The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1919-05-21
The Worlds Next Step
NO.
The League Of Nations ard The Mon
roe Doctrine
BY CLARENCE Z. SPEED

vii ne signed away if tile United
STATES becomes a party to the league
slof nations, as 1t IS now proposed, tx
enc 81 the grounds or opposition to
Inc league In the senate,
Inc Monroe Doctrine was enuncl.
aIed at q time when reaction was In
me saddle IN Europe. Napoleon had
hecns crushed and ancient dypasties
were being reestslblished on The
thrones which had been overturned
loiiowing the French revolution. The
infant republic In America was sur
rounded By the possessions of power
Iul European states.
III WIN The exception of tie STRUGGLING
republic insAmcrlc,l there was hardly
uhy place where the spirit Of ticmoc-
racy seemed to survive. President
fNiohroe felt the isolation not only OF
siliis nation but Of the democratic
Esprit which 1t represented, and gave
voice 90 The doctrine that no Euro
peun state should be permitted TO OBJ
thin further territory ON this CONT
ncnt. He feafcd that The establish.
Bineht Of monarclical forms Of govern
Glnent any nearer our borders might
make the overthrow OF democracy
complete.
The right Of the United States TO
fake this position OF guardian Of a
! hemisphere was never admitted by the
ihwopenn nations, bat Europe was
busy with It's own affairs and in the
early days The Monroe Doctrine was
not challenged.
Time passed. Mexico and Central
md South American countries threw
off the yokes OF Spain ana Portugal.
democracy progressed in Europe. The
<sxi+ish government was lberalzed.
France became II republic, then an
empire. and then once more repub-
lie. With the exception OF the Ger
man menace. which was not recog-
nizcd until the war broke out, Europe
seemed to have no territorial designs
on America.
But the Monroe Doctrine grew and
grew From being q protection against
the aggression of monarchy which
might overthrow democracy in the
Cnitea States, 1t came to be inter
nreted as Involving Il duty of this
NJ country to protect the little Latin
Va american republics from punishment
n Tor reprehansble acts such as repu-
iliation of debts or violence to The per-
sons or property of foreigners residing
III In their Borders.
s' We We're placing ourselves In the pO-
sitlon Of being made the policeman
Whose duty 1t was to make the little
Republics be good by force or ourselves
NJ tO4fight other nations which might at
tempt to protect the rights Of their
Il citizens. Can anyone imagine any
foreign ENHANCEMENT more likely to
d s3ilyeolve tlss war than this? 1t will
s$sbe remembered how near we came to
War with England once on this ac-
count; and just before the world war
broke out II began to seem pretty plain
Chat we either would have to enforce
q order in Mexico or stand aside and see
b some other.nation do it.
Ess However, except that the Monroe
Doctrine was sometimes used to stir
up ilngoism in national campaigns II
Nh had really played little part in Ameri-
lean thought in recent years. In fact
Il Our assumed rights under It We're abb
= rogaled in some twenty arbitration
treaties which we signed with England
France, Russia and other nations In
1915 and the years Following, and nc
one even noticed II. These treaties
agreed that the United States aud the
other nations signing them should
submit all disputes whatsoever to an
Z bitratlon." These disputes were just
rs slikely-probably more soto in
yolve the Monroe Doctrine as anything
else. And under the treaties we
would have lad to submit them to an
international body much like that pro
yitled for In the league of nations
But. though we had signed away
our rights under the Monroe Doctrine
- ..A,s.<ngile Of NATIONS. while It does not
llnention this American principle spe.
Iciilcally. In reality does recognize II
lby virtue of recognizing the fundnmen
!tal principle underlying II; and this
lis the first general recognition 1t has
ever had
The Monroe Doctrine asserted that
no country would be allowed to grail
territory on this continent without
getting into trouble with us. Tht
league of nations provides that no ma
--->rtftf, shall be allowed to grab terri
tory anywhere In the world without
,seftinr into trouble with all the mem
hers of fhe league. Obviously this an
iplies 10 America lis we'll as any othel
+ country.
THE result Is that we. instead o.
having All the burden Of enforcing the
Monroe Doctrine against the world
now will have the world pledged Il
help US support II against any nation
which socks 20 grab land.
Apparently this. instead OF draggn;
Ius into 4 foreign ENHANCEMENT, help'
lis out Of our one hereditary foreigi
fcntangleinent which might threaten U.
with war over IL matter in whicir WI
- had little OF no concern.
And what II the league should fail
IWhat ii all the other nations shoult
S,,,l,ltsnly decide to combine to over