
ever happen to be to violate it.
Boosting and clustering are as OBJ
jectionable among nations as among
individuals, and the public men of a
great nation owe it 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 causelesslv to in
suit another worse, yet worse than
all is it to be guilty of Boosting, even
without insult, and when called to the