Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1919-05-30
The Worlds Next Step
No.
The League Of Sasons and the Mon
roe Doctrine
By CLARENCE I. SPEED

that the cherished Monroe Doctrine
viii be signed away IL the United
States becomes a party to the league
of nations. as II Is now proposed, Is
one OF the grounds Of opposition lo
the league Ia the senate.
: The Monroe Doctrine was enuncI.
ated Mt time when reaction was In
the saddle In Europe. Napoleon had
been crushed and ancient dynasties
were being re-esiablished on the
thrones which had been overturned
following The French revolution. The
infant republic In America was sur
rounded by the possessions Of power
ful European States.
With the exception Of the struggling
republic In America there vas hardly
any place where the spirit Of demoe-
raey seemed to survive. President
Monroe felt the isolation not only OF
this nation but OF the democratic
spirit which 1t represented, and gave
voice 70 the doctrine that no Euro
pean state should be permitted TO OBJ
tain further territory on this contl-
neDt lie feared that the establish
ment Of monaychicai forms OF govern.
ment any nearer our borders might
make the overthrow q democracy
complete
The right Of The United States to
take this position OF guardian Of
hemisphere was never admitted by the
European nations. but Europe was
busy with It's own affairs and In The
early days the Monroe Doctrine was
not challenged.
Time passed. Mexico and Central
and South American countries threw
or the Jokes OF Spain and Portugal.
Democracy progressed IN Europe The
British government was liberalIzed
France became republic, then an
empire, and then once more repub-
tic. With the exception OF the Ger
man menace. which was not reeog
nized nnfii The war broke ont. Europe
seemed 10 have no territorial designs
on America
But the Monroe Doctrine grew and
grew. From being q protection against
the aggression 81 monarchy which
might overthrow democracy 10 the
United States. II came 70 be Inter-
preted as involving duty Of this
country "a protect the little Latin.
American republics from punishment
for repreheilslbie acts such az repu.
diatl0n OF debts or violence to the per-
sons or properly OF foreigners residing
In their borders.
We were placing ourselves In the POI
sition Of being made the policeman
whose duty II was 20 make the little
republics be good by force or ourselves
to fight other nations wiach might at
tempt to protect the rights OF their
citizens. Can anyone imagine any
foreign ENHANCEMENT more likely to
involve Us In war than thls7 II win
war WITH Engl6nd 5Ets * his ac-
count: and Just before the world war
bTQke out II began TO seem pretty plain
that we either would have TO enforce
order In Mexico or stand aside aud see
some other nation do II.
However. except that the Monroe
Doctrine was sometimes used 10 stir
up jlngolsm Ia national campaigns. II
had really played little part In Ameri-
can thought In recent years. In fact,
our assumed rights Under II were abb
rogated In some twenty arbitration
treaties which we signed with England.
France. Russia and other nations In
1913 and the years following, and no
one even noticed II. These treaties
agreed that the United States and the
other nations signing them should
submit all disputes whatsoever 70 ar
bItrafion." These disputes were just
as likely-probably more soto IN
volve the Monroe Doctrine as anything
else. And under the treaties we
would have had to submit them TO an
international body much like that pro-
vlded for In the league OF nations
But, though we had signed away
our rights under the Monroe Doctrine.
the league of nations. While II does not
mention this American principle spe-
officially, IN reality does recognize II
by virtue OF recognizing the fundamen-
tai principle underlying #; aud this
Is the first general recognition II has
ever had.
The Monroe Doctrine asserted that
20 country would be allowed % grab
territory on this continent without
getting into trouble Nith as The
league y nations provides Tint - na.
ton shall he allowed ~ enh terri
tory anywhere III the world without
getting into trouble with al the mem
beers Of the league obviously this ap-
plies 20 Alaaf.ca as vel as amy other
country.
The result Is that we. instead 81
having al the burden Of enforcing the
Monroe Doctrine against tho world,
now VIII have the world pledged TO
help as support Il against any nation
which seeks e grab land.
Apparently this instead Of dragging /
US into foreign eptanglemenj, helps /
US out of our enc hereditary foreign |
nt,ta =, clott3eut which fnfait fhraatar ta /