Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-06
cry foot of soil upon the American con.

cry foot of soil upon the American con-
tinents can be and / hope will be rep
resented with the acknowledged rights
of equal sovereign states in the great
world congress at The Hague. This
will be the worlds formal and final
acceptance of the declaration that no
part of the American continents is to
be deemed subject to colonization. Let
us pledge ourselves to aid each other
in the full performance of the duty to
humanity which that accepted declara-
ton implies, so that in time the weak
est and most unfortunate of our repub-
lies may come to march with equal
step by the side of the stronger and
more fortunate. Let us help each
other to show that for all the races of
men the liberty for which we have
fought and labored is the twin sister
of justice and peace. Let us unite in
creating and maintaining and making
effective an all American public opin-
ion whose power shall influence inter-
national conduct and prevent interna-
tional wrong and narrow the causes OF
war and forever preserve our free
lands from the burden of such arma-
ments as are massed behind the from
tiers of Europe and bring us ever
nearer to the perfection of ordered lib
erty. So shall come security and pros
perity, production and trade, wealth,
learning, the arts and happiness for us
ALL"
The Monroe Doctrine.
These words appear to have been re-
ceived with acclaim in every part of
South America. They have my hearty
approval. as I am sure they will have
yours, and l cannot be wrong in the
conviction that they correctly repre-
sent the sentiments of the whole Amer
lean people. / cannot better charac-
terize the true attitude of the United
States in its assertion of the Monroe
doctrine than in the words of the dis
tinguished former minister of foreign
affairs of Argentina, DR.. Drago, in his
speech welcoming Mr. Root at Buenos
Ayres. He spoke Of
'"The traditional policy of the United
States (whicD without accentuating
superiority or seeking preponderance
condemned the oppression of the ma
tons of this part of the world and the
control of their destinies by the great
powers of Europe"
1t is gratifying to know that in the
great city of Buenos Ayres upon the
arches which spanned the streets in
twined with Argentine and American
flags for the reception of our repre-.
sentative there were emblazoned not
only the names of Washington and
Jefferson and Marshall, but also, in
appreciative recognition of their serv.
ices to the cause of South American in.
dependence, the names of James Mon.
roe, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay
and Richard Rush. We take especial
pleasure in the graceful courtesy OF
the government of Brazil, which has
given to the beautiful and stately
building first used for the meeting OF
the conference the name of "Palacic
Monroe" Our grateful acknowledg
ments are due to the governments and
the people of all the countries visited
by the secretary of state for the cour.
tesy, the friendship and the honor
shown to our country in their generous
hospitality to him.
In my message to you on the 9Th OF
December, 1905, called your attention
to the embarrassment that might be
caused to this government by the as
sertion by foreign nations of the right
to collect by force of arms contract
debts due by American republics tc
! citizens of the collecting nation and
to the danger that the process of com
pulsory collection might result in the
occupation of territory tending to be
come permanent. I then said:
"Our own government has always re
fused to enforce such contractual OBJ
legations on behalf of it's citizens by
an appeal to arms. 1t is much to be
wished that all foreign governments
would take the same view"
| South American Debts.
| This subject was one of the topics Of
consideration at the conference at Rio
and a resolution was adopted by tina
conference recommending to the re
spective governments represented 'tt
consider the ACCESSIBILITY Of asking thu
second peace conference at The Hague
to examine the question of the compul
sorry collection of public debts and il
general means tending to diminish
among nations conflicts of purely pc
cuniary origin"
This resolution was supported by til,
representatives of the United States il
accordance with the following instruc
tons:
'It has long been the established pol
icy of the United States not to use it
armed forces for the collection of or
binary contract debts due to it's citi
zens by other governments. We hay
not considered the ,1se of force fo