The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-15
/ v.

The only part OF this capacious and full
freighted volume In which the author shows
himself out OF sympathy with American
ideas is the chapter on External Problems,
in which several pages are devoted 10 an
argument in favor Of discarding the Monroe
Doctrine. We deem il highly probable that
nothing in the German edition of the work
gave more pleasure to its German audience.
Even in the United States, the authors
views upon tho subject will be read with
respect and interest Though not, We think,
with ASSENT as being those OF a sincere
well wisher. Prof. M1nsterberg under
takes 10 demonstrate that the two funda-
mental motives which prompted the enun-
citation OF the Monroe Doctrine have
long since ceased 70 exist 1t is pointed
out that the original contrast between
Europe as land Of tyranny and America IS
a Democratic free soil no longer holds. On
the one hand, all countries of western and
central Europe now enjoy popular repre-
sentation, while on the other. the Latin
republics OF South and Central America,
with the exception Of Chile and tho Argen-
tine Republic, are absurd tTavestiea Of
freedom and democracy. The conditions
which exist in Venezuela and Colombia
are pretty we'll known. In those so-called
commonwealths, about one-tenth Of tho
population consists Of highly cultivated
people Of pure or nearly pure Spanish
descent, who take no part in politics, and
suffer under shameless administrative mis-
rule; some eight-tenths are harmless and
ignorant proletariat OF partly Spanish,
but mainly Indian descent-people who
have no political interests, and who arc
afraid OF the men in power; the remaining
tenth, which is Of mongrel Spanish, Indian
aud negro blood, holds in It's hand the 80
called republican government, and keeps
itself in power by every concei va bic device
Of e1tortion and deception, from time TO
time splitting itself up into parties which
throw the whole country into an uproar
merely for the personal advantage Of party
LEADERS, Our author asserts-though we are
not inclined TO accept the assertion without
qualihcation-that even in America there
Ia no longer a political hackwoOdsman who
supposes that republic, like what the
founders OF the United States had in mind,
can ever be made out OF such material; and
when. in spite Of this, as in the negro ques-
ton, come one gets up at the decisive mo-
ment Of every discussion and tries to con-
lure with the Declaration oil Independence.
even such an appeal now often misses its
effect. Since the Americans have gone
into the Philippines, they can no longer
hold It an axiom that every Government
must be justified by the assent of the gov
erned. People have learned TO under
stand that the right OF self-government
must be earned, and is deserved only as the
reward OF bard work: that nations which
have not yet grown to be orderly and peace
able need education like children who are
not yet OF age, and do not know what is
good for them. To say that the pjtiable
citizen OF a corrupt South American re-
public II frcer than the citizens Of England.
France or Germany, would be ridiculous:
to protect the anarchy Of these countries
against the introduction of some European
political system Is at the present time not
a moral obligation, surely, which the Amer