New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-13
THE MONROE DOCTRINE
It's Relation to the Proposed Arbitra
ton Treaties.


To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: That the proposed arbitration treaties
between the United States and Great
Britain and France. respectively, now
under discussion. noble as they are In con
ception. are likely, II adopted, to lesser
appreciably the chance OF war among
them did the elements of war exist, may
well be doubted.
During the last two or three decades the
| civilized world has been drawn so closely
together as the result OF invention and IN
dustrial development and the engines OF
destruction have been 50 vastly Increased
! I'm power. that it may we'll be contended
! that there is now less chance than ever
J that war will result from "justiciable' in
| ternatonal dispute.
| Rut how about the ever recurring mon
/ iusticia ble'' complications, the real causes
Of war. founded on ineradicable racial an
/ tagonisms. trade rivalries and lust OF do
minion all as intense in nations as in In
dividuals and uncomfortable by treaties?
/ With war provoking racial hatred. for SELL
/ evident reasons practically non-existent'
with a continent at its disposal only hall
developed. and with land hunger and thirst
for dominion held in check, at least tempo
| rariiv "a the result Of the other two condt-
/ lions. the International position of the
| United states IS to-day unique and abso-
luteIy without parallel IN tho worlds his
tory.
( We therefore may we'll hold out the
| olive branch Of peace, and all nations may
accept IT, for we neither now have nor IN
| the near future have any reason to believe
! that we will have any non-justiciable dis
putes with any Of them, and the final rati-
| fcation Of the treaties will be but the
! diplomatic formula ton Of an accomplished
fact rather than the ushering in Of new
! ere.
That We equally with European nations
among themselves, are sensitive to ana
ready to resent the possibility Of aggres-
sion in matters Of national honor and vital
interest and are entirely unprepared 10
submit them 10 arbitration, is shown by
our attitude toward the Monroe Doctrine;
and II Is evident the country must be con-
WINGED that that doctrine Is in no way even
remotely menaced before it will give its
consent 10 the ratification OF the treaties.
That II is not so menaced would seem
readily capable of demonstration.
Upon the return TO power on the Eu-
ropean Continent of the reactionary ele-
mnnts after the downfall of Napoleon and
the aba sement OF democratic France. Eng
land second only TO ourselves as an Amerl-
can power. and first among the trading
nations Of the world foresaw the danger
NJ a curtailn1ent of her trade should Spain
he able 10 restore, with the aid Of the So
called Holy Alliance, her authority over
Nexico and Central and South America;
for spain. in her colonial trade relation
sb,ns was ever exclusive George Canning
Nos az The time lin 1929 Prime Minister
of England. and Richard Rush was our
Minister TO the Court of st. Jamess' Can
ming pointed out to Rush the mutual ad-
yantages 10 be obtained by note OF warn
ing 10 the Continental powers. and this
suggestion (by no means new one among
the international statesmen or the tline
was readily adopted by John quincy ADAMS
Secretary Of State in Monroe's Cabinet
The result was the promugation, with the
annrovaI of Jefferson and the backing OF
the british fleet, Of the so-called Monroe
Doctrine.
From that time on Great Britain and the
limited States exercised dual and prac-
ticallv exclusive protectorate, so far, at
least. as Europe was concerned, over the
Western Hemisphere. varied from time 10
time nv sharp chickering's between them
selves until the abrogation Of the Clayton
purwer treaty of 1880 and the substitution
therefor of the Pauncefote treaty Of
1901.
With the ratification OF the latter treaty
rad nm a.
Western Hemisphere. dismantling her forts
and handing over to us. through her IN
dorsement of our claim OF right to fortlfy
tho Panama Canal, the duty and RESPONSE
hility Of guarding her interests as well as
our own from European interference TOT
II can hardly he doubted that any attack
urop Canada or British Columbia from
any quarter would be as quickly resented
nv us as by England herself.
With the Monroe Doctrine thus practl-
calIv guaranteed by the combined meets OF
tho United States and Great Britain as a
ron-iusticiable principle of international
nubiic nolicv equally as important 10
creat Britain now as In 1922 and acceded
IN nv France. 1t would seem hardly neces-
cary for the Senate TO balk at the ratlfca-
,,on If the proposed treaties through any
fear of its infraction. IL would turther
seem however. that the last clause OF Artl-
Gle III might well be amended In such
manner as to require confirmation OF the
erdinrs OF the Joint High Commission by
tba senate before becoming operative
Even with this radical limitation OF the
mower OF the commission the treaties would
nor,a,,lv he a very considerable step in
advance of present conditions.
SAMUEL l.. PARRISH.
Southampton, Long Island. Aug H. 1911