The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1914-12-17
A Doctrine Of Common Sense

it, were opinions likely to provoke
discussion in foreign quarters. While
not offered as anything more than a
reassertion Of American practice and
precedent in dealing with Questions at
issue between European governments
and those Of Spanish America, they
must have startled foreign publicists
and statesmen who have already been
led to indulge a hope Of making the
United States a guardian under bond
for the adjustment Of all the family
difficulties and the collection Of all
claims against large family Of wards
south Of the Rio Grande. His blunt
declaration that this country would
not be called, under its own well'set-
tied Interpretation and application Of
the Monroe doctrine, to protect Can
ada against a German invasion Tor
the collection oil a war indemnity,
may have shocked London. The Eng
lish protest comes not first from
London but from Melbourne, in Aus
tralia, where the Age" no doubt re-
hecting a degree Of official opinion,
says that If the Wilson Government
shares Mr.. Taft's opinion it is very
clear that Monroeism is a thing Of
the past, and that the United States
has abdicated the position she has
been jealousy guarding Tor upwards
OF eighty years"
This conclusion is jumped at in
plain blinking Of Mr. Taft's statment
that were we to abandon the doc
trine, and thus in effect notify the
Eurodean governments that 50 far as
our remonstrance or interposition
were concerned, they might take pos
session Of any country that might be
disturbed by a revolution that would
give them international excuse for in
terveption, it would be but very
short time before we were forced into
controversy that would be much more
dangerous to the peace OF this henri
sphere than our continued assertion Of
the doctrine properly understood and
limited" How il should be under
s;ood, and how limited, he had al
ready told in his citation Of the deal
ing O. Secretary Seward with Spain, in
1866, during the Chiiian war. The
same position had been taken by US
before then under successive bonn
bardments OF Monteviedo during the
Rojas dictatorship in the Argentine
Republic. II was taken later, by Sec
retary Olney in 1895, in dealing with
controversy between Great Britain
and Nicaragua.
This lecture, delivered BY the for
mer president before a club in the
little suburban city Of Montclair, N. j.,
last Friday night, is destined 10 make
a stir in the world. The Globe'Dem'
ocrat al once saw in it the germ Of
discussion ane declared it TO be re-
assertion Of the original American
idea behind the Monroe doctrine, and
one very salutary to be expressed at
time phen foreign Prescriptions ol our
duties and obligations under the doc
trine are too seriously taken at Wash
ington. Mr.. TAFT had touched the
same view in saying the doctrine has
not been applied in Mexico because
there is nothing in it requiring the
United States TO bring shout peace in
that country" That was statement
Of a palpable truth which would
sweep away the last defense Of our
Intervention there il one defense re-
NAMED. 1t may be a relization Of
how far the present administration
has been drifting from all Of the
standards Of judgment and practice
in the American use Of the Monroe
doctrine which leads the Melbourne
paper to wonder III the Wilson Gov
eminent shares Mr.. Taft's opinion"
This makes it necessary to say that
the opinion is not only that Of Nj.
Taft but Of practically the whole body
Of American citizenship, which de-
mands that the doctrine be not aban-
doned through indefinite extension,
but saved by common sense. Globe
I Democrat.
Speaking Of these high.brow pro-