The National tribune., 1906-07-26

again % eXtefm1n4teQ. VI course, lne
number Of Yankees that they killed is
far beyond anything that the Pension
Bureau ever dreamed OF, but that was
a mere incident.
ANOTHER PROFESSOR GONE WRONG.
Prof. Wheeler, OF Yale, is another one
OF those college professors who seek for
notoriety by antagonizing things that
other people believe in. He recently
said:
''Ths Monroe Doctrine. which is the
18th commandment Of this Government.
Is the embodiment Of National greed
and selfishness. A recent Secretary of
State Is quoted as saying that this Gov
eminent In foreign affairs was run on a
principle that was a combination Of the
Golden Rule and the Monroe Doctrine.
The man that can associate the two or
assimilate them must be q wonderful
scientist and mathematician. We have
followed this Monroe Doctrine as our
main political principle on the plausible
theory that we should carry our ideas
OF Government to all Nations.
I'm following out this doctrine we
have been carried away with the theory
that our particular form of Government
was fitted for every Nation In every
stage Of development. and no more
crazy Illusion ever entered mans mind.
republican form Of Government is the
worst possible for certain Nations, but
We have been advancing the fallacy OF
forcing this on others. II 1t Is such a
desirable and successful form Of Gov
eminent. why not leave 1t to example to
spread it to other Nations? AS a Ma
ton we think we must also advance our
religion-the Christian religion-even II
It takes gunboats to do 1t and 1t has to
be spread at the point OF the bayonet."
The man who can talk in this way
simply displays his Ignorance OF Amer
lean history or his incapacity to reason
with fair common sense upon what he
slightest thought in the Monroe Doc
trine OF imposing our form of Govern
ment upon the other peoples on the
American continents. We have left
them severely alone to follow out their
own ideals and aspirations. II they
chose to call themselves Republics. well
and good. and 1t was just as we'll and
just as good IL they denominated them
selves Kingdoms or Empires. We never
entered a note Of protest when the ne
gro ruler Of Haiti called himself an EN-
pefor and set up bizarre imitation OF
the European Empires with Counts OF
Lemonade and Dukes of Marmalade
among his aristocracy. When he fell
and there was pretended Republic set
up II was a matter Of equal indifference
to us. We only interfered SO far as to
protect American citizens from murder
and robbery by the contending factions
We lived on very good terms with the
Emperor Of Brazil as long as that coun-
try was an Empire. and when it changed
to pretended Republic we accepted 1t
very graciously.
All that there Is involved in the Mon
roe Doctrine is that the people Of the
other countries in North and South
America shall be left entirely free from
European interference to work out their
own salvations. We will protect them
In the integrity Of their country and
against the imposition upon them of
European influences.
The Monroe Doctrine Is one OF the
most unselfish and elevated of doctrines
We have pledged the whole power Of
our great country to the protection of
our weaker neighbors. and twice within
recent years we have stood ready TO
make that pledge good at no matter
what cost
The first time was when we insisted
that the Mexican people should be al
lowed to govern themselves without any
interference from France. At that time
the whole American people. North and
South, were ready to unite to drive the
French out of Mexico. and leave the
Mexicans free to deal with the foreign
usurper who claimed to be Emperor
After we had expelled the French we
proposed to let the Mexicans settle their
Government for themselves. If they
chose to accept the rule of Macmillan
that was their own affair. We should
not have interfered
The next was when President Cleve-
land, with the appreciation of the whole
country, came to the verge of war with
Great Britain rather than see Venezuela
despoiled of any of her territory Vene-
zuela has repaid US with base ingrati-
tude, but that does not alter the prin-
ciple. and we should do thn same again
under similar circumstances
We have never for a moment tried to
impose American institutions upon the
other countries. They are not adapted
to them, and 1t was misfortune that
they translated the Constitution Of the
United States into Spanish and copied
our form OF Government. which, as
rule, they have made a trayesty of In
their attempts to make 1t applicable to
their people and their peculiar ways Of
thinking. We would suggest to Prof.
Wheeler that he do some little thinking
on the subject before he again talks.
It Is hardly worth while to give the
news from Russia or to comment upon