Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-06-25
SANFORD B. DOLPS COMMENTS 50 YEARS AGOON
MONROE DOCTRINE OF timely APPLICATION NOW

fering with America Is it that sis
terhood of republics is uncongenial
soil for the growth OF the principle OF
I interference? Is it not fact that rep
resentative governments are not like
" to engage in wars Of conquest. BY
the dogma of European politics the
reace 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
I 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
other nations. The present delicate
] relations between France and, Ger.
many do not rebHt 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 ittis com.
paratively new country and the diff
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 if under these different re-
publics the men from whom the sol.
diers are to be selected have the bal
lot 1t is not 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. IL. ..... ....
It 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 strategic
roint of view that every island, rock,
sand-bar or reef in the Pqcific 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-
tions between the United States and
the Hawaiian Islands which are actu-
tives than by friendliness or trade
necessity: also to the Influence of the
United States government in Samoa
which group she does not care for, in
the way of requirement or annexa-
ton; but she clearly does care that
neither England nor Germany shall oc.
cupY 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: but 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
ositicn, 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 Obstacles to the absorb
ton of such races by the European
powers, especially of those nations
which she has, as it were, stood spon.
sor 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 preserva-
tiCn 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.
lean principle of intervention.
If these conclusions ere correct, no
imagination is necessary to realize the
EanN L