The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-25
THE P0LICY OF ENLIGHTENED
SELFTSHNESS.
4 Specimen OF the Criticism the santo
Domingo Enterprise VIII Encounter.

is shrewd and witty but il it exact? As
suming this to be rthe initial outcome
of President Roosevelt's warning that
1atin-American countries cannot hope
TO escape their Just international obliga-
tions by hiding under the skirts OF the
Monroe Doctrine and that warning TO
be based upon a desire to further the larger
and more permanent interests Of the United
States is there anything enlightened
in this arrangement with Santo Domingo?
True, that il is less crude than bombardng
seaports and landing marines. Also, that
the seizure OF the custom houses, next TO
that of the rival leader. rs always the first
aim Of n revolution. But are we going TO
he the gamers in the long run? II will
help our commerce TO have our agents
running those hitherto centres OF intrigue
and graft. no doubt but what will the
foreign merchant dopoor thing? 1t may
assure to their grateful and energetic
posseesors the payment Of interest and
principal on many debt" Of unconfessed
parentage and dubious legitimacy. 1t
may, nay il surely WILL save world Of
bother to other -credtor nations and in
the bargain something worth while may
have been allotted to us by those great
Powers which, taking advantage of our
youth and inexperience. have SO explicitly.
repeatedly and emphatically- Shades OF
BlaineD informed the United States
that If we did not do their sherifs work
they would do it themselves. Yet. admit
ting all these more or less obvious induce
ments for us to butt in, is there anything
enlightened" about the way we have gone
about il?
Not Latin-Amercan who can read,
from the Rio Grande to the Straits is going
TO believe in the A administrations protesta-
tions OF disinterestedness and altrusm
They know history too we'll They will
give the President all the credit he Graves
for boldness and direotness Of intent; but
behind il they will see the first spike being
driven in by the mailed fist. Santo Domingo
is not much Of republic but II is a national
entity Her very insignihcauce, in terms
Of power, makes the object lesson all the
more foroble. All the past teaches the
Latin American that the greater the num-
Der Of -benevoently administered custom
houses the greater the points Of probable
strain and danger; and the definition Of a
situation az "intolerable" is never left to
the weaker nation, for its remedies. The
warships with the marines and quick frers
need not be kept in evidence; even the
ignorant Latin-Amerioan knows that they
are available Hence. the upshot Of this
latest Interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine
ia to warn the friendly American nations
TO the south Of us that Il they do not act 30
as TO square with our relations with Europe,
Asia and Africa We stand ready to join
hands with England Germany or Russia
and make the other Americans govern
themselves to suit our larger conveniences,
IA for the pretence that by so doing we
are preventing intervention by European
Powers in Letin-American affairs, it can
deceive no one What difference does it
make to the victim whether the wielder
OF the Christening rod calls himself The
I.atin-American Collection League or the
Eldest Sisters School OF International
Propriety. or Your Tic Samuel's Institute
for the Repression OF National Traits?
The partners are the same, and the mere
fact that the United States divides the
proceeds with the London Council OF For
eign Bondholders and other similarly
ultruistio bodies only makes the matter
worse
Is this sort Of thing 'enlightened'2 Is IT,
financially commercially, politically, worth
while2 We have plethora Of money. Has
any Of it been better employed than when
it has been sdneiv the italics have their
purpose) used in Mexico, to say nothing Of
other Lhtin-Amerioan oountriesY We need
an outlet for our actual and probable sur
plus manufactures to put it in the meekest
possible form Is there any market so
easily accessible and so easily mastered
"a that of Latin-America? We need a
foreign market for our potential surplus,
to use the words Of courageous manu-
4. Il, -. Ii a1r
own by prescription, contguity, earlier
tradition ready good will and nearly
century old intention bar occasional mess
ing- up from Washing on-as is Latin-Amer-
ica7 All that is long story. but at times !
a glimpse OF it may be found even in the
Government consular reports. For three
centuries with one break in the days OF
Monroe and Canning, and another in those |
of Lincoln and SEWARD we have been |
following sheepishly the lead of England |
in her search for cheap and effective
Northwest Passage for our own trade. |
What We have sold to the Orient has been !
that much to the good, that we SHALL sell |
more goes without saying. But ia it worth |
while TO antagonize continent Of better
buyers and. "a English and German mer
chants know. better payers, to cultivate |
our small fractions Of the trade Of the ovient? |
In the plenitude Of our legislative and |
industrial wisdom shall we find nothing |
better than the Big Stick Of an ante dinner /
effusion and the seizure of the custom |
houses OF our weakest Sister by prear-
rangement with the Powers That Know .
How To Be-
There is an unwonted righteousness, sug- |
gestive Of what our Latin-Amerioan brethren |
style desconinsd, in the apologize sent out
by our State Department TO the rest OF /
what used to be called America. The
Dominican Republic" il begins. after
mature consideration. Which. when, and /
how? That we should recognize "A small /
de fac'o government. yes; that we should
enter into naval treaty with it. binding it's
own people. our people, and the people
Of those emphatic Great Powers for ever
and ever is a very different affair. Quis
cusiodiet ipsos cIstodes? II Mr.. Bryan
we're to be delighted 10 receive a visit
from Mr.. Roosevelt, for example? Or, to
imagine the improbable. IL his Excellency
&C, Morales were to meet with a leg
eudary catastrophel Who in the latter