The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-02
The Monroe Doctrine Reservation.

We cannot permit Mr.. MAURICE LION,
with all his candor and intelligence,
to take out OF Colonel R~oosEvELT's
mouth the defence and exploitation OF
the Colonel's repeated statement about
the "bounden duty" of this Govern
ment with regard 10 the violation of
Belglum's neutrality.
Accordingly, we confne ourselves
to exhibiting a single extract from
a second communication which we
received by telegraph on Monday from
Mr.. LION on this subject. His re.
marks refer to what THE Sun has
said about the American reservation
with regard to the Monroe Doctrine:
"A declaration made at The Hague in
behalf of the United States Is cited as
putting the world on notice that this
country adhered TO its traditional policy
OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and non-lntruslon.
1T Is sufficient to say in reply that
that declaration. made after American
intervention in China during the Boxer
trouble. can hardly have been under
stood by any one to mean that the
United States should be expected tn
init every word or act necessary there
after to secure compliance with the rules
Of international decency codiied at The
Hague; for otherwise. wa not adher-
ence by the United States to the rom
vention an empty formally. mere lip
service intended as a forerunner OF the
policy OF emitting words and emitting
acts In everything that pertains to in
ternational affairs inaugurated under
the Bryan regime?-a notion utterly in
conceivable in 1907. as l call upon The
SUN to bear witness"
No, Mr.. LION. it Is not sufficient to
say that in reply.
1t cannot be that Mr.. Lion really
means that the Monroe Doctrine dec.
laration or reservation was made
after American Intervention in China
at the time OF the Boxer troubles.
His knowledge of chronology is too
accurate to permit that supposition.
He must be aware that our march
TO Tekln occurred in August. 1900,
and that the aforesaid don,
limiting our responsibility and "boun.
den duties under the conventions OF
The Hague, was first spread on the
minutes OF the conference more than
a year earlier, on July %, 1890.
Perhaps what Mr.. LEON does intend
to say is that after our march to
Pekin nobody can suppose that the
Monroe Doctrine declaration means
what 1t declares. We cannot agree
with him. 1t was reiterated with de
liberate intention and undiminished
force long after the march TO Pekin
namely, in October of 1907, when the
American delegates signed the firs'
Of the second series OF conventions OF
The Hague, and by the Senate of the
United States on April 2, 1908, IL
ratifying that convention.
The reservation is as much n par
Of our treaty engagements as any sec
ton Of any article of any convention
of The Hague.
Mr.. MAURICE LION ought to be told
these facts If they have temporarily
escaped his memory. He ought t.
know that the Monroe Doctrine reser
Walton was a general reservation, ex
pressly intended to disclaim respOn
sibility for and avoid ENHANCEMENT IL
Just such questions Of foreign policy
as the guarantee of Belgian neutralit,
by several European Powers.
our march to Pckin to rescue oul
embassy and assert our treaty rights
in China had no more 10 do with on.
"bounden duty" under the conven
lions of The Hague than the militar,
operations of JULIUs CESAR agains
N~ERCINGEToRIX in 80 Il. e.
But, as We have already remarked
THE Sun cannot allow even Mr.. MAU
RICE LION TO take out of the Colonel,
mouth the words for which the coun
try IS waiting.