Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-22


Secretary Roots affirmation Of the
Monroe doctrine in his Kansas City ad-
dress will, under the circumstances, be
taken as an authentic declaration Of
the policy OF the national administra-
ton, and at this moment must be in
terpreted, as it was doubtless intended
to be, as an explicit reputation of the
sensational utterance of a distinguished
American professor in a recent lecture
at Berlin, TO the effect that that doc
trine had become obsolete" 1t was
at the time unoficially, but emphat-
ically given out that the professors
statement, since it was likely to be
popularity accepted abroad to no small
extent as representative Of American
sentiment, was extremely distasteful to
President Roosevelt, and certainly
nothing could be more express and d.
rect than Secretary Roots assevera-
ton that "The principle declared by
Monroe is as wise an expression of
sound political judgment today, as
truthful a representation of the senu-
ments and instincts of the American
people today, as living in its force as
an effective rule Of conduct whenever
occasion shall arise. as It was on De-
cember 2, 1s23," and that 1T needs no
prophetic vision to see that other oc-
casions for its application may arise
hereafter"
But, aside from t. . maladroit Berlin
incident, the time was ripe for sig
nal reaffirmstion on our part of the
substance of the historic new world
policy, Not to speak in general of the
advanced stage Of international inAu-
ence upon which we have entered as a
result of the war with Spain and of
our stupendous development in indus
try and trade, internal and foreign, the
actual construction of the Panama in
ter-Ocean waterway, and the new era
of commercial relations now at last
auspiciously opening with the countries
to the south make opportune, as a
business as we'll as a political matter
an unequivocal pronoRncement in
favor of the inviolability of the whole
new world by European aggression.
Among all the American republics the
United States alone has the physical
force to make such announcement
real and vital-in short. to make its
purpose the kind of a fact which is
internationally respected and in due
time becomes recognized as interna-
tional law.
However, doctrinaires and scholarly
recluses may theorize or dream to the
contrary, the primacy of the United
States in new world affairs, CONNER
cial and political, as we'll as it's pres
tige generally in world affairs, is prac-
upon incorporating maintenance of
the position so explicitly avowed by
Secretary Root, on the one condition,
it is to be added, that we at the same
time foreclose the other American re-
pubhcs against apprehension of ag-
gression on our part. Secretary Ropt
himself, as the highest national repre-
sentative, has just returned from
memorable mission, the purpose OF
! which was to remove such apprehen-
sion of this kind as existed and to
safeguard conclusively against its re-
vival and spread. And that mission
fortunately, was notably successful.
Recurrence, therefore, to the Monroe
doctrine, in the most solemn and posi-.
tive manner, follows at this juncture
in logical sequence, and 1t may safely
be assumed that it will be reinforced
and elinched by veritable action by the
Roosevelt administration as occasion
may arise. While the implied practi
cal course may, as an international
policy, seem remote to many, there il
growing national consciousness
stirred by the business outlook south
ward, that this doctrine now and pros
pectively involves our most intimate
and vital interests.
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