Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-08-12
THE PRESIDENT
CONTINUED from Page One.)

territorial aggression. Should any of
our neighbors. no matter how turbu-
ient. how dlsregardful Of our rights.
finally get into such position that the
utmost limits of our forhearance are
reached. all the people south OF US may
| rest assured that no action will ever be
taken save what Is absolutely de-
manded by our self-raspect: that this
action will not take the form of terri
torial aggranl nlizement on our part, ard
| that it will only be taken at all with
! the most extreme reluctance and not
| without having exhausted every enort
to avert it.
| AS to the second point. II a republic
! to the south of us commits toTt
4 against a foreign nation, such, Tor IN
| tance, as wrongful action against the
| persons of citizens of thai nation, theh
the Monroe Doctrine does rot force us
| 20 interfere to prevent Punishment OF
| the tort. save to see that the punish
1 ment does not directly or indirectly as
| same the form Of territorial occupation
| of the offending country. The case IS
more difficult when the trouble comes
from the failure to meet contractuaI
obligations. Our own Government has
always refused to enforce such con-
tractual obligations on behalf of it's
citizens by the appeal to arms. 1t is
much to be wished that all foreign gov
ernmcnts would take the same view.
But at present this country would GER
tainly not be willing to go to war to
prevent a foreign government from col
lecting a just debt or to back up some
one of our sister republics in a refusal
to pay just debts; and the alternative
may in any case prove to be that we
shall ourselves undertake to bring
about some arrangement by which 50
much as is possible Of the just obliga-
tions shall be pail. Personally l
should always prefer to see this coun-
try step in and put through such an
arrangement rather than let any for
eign country undertake it.
L do not want TO see any foreign
power take possession permanently or
temporarily Of the custom-houses of an
American republic in order to enforce
it's obligations. and Tho alternative may
at any time be that we shall be forced
to do so ourselves.
Finally. and what is in my view,
really the most important thing of all.
il is our duty, so far as we are able, to
try to help upward our weaker broth
ers. Just as there has been ii gradual
growth Of the ethical element in the
relations Of one individual to another,
50 that with all the faults of our
Christian civilization it yet remains
true that we are, no matter how slowly.
more and more coming tn recognize the
duty of bearing on" ;tnothcr's burdens.
similarly / believe that the ethical ele-
ment is by degrees entering into the
dealings Of one nation with another.
Under strain of emotion caused by
sudden disaster this feeling is very cvi-
dent. \ famine or Il IlaSue in one
country brings much sympathy and
some assistance from other countries.
Moreover we are nov hCginning to
recognize that weaker peoples have ..
claim upon us, even when tho appeal is
| made, not TO cur emotions by snnc
sudden calamity bur to our consei"nccs
by long continuing condition OF
affairs.
l do not mean to say that nations
have more than begun TO approach tn.
proper relationship one to another. ami
fully rGcOgniz" the folly of proceeding
upon the assumption that this ideal
condition can now be realized in full N
for. in order to proceed upon such an
assumption. We would iirst require
some method Of forcing lecalcitrant
nations to do their duty. rs well as of
Sc cling that they ;lre protected in their
rights.
In the interest of justice. it is rs
Iii,
as TO show charity dnd Erlpful gcncr
osity. But something can even nov y
done toward the "nd III view. That
something. for instance. this Nation
has already done .'S regards cuba. and
is now trying to /" rs regards Santp
Domingo. There ar" few things in our
history In which We should take more
genuine pride than tn WY in which
we liberated Cuba. lnl thea. instead Z
instantly abandoning IL t. chaos.
gtaycd Ia direction 20 The affairs OF III"
island until we had put II on the right
path. and finally CAV" il freedom and
helped IL as it start i un the life of an
independent republic.
SJnto Domingo has mo-" made an ap-
teal To ua to help n in turn. and not
only every principle Of wisdom but
every generous instinc. within us bids
us y snnnd to tn" ipreni. Th" condi
tioHs ~ Santn Domingo have for 4
number Of years grown from bad to
worse until recently al society was on
the verge of dissolution. Fortunately
just at this time a wise ruler spranS
up in s'2nto Domingo. who. with his
colieaGu saw the dangers threaten
ing their beloved country and appealed |
to the friendship of their great and
powerful neishbor 10 help them. The |
immediate threat cam" t. them in thc |
shape of foreign intervention. 'Th" |
previous rulers of SanIo Domingo had |
recklessly incurred debts, and owing 20 |
her internal disorders she had ceased |
to be able to provide means Of paying |
the debts The patianc" Of her foreign |
creditors had bccom. exhausted, and 1t |
least one foreign nation was on the |
point of intervention ana was only pre- |
vcntcd from intervening bJ the unofii- |
acclr.,ncn nf tbi- (.nI,rnmcDt th, |