New-York tribune., 1916-07-26
Repairing an Ancient Blunder.


Indies has long been one Of the aims OF a
sound American foreign policy. Twice
the effort to acquire these islands has
failed-once through an unfortunate ex-
hibition of parochialism in the United
States Senate and once through an
eleventh hour fit of hesitation n one OF
the houses of the Danish Parliament.
President Wilson has now renewed the
attempt TO come to an agreement with
Denmark, by which the position of the
United States in the West Indies will be
materially strengthened and one more
obstacle in the way of the working out
of the Monroe Doctrine will be per-
manently removed. We congratulate the
Administration on its success in reviving
the purchase project at a time when the
country is more than ever alive to the
necessity of extending American control
in the Caribbean and of protecting the
approaches from the Atlantic to the
Panama Canal. We are confident that
the treaty just signed will be ratified-as
it should be-without delay or partisan
friction.
The United States has been very slow
in shaking itself free from the preJudlces
of insularity-very backward and unlm-
aginative in visualizing its future IN the
Caribbean basin. Most of our public men
have talked about Monroeism without
fully realizing what it meant-what obll-
cations it must inevitably impose on this
country as guardian of the Latin
American powers in their relations with
the nations of Europe.
If we are to maintain the principle OF
America for Americans, 1t should be our
aim to utilize every possible opportunity
TO reduce the territorial holdings of Euro
mean nations on the American continent.
If we intend to limit the power of Euro
pean nations to intervene in Latln-Amerl-
can countries for the purpose OF collect
ing claims and enforcing financial oblga-
tions. we must put ourselves more and
more into a position to assist the back
ward Latin-American republics in main
tanning order, discharging their just debts
and protecting the lives and property OF
European nationals within their juris-
diction.
The second Of these natural aims OF
American foreign policy has been recog-
nized recently by President Wilson IN ms
forcible intervention in Hayti. He landed
American marines in Hayti, took posses
sion of the Haytian government and com
pelled that government to assent to
treaty establishing an American protec-
torate, resembling in some ways our pro
tectorate over Cuba. He has admitted 1t
10 be the duty of the United States to
restore civil and financial order in Hayti
and in the Dominican Republic, in our
own interest as well as in the interest OF
the people of those countries. In so do
ing he has exactly reversed his Mexican
policy. since he has frequently and
heatedly denied that it is our duty to re
store civil and financial order in Mexico
for the purpose of protecting American
lives and property and discharging our
obligations under the Monroe Doctrine to
European nationals domiciled there.
Consistency in politics is Mr.. Wilson's
last thought. He seldom knows exactly
where his policies are carrying him. Yet
in Hayti, forgetting all about his Mexican
professions, he did the right thing. He
has done the right thing again in seek
ing to purchase the Danish West Indies,
though such an acquisition of foreign
territory necessarily scandalizes 1.-The
Evening Post" and others who took much
too seriously the Presidents Mobile
speech and other similar promulgationS
in the salad days of his Administration.
In Offering TO buy land held on this con-
tinent by European power Mr.. Wilson
is only putting into practice the first and
most obvious corollary of the Monroe
Doctrine.
When Secretary Seward negotiated
our first treaty Of purchase with Den
mark. in 1867, the United States Senate
could not see this. Denmark was willing
10 sell her West Indian islands. We
were bound TO protest in case she sought
TO sell them TO any European power Yet
the Senate refused TO buy ST. Thomas and
St. John for S7,5O0O0O stubbornly de
clining TO pass at all on the bargain, al
though the time within which the sale
was TO be closed was twice extended
Thus the Senate, through personal AMI
partisan pettiness, threw grave suspicion
on the sincerity and good faith with
which the United States intended 10 apply
the Monroe Doctrine. Denmark could
logically have held herself absolved from
any obligation not TO dispose of the
islands 10 another bidder-even a Euro
pean bdder-so long as we had turned
down her very moderate terms Of sale.
O,r arror in nolicv was rectified in ma r.