The Washington herald., 1914-04-04
A P.s-Anerican Policy.


With some of the South American
republics already grown to greatness and
with others moving rapidly onward, it
is no longer treason to discuss what is
to be done, for or with the Monroe
doctrine. That it cannot exactly in its
present form be adapted to twentieth
century situations is constantly being
impressed upon our statesmen. Am
bassador Pages recent Interpretation,
indeed, was received with complais-
ance that would never have prevailed
a score of years ago. Of graver con-
cern, however, is the view, just made
public, of the President of Argentina,
DR.. R. Saenz Pena, who says the doc
trine is absurd and capricious; that
American Presidents have made it so
elastic that il might be called the "gutta
percha message" Dr. Saenz Pena de-
clares that the United States did abb
solutely nothing when Canning. the
English statesman, confronted all Eu-
rope and recognized the independence OF
the revolted Spanish South American
colonies in 1898. He says that if the
United States should abandon the Mon
roe doctrine, it would lose nothing OF
its own nor anything of value.
The doctrine, he asserts, is one cause
of the Latin hostility to the United
States.
The frankly stated opinion of Ar
gentina's President is to certain ex-
tent shared by Hon. John Barrett, d.
rector general of the Pan-American
Union, whose able address in Philadel-
phia yesterday before the American
Academy of Political and Social Science
is worthy of an entitled to serious con-
sideration.
Mr.. Barrett calls attention to a very
natural feeling of resentment on the
part of the Latin-American peoples of
the patroniZing, paternal attitude Of the
United States toward them. While in
sympathy with the object of the Mon
roe doctrine they do not relish having
it applied to them and for them by our
government Agreeing with the policy,
they feel that it should be their policy
and that they should have a voice in
upholding it. In other words, they rebel
at playing the part OF sheep with Uncle
Sam as the shepherd.
Mr.. Barrett goes further than point
ing out the evil; he suggests remedy
that would appear both simple and eff
fective He would substitute for Mon
roe doctrine" "Pan-American Policy"
His plan is put in concise form in his
address:
This "Pan-American policy" would
adopt, absorb, and enlarge the Mon
roe doctrine as an original policy
of the United States into a greater
and 'all-American" policy. where
each nation would have the same
rights of attitude. the same dignity
of position, and the same sense of
independence as the United States
now has. By eliminating the atti--
tude of absolute dictation and CEN
tralized power. which the Monroe
doctrine has been interpreted in
Latin America as applying to the
relations of the nations of the West
ern Hemisphere; by the substitution
of "Pan-American" for Monroe"
and thus including all the American
nations as sponsors, and by the sub
stitution of policy" for doctrine"
and thus removing the hard. un-
yielding, dictatorial and didactic
suggestion of the word doctrine"
long step will be taken toward a
new era of Pan-American Comfy
and confidence.
Besides creating a better feeling in
Latin America and substituting a part
nership for a protectorate Mr.. Barrett's
plan, if carried out, completely and logic
ally, would give tangible form to what
We now know as the Monroe doctrine
something with which it has never be-
foe been invested. Put in plain words,
it would not be open to Interpretation
by Americas representatives at British
banquets.