The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1917-07-12
HOW THE WAR
CAME TO AMERICA

was still struggling for existence in
the face of threatened encroach-
ments by hostile monarchies over
the sea, in order to make the New
World safe for democracy our fore.
fathers established here the policy
that soon came to be known as the
Monroe doctrine. Warming the
Cid World not to interfere in the
political life of the New, our Gov
eminent pledged itself in return 1,
tbstain from interference in the
political conflicts of Europe; and
history has vindicated the wisdo j
of this course. We were then too
weak to influence the dcstines of
Europe, and it was vital to man.
kind that this first great expert
ment of and by the people should
OF be disturbed by foreign attack.
Reinforced by the experience OF
our expanding national life, this
doctrine has been ever since the
dominating element in the growth
Of our foreign policy. Whether or
not we could have maintained it in
case of concerted attack from
aboard it has seemed of such inn
portance to us that we were at all
times ready to go to war in it's de-
fense. And though since it was
first enunciated our strength has
grown by leaps and bounds. al
though in that time the vast in
crease of our foreign trade and of
travel abroad, modern transport,
modern mails, the cables and the
wireless. have brought us close to
Europe and have made our isloa-
tiOn more and more imaginary,
there has been, until the outbreak
Ct the present conflict. small desire
on our part to abrogatc or even
amend the old familiar tradition
| which has for SO long given us
peace.
In both conferences at The IIag-
ue. in 1899 and 1907, we reaffirmed
this policy. AS our delegates signed
the first convention in regard 10
arbitration, the read into the min
utes this statement:
"Nothing contained in this con-
vention shall be so construed as to
require the United Safes of Ameri-
ca to depart from it's traditional
policy of not intruding upon, in
teri fcring with. or entangling policy
Of not intrllding upon. Interfering
with, or cntangIing itself in the
political questions or policy or in
trrnal administration of any fore
ign of any foreign State; nor shall
anything contained in the said com
vcntiom bc construed to imply a TO-
Iinq,lishmcnt by the United States
ci America of it's traditional atti-
tulr toward purely American qucs.
IONS =.
AT The Hague we pledged our
selves, i'm ease we ever went to war,
to observe certain broad general
rules of dccency and fair fighting.
Hlh at the same time we cleared
ourselves from amy responsibility
for forcing other nations TO Oh
serve similar pledges. And in 1906,
when our I~lr"atcs took part IN, thu.
Algrciras Conference. which was to
regulate the affairs of the distract
ed Kingdom Of Morocco, they fol.
lowed the same formula there.
While acu1.icscing in the new re-
"inr which guaranteed the indie
i"lldcnce and integrity Of Morncco,
we explicitly announced that we as
S'1m"d no police responsibility for
1hr enforcement Of the treaty.
And if any honest doubt was LETT
as to our attitude in regard TO the
enforcement of Old World .re"-
mcnts, it was dispelled five years
'a'tr, whcn nUr Government rnfls
co to protest against the overthrow
IF the Actr d'AlgMi,us.
We declined to be drawn into
the Giarrels abrot.l wi ich m;eht
rnda1"cr in any way Gun. tlnG,; ;nn-
al policy.