The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-12-06

boring countries SCaDle, OruerIy anu
Any country whose peo-
pie conduct themselves well can count
upon our hearty friendship. If ma.
lion shows that it knows how to act
with reasonable efficiency and decency
in social and political matters, If 1t
keeps order and pays it's obligations, 1T
need fear no interference from the
United States. Chronic wrongdoing or
an impotence which results in general
loosening Of the ties of civilized So
ciety may in America, as elsewhere,
ultimately require Intervention by
some civilized nation. and in the west
ern hemisphere the adherence Of the
United States to the Monroe doctrine
may force the United States, however
reluctantly, In fragrant cases Of such
wrongdoing or impotence to the ex-
ercise Of an international police pow
er. If every country washed by the
Caribbean sea would show the progress
in stable and just civilization which
with the aid Of the Plat amendment
Cuba has shown since our troops left
the island, and which SO many of the
republics in both Americas are con-
stantly and brilliantly showing, all
question of interference by this nation
with their affairs would be at an end.
Our interests and those Of our south
ern neighbors are in reality identical.
They have great natural riches, and If
within their borders the reign of law
and justice obtains prosperity is sure
to come to them. While they thus
obey the primary laws Of civilized so
ciety they may rest assured that they
will be treated by us in spirit OF
cordial and helpful sympathy We
would interfere with them only in the
last resort, and then only If it became
evident that their inability or unwill-
ingness to do Justice at home and
abroad had violated the rights of the
United States or had invited foreign
aggression to the detriment Of the en-!
tire body of American nations. 1t is q
mere truism to say that every nation
whether in America or anywhere else
which desires to maintain its freedom
its independence, must ultimately re
alize that the right Of such independ
ence cannot be separated from the re
sponsibility Of making good use Of it.
In asserting the Monroe doctrine, in
taking such steps as we have taken In
regard to Cuba, Venezuela and Pana
ma and in endeavoring to circumscribe
the theater Of war in the far east and
to secure the open door in China we
have acted in our own interest as wei
as in the interest Of humanity at large
There are, however, cases in which
while our own interests are not great
ly involved, strong appeal is made te
our synpathies. Ordinarily it is very
much wiser and more useful for us te
concern ourselves with striving fol
our own moral and material better
ment here at home than to concert
ourselves with trying to better 1.-THE
condition of things in other nations
We have plenty Of sins Of our own tt
war against, and under ordinary cir
cumstances we can do more for the
general uplifting of humanity by striv
ing with heart and soul to put stoI
to civic corruption, to brutal lawless
less and violent race prejudices here
at home than by passing resolutions
about wrongdoing elsewhere. Never
theless there are occasional crimes
committed on so vast scale and so1
such peculiar horror as to make III
doubt whether it is not our nantes
- Of OF tn
disapproval of the deed and our sym
patty with those who have suffered by
it. The cases must be extreme in whicl
such a course is justifable. There
! must be no effort made to remove thu
mote from our brothers eye if we re
fuse to remove the beam from OH
own. But in extreme cases action ma.
be justifable and proper. What form
the action shall take must depend up
on the circumstances of the case-tha
is, upon the degree of the atrocity AM
upon our power to remedy It. Th,
cases in which we could interfere b,
force of arms as we interfered to pu
stop to yintolerable conditions in Cub;
are necessarily very few. Yet it i
not to be expected that a people lik
ours, which, in spite Of certain yer.
obvious shortcomings, nevertheless a
! whole shows by it's consistent prac
tice Its belief in the principles Of civi
and religious liberty and Of orderl.
| freedom, a people among whom evel
! the worst crime, like the crime o
lynching, is never more than sporadic
80 that individuals and not classes ar
molested in their fundamental rights
| It is inevitable that such a natiol
should desire eagerly to give expires
| sion to it's horror on an occasion l1k
| that Of the massacre Of the Jews i
| Kishineff or when it witnesses sucl
systematic and long extended cruelt
and oppression as the cruelty and or
| preston Of which the Armenians hav
been the victims and which have wo
for them the indignant pity Of tn
civilized world.
Rights of American Citizens Abroad.
! Even where it is not possible to sc
cure in other nations the observanc
of the principles which we accept a
automatic it is necessary for us firm
ly to insist upon the rights Of our ow
citizens without regard to their cree
or race, without regard to whethe
! they were born here or born abroad. ]
has proved very difficult to secure fror
Russia the right for our Jewish felloy
! citizens to receive passports and trave
| through Russian territory. Such cor
duct is not only unjust and irritatin
| toward us, but it is difficult to see it
wisdom from Russia's standpoint. N