Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-06-26
SANFORD B. DOLFS COMMENTS 80 YEARS AGOO
MONROE DOCTRINE OF Timely APPLICATION NOW

> except to prevent Europe from inter
fering with America. Is it that sis
terhCod of republics is uncongenial
soil for the growth of the principle OF
interference? Is ii not fact that rep
resentativc governments are not like
Iy to engage in wars of conquest. By
the dogma of European politics the
Eeace of America is threatened by the
preponderating strength of the United
States but this is not the fact What
then is to be the tendency of Ameri.
can influence? In the first place, the
spread OF representative features of
government in Europe will gradually
weaken the balance of power idea
Citizens will not vote themselves into
the ranks and increase their own
taxes in order that their government
may conquer a supremacy or inter-
fere with the development of neigh.
boring government The presence OF
powerful republic in the midst OF
Europe would not therefore be regard
ed as a menace in any sense whatever
except from the danger that its repre-
sentative principles would spread to
I other nations. The present delicate
relations between France and Ger
many do not rebut this proposition,
as the national spirit of France is
merely aroused by the loss of terri
tory, just as a war spirit would pre-
vail in the United States or any other
/ republic in the same circumstances.
1t may be argued that the dogma
of the right of interference does not,
/ exist in America because it is COM
L.. he Il
| ferent governments have as yet hardly
| occupied their own respective do
mains, and that when they become
/ crowded they will become aggressive,
and so the principle of balance of
power will creep in for the common
| protection. | do not think, however,
! for the reasons above stated, that this
! is likely il under these different re-
| publicS the men from whom the sol
diers are to be selected have the bal.
| lot 1t is not a question of compare
tive strength of nations or the neces.
sity OF expansion, but of form of gov
eminent The United States has
greatly expanded it's territory since
1776, but always by purchase instead
of conquest. ..... ~:
1t is probable that the United States
| will look with some jealousy upon
the colonial development of the Euro
pean nations She does not wish
more territory for herself but it may
be undesirable to her from a strategic
Point of view that every island, rock,
sand-bar or reef in the Pacific ocean
should be occupied by this or that
naval power There appears to be
some ground for saying that to meet
the European spirit of aggressiveness
the United States will enlarge and ex-
tend the principle of the Monroe doc
trine and will say to Europe. you
must not go any farther in this or
that direction. AS evidences of this
probability | may refer to the rela-
tons between the United States and
the Hawaiian Islands which are actu-
ated rather by purely strategic mo-
tiyes than by friendliness or trade
necessity; also to the influence of tho
United States government in Samoa.
which group she does not care for, in
the way of requirement or annexa-
tion;, but she clearly does care that
neither England nor Germany shall &C.
eupE them and means to discourage
such occupation. The unofficial rep
resentation of the United States in
the. formalities connected with the
founding of the Free State of Congo
may be attributed to individual vanity
and disposed of as an incident with
out national significance; bat may it
not have been an outcome of this ten
dency to extend American influence
and give her a shadow. at least, of
right in the future to interfere when
the European powers reach the prop
csition. as they probably will to carve
the Congo Free State into colonies.
Although the United States is not
likely to interfere with vested rights
OF the other powers in respect to their
occupation of territory of the non.
Christian races there is enough in the
instances referred to and in others
perhaps which might be quoted, to
foreshadow a definite policy of Great.
ing diplomatic Obst acles to the absorb
ton of such races by the European
powers, especially of those nations
which she has, as it were, stood spon-
scr for in their Introduction to the
family of nations as Japan and the
Hawaiian Islands, and possibly Korea.
If | have been able clearly to ex-
press my thoughts to you, it will be
perceived that my argument claims
first, that Europe has already extend
ed the practise of her dogma of the
right of interference for the preserya.
tion of the h'lance of power to all the
world except America, and second.
that the development Of republican
governments will tend indirectly to
weaken the doctrine and that the pol
icy Of the United States tends more
directly to destroy its force by substi.
tuting for it modified and extended
Monroe doctrine. which, as originally
announced. was. as President Woolsey
says, just the opposite of the Euro.
rean principle of Intervention. 1919
If these conclusions are correct, no
imagination is necessary to realize the
future imUOPtaHra and waiGht ~