New-York tribune., 1916-02-12

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Boston IlfIe. Bfoan Go
For depreciation read "encyclo-
pcdin." That is the first and not the
least appropriate reflection upon TINS
extraordinary book. II IS like the
village schoolmaster's head IN Gold
smith. The wonder grows that one
small volume can contain so much.
True. we have been accustomed to Pro
fessor lIart's habit Of putting much
into little. His pocket duodeclmo on
"The Foundations Of American Foreign
Policy" Of some years ago was
marvel Of lucid comprehension and
condensation. But in the present case
he surpasses that. There may be
some phases of the Monroe Doctrine
upon which ne does not touch, some
details Of past, present or prospective
application OF it which he does not DIS
cuss II so. we confess that we have
not been able 10 detect them. IL may
not be the "last word" on the Doctrine
We have no expectation of ever hearing
mr. reading that. And indeed there may
be room and need for many furtner
expressions Of opinion upon It. HVety
new incident which calls for the
application Of the Doctrine VIII
naturally and not unproiitably provoke
them. But for a compendium OF facts
concerning it We need look no further
Mindful Of Holiness dictum, that
mans education should begin with ms
GRANDPARENTS, the author begins the
history Of the Doctrine full generation
before IL WAS enunciated. Indeed, we
might say that he went further back
than that, TO the earliest Colonial
times. But more than forty years be
fore the message which contained 1t
was written the Doctrine not only eN-
isted i'm the minds Of American pub
licists, but was beginning TO assume
verbal form. Thomas Pownall in 1iSl
was speaking Of "The American En-
pire" and was insisting that 1t was
CONTRARY 10 the nature OF her eHs-
tence that she should have any conneN-
ions of politics with Europe Johh
Adams i'm 1852 told Oswald that 1T
ought 10 be our rule not 20 meddle' in
the affairs of Europe. Washington IN
1888 urged that America should minis
ter TO the wants Of the European
rowers without being engaged IN their
quarrels.' jefferson n lIy2 declared
that eve wish not TO intermeddle IN
word or deed" in the affairs OF Europe,
and John Adams, again, IN 1876 hrst
spoke of "the political system or
Europe and deprecated our involving
ourselves in IT,
Now all this, it will be observed. was
one side, and the lesser side, OF the
Doctrine; albeit 10 was the side when
courteously and logically was 70 be
presented first. All these utterances
pertained 20 Americas holding aloot,
politically, from Europe. \ little later,
but no less emphatically and authorlta-
lively, came the other side, the demand
or command that Europe should hold
aloof, politically, from America. Ot
this the first great protagonist, OF
course, was Hamilton. By steady
adherence 10 the Union he said IN
"Ihe fedcraust." "we may hope ere long
to be the arbiter of Europe IN
America The realization OF this was
his stcadfast aim. and 10 was notably
fine dispensation of fate that gave him
the JOY. before he died, Of seeing
jefferson, his great antagonist and the
especial opponent of this princ.pl re-
verse his policy and adopt precisely
the same aim.
After Louisiana. events moved swift
ly. The rise Of the Spanish-Amerlcan
republics. the formation of the Holy
Alliance and Russia's menace OF re-
conquest Of the American continents
for European autocracy made inevita-
bic the formulated enunciation OF the
great idea which had thus long been
developing in the American mind. The
Doctrine was in actual existence and
effective force long before 1923. IL
was reserved for the latter date merely
20 put into verbal form, or to select
from the various verbal forms which u
had already assumed. that which was 20
bee OF general and lasting adoption
q sort OF "authoriZcd version Con-
cerning the authorship of that portion
Of the message which contained the
Doctrine, as concerning the inception
Of the IDEA itself, there has been much
dispute. George Canning claimed the
whole thing. though not ln carefully
worded state paper. but merely m a
somewhat Aamboyant and vainglorlous
speech. But his famous phrases must
still be taken with the fun quautum Of
salt which has been necessary 20 their
A claim has even been
rut forward for Manuel Torres. Pro
fessor Hart spends little space over
these matters. however. but adopts the
only substantial theory, that the lit
cral form of the Doctrine was the joint
work OF Monroe and John Quincy
Adams
New versions. interpretations and
what not followed. as was fitting and
necessary. Polk put forward so i'm