The Washington herald., 1915-10-26
The Dutch West Indies.

subject of Importance the people of the United
States Briefly the article asserted that the United
States government should take steps to acquire
the Dutch West India Islands, for the reason that
they command the Panama Canal in military
sense and that if we do not acquire them now by
diplomatic methods we shall find it necessary 70
fight for them-and for the retention of the Mon
roe doctrine-hereafter.
Twenty years ago statesmen exhibited a'reti-
cence in discussing the projects of other nations.
To call another nation by while decrying its
inimical policies was regarded as in very inferior
taste. For the most part the political designs of
ambitious nations were regarded by government
officials as the exclusive province of the writers
of imaginative fiction. British politicians shared
this attitude with ourselves Other nations were
not so politely difhdent. Today, however, we
have learned to call q spade spade.
The article in question the first to treat
the subject in any detail since the war began. In
Germany there have probably appeared in the
last fifteen years thousand newspaper and maya
zine articles discussing the acquisition by Ger
many of the Dutch West Indies and the repudi-
alton of the Monroe doctrine which that aequisi-
ton implies.
If the majority of the American people knew
anything about pan-Germanism; il, for example,
there was connected with the State Department a
bureau whose business it was to translate and
publish for the benefit of the public the speeches.
lectures, editorials, pamphlets, monographs and
rhapsodies of German statesmen and writers upon
that phase of the subject which more particularly
concerns the United States we should immedi-
ately do great many things that will undoubtedly
be left undone. For the plain and unvarnished
truth is that the Monroe doctrine and pan-Ger-
manism cannot live side by side. One the
other must be modified by its protestants. 1t may
be that some day this modification will be made by
one or the other nation at the point Of the sword.
But diplomacy has achieved some bloodless vic
tories in the past, however ignobly it may have
failed in the weeks preceding the present strug-
gle of the nations. There only certain num-
Der of danger points at which the proponents Of
these conflicting doctrines can clash. And If it
be possible to eliminate even one of these by
opportunc diplomacy and we fail to make the at
tempt we shall be guilty of reckless contribution
to the altar of war.
No doubt the easiest and most comfortable
thing for statesmen to do is to pretend that a
question such as this is belongs to the nebulous
domains of the imagination. To do one must,
it is true, ignore the facts, but that is thing
which statesmen are quite expert at doing. Had
that not been done the most extensive scale
by half the so-called statesmen in Europe there
moment Nor have own statesmen in the past
been less expert at devastating phenomena that
seemed to the lay mind to be staring them in the
face Yet even they must see clearly that only
the most elusive and alright" diplomacy can in
the course of the next decade prevent the
Monroe doctrine from being abruptly and finally
challenged.
In the current number of that entirely sane
publication the Worlds Work." it is stated in an
article dealing with German Southwest Africa
that the comprehensive scheme of the imperial
government for offensive operations to be conduct
ed from that colony against British South Africa
involved the transportation of thousands of reserv
lists from San Paulo and other German COLONIES"
in South America to Africa where the requisite
equipment and arms were Ito be kept in anticipa-
ton of the event. This is but a straw showing
which way the wind blows. But many such straws
have been in the air in the last few years, and a
very little straw cause very big conflagration.
In the last few months that same atmosphere has
been cloudy with leagues of peace, societies for
promoting international disarmament, apostles of
national self-effacement and the like. How much
more useful and desirable it would be if a number
Of our influential citizens would band themselves
together into organization having for its OBJ
ject the watchfu1 protection of the Monroe doc
trine? If such society should busy itself with
bringing to the notice of the American people the
history of the Monroe doctrine in the past, its
potentialties in the present and the risks it in
wolves in the future and with bringing to the at
tention of this and future administrations the
steps that should be taken to protect and strength
en- it against aggression it would confer greater
benefit upon us than, all the peace organizations
in the country.