New-York tribune., 1919-07-23
Article | So
Monroe Doctrine Not
Guarded, Spencer Says

FAIRMONT, W. Va, July o.
Ger, of Missouri, addressing the West
Virginia Bar Association to-day on
post War Problems" devoted consid-
cradle attention to the peace treaty.
The provisions relating to disarma-
ment, mediation and Cancellation and
publicity of treaties he regarded as
|tremandous steps toward a world
peace"
Referring to the Monroe Doctrine,
he said:
at is idle to speak of enlarging the
Monroe Doctrine so as to include the
world The very essence of the Monroe
Doctrine is our own peculiar situation
and our own national necessity, and
any proposed extension of the doctrine
to the rest of the world fails to recog-
nize the peculiar reason for its exls-
tence and destroys the safeguard
which a an American doctrine it has
always accorded to the American peo-
pie, for whom alone it was announced
and in whose interests alone it exists.
Let me illustrate the Importance Of
the issue. On the southern boundary
of California lies great stretch of
territory, slightly populated and agri-
culturaliy largely arid and undesirable
1t stretches out as q great peninsula,
called Lower California; with the Gulf
Of California on one side and the Paci-
tic Ocean on the other, but it has the
most desirable naval harbor on the
entire Pacific coast, with the possible
exception of San Francisco. Mexico
owns this strip of land Mexico would
like to sell. Japan would like to buy.
Once we thought we detected an effort
upon the part of Japan to acquire
commercially the land surrounding
this great Magdalena Bay, and we
promptly Interrupted any such possible
intention on the part of Japan.
Suppose the bargain was struck to-
night between Mexico and Japan by
which the title to Lower California
was vested in the Japanese Empire
and the purchase price was paid into
the treasury of Mexico. They have as
much right to buy and sell rs we had
to acquire recently from Denmark the
Virgin Islands, and the only thing
that stands in the way of any such
bargain is the potency of the Monroe
Doctrine, which declares both to Mex
leo and to Japan, and with all the
power OF the United States back of it,
that such an agreement can not and
will not be allowed.
IF the proposed league of nations
were adopted, we find in Article X of
|i'hI 'NoS w IiiuL SNSiJ SiSllGJOIy power
Undertakes to respect and preserve as
against external aggression the terri
torial integrity Of all states, members
or the league 1t would follow from
this agreement that when Japan showed
her title deed to Lower Caiirorn,a all
the forces of England and France and
the other signatory powers would be
bound to resent by force of arms any
attempt Of the United States to dis
possess Japan from Lower California
or to prevent her entrance thereon.
ut must be written IN any constitu-
ton of the league Of nations to which
this nation is a party, in terms so
clear that the wayfaring man may read
and understand, that nothing con-
taired herein shall be construed to
imply accomplishment by the United
States OF its traditional attitude TOWARD
purely American qucstons' This is
precisely what the Senate of the United
states wrote in when we ratified the
Hague Convention in 1907. and it is as
vital to- day as i was them