Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-01-10
Denaiuring the Monroe Doctrine

James Hamilton Lewis has been for
several years past the Administra-
TONS spokesman in the Senate on all
questions relating to foreign policy.
He ought TO be in position to know,
II anybody knows, just what the Pres
ident's recent peace note meant. Mr..
Lansing undertook to interpret the
note and then suddenly recalled the
Interpretation Mr. Lewis version OF
its meaning may also be subject to re-
call
Yet until it is recalled the public
will be justified in putting some fresh
faith in It's analysis OF President
Wilson's message to the European
bell gerents. This analysis seems to
have been more or less inspiratlonal
in character It is not based on the
text OF the message. II supplements
the text, reading 'nto Il limitations
which really denature it, leaving Il
little more than a vague Endorsement
of the ideal OF permanent world peace
through international concert.
Replying to Mr.. 10 sc, who had
pointed out that the entry OF the
United States NO an international
concert to keep the worlds peace and
to protect the small States against
aggression would involve an abandon
men. by the United States of the Mon
roe Doctrine, Mr.. Lewis said last Fri
day:
"fle (Mr. Lodge would have the
United States understand that there
was a proposition in this message
that after the war Amer ca was to
join with other nations OF the world
in some kind of league for the pur-
pose of using force to enforce the
claims or the rights of smaller
nations. and he would have us under
stand tina. there was a threat in the
message that would wholly overcome
and destroy the Monroe Doctrine
"In every word of the Presidents
note the Monroe Doctrine is not only
guarded by every express on used,
our Asiatc policy preserved, but ev-
cry theory Of republic form of gov
eminent essential to our perpetuity in
the future is as secure now and will
be in the future as they have ever
been in the past"
Senator Lewis interprets the note
as a somewhat harmless piece of rhe-
tOric, not intended to alter in any way
the fundamentals of American foreign
policy. He may think its words have
no other purpose than to convey inn
pressions wholly academic and tran
silent in character He may have found
encouragement for that belief in a
close study of the Administration s
other Diplomatic activities. But he
can substantiate his theory in no
other way than by assuming that the
note Is simply an exercise in style,
and that the President did not mean
what the note plainly makes him say.
In the note the President called at
tention to the fact that each group OF
belligerents had protested a readi-
ness "to consider the formation OF a
league OF nations to insure peace and
justice through the world" He then
said:
'In the measures to be taken to
secure the future peace Of the world
the people and the government of the
United States are as vitality interested
/ as the governments now at war. Their
! interest, moreover, in the means to be
! adopted to relieve the smaller ant
weaker peoples OF the world OF peri
of wrong and violence is as quick an(
ardent as that Of any other people Of
government. They stand ready, anC
even eager. to cooperate IN the &C