The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-30

cepted by Germany and Italy, as well as
Great Britain, for otherwise those three
Powers would not have requested he
permission OF our State Department in
1902 to blockade Venezuelan seaports.
II there is foundation for Professor
BURGBss's notion that the Monroe Doc
trine is inapplicable to European u
tries which possess parliamentary insti-
t~utions, Emperor WILLIAM, who listened
TO the declaration, must have felt that the
Difference paid to us by the three Powers
named four years ago was superf1ous.
The first argument advanced by Pro-
fessor BURGESS falls to the ground when
we consider that, ven were IL certain
that Great Britain or Germany would
concede to the natives OF a Latin Amer
lean republic the same political priv
ileges which are enjoyed by Britons or
Germans at home, Latin Americans
would still retain the inherent right OF
freemen to prefer a bad government by
themselves to a good government by
others. There is reason to believe, how
ever, that no such alternative would be
offered them. The type Of government
conceded by Great Britain to its depen-
denotes in the Caribbean is that Of a
Grown colony which contains but a
slight infusion Of self-rule; and there is
no doubt that, IL the whole OF Venezuela
should be Incorporated with British
Guiana, the annexed territory would be
subjected to the Guiana administration,
the liberality Of which will be patent
when We point out that there are fewer
than 1000 registered electors and that
every legislative act must be confirmed
by the British Crown. As for the desir-
ability Of German colonial government,
look into it before recommending it to
the inhabitants of the Brazilian province
OF Rio Grande do Sui, who now have the
privilege Of ruling themselves. The as
sumption that Great Britain or Germany
would treat Latin American republics
better than they treat other transmarine
dependencies can hardly be made by us,
in view of the fact that We ourselves
refuse to admit Porto Rico as a State or
Territory into the Union.
The second argument put forward by
Professor BURGESS for di~scarding the
Monroe Doctrine will not bear close in
spection, for the reason that we have not
become a World Power in the sense of
claiming any such rights of colonization
or conquest in the Old World a Euro
pean nations have evinCed a desire to
exercise in the New. We possess no
territory in or adjoining Europe, and we
covet none. We possess no territory in
or adjoining Asia except the Philippines,
and we have repeatedly and earnestly
disclaimed any purpose of acquiring a
foothold on the Asiatic Continent. II
we took part in the expedition to Pekin
il was to rescue our legation and to
show that the lives and property of
American citizens residing in China must
be respected. If we were represented at
the Algeciras conference it was because
we have, or may have, som ,rade inter-
ests in Morocco. If We sent delegates to
the peace conference at The Hague it
was with the humanitarian desire of
mitigating the savagery Of wal and pro-
noting the practice of arbitration.
These are the acts to which-aside from
our growth in population and wealth,
and consequently in influence-Profes-
sor BURGESS would point as constituting
the United States a World Power; but
we submit that not one of them is in the
least inconsistent with adherence to
MoNRoE's declaration that those Latin
American communities which have made
themselves independent must not be
treated as subjects for conquest oil col
onization by a European Government.