Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-07-05
Today's Letter Takes Up

pptpng Of peace, anu 0o0'
.:Tba origin of the Monroe Doc
.u,na 10 we'll known. 1t was pro-
claimed in 1923 to prevent Amer
ica from becoming a theatre ior
the intrigues of European apsolu-
tism. AT first a principle of Amer
ican foreign policy, it a
a national understanding ana IL Is
not i11egitimate for the people OF
the limited States to say that tne
Covenant should recognize thal
fact. o,t
an it's essence it is consistent
with the spirit of the
and. indeed, the principles OF u
League as expressed IN Artlcle
represent the 10 ~
whole world of the principles OF
This Doctrine, while should any
dispute as to the meaning OF the
latter ever arise between the
American and the European pow
ers. the League is there TO sette
them"
This commentary received especlai
force from the fact that England nau
a close historical connection with the
proclamation of the Monroe Doctrlne
in 1923 and in the Venezuelan dispute
the most advanced claim as to the
scope of the Doctrine was sharply call
ed to her attention; and no
at the Peace Conference propaply
understood better than that OF Great
Britain how the Monroe Doctrine was
Intended to be affected by Article
XXI.
"Validity" Not Endangered
AS the validity of the Monroe
Doctrine is not affected" by Article
XXI. the Doctrine is excluded from
the operation Of the Covenant. IL,
therefore, a case within the principle
of the Doctrine should arise it would
not be within the jurisdiction of the
League. Even if a question whether
the Doctrine extended to a particular
situation could be made the supJect
of inquiry under Article XIV, there
could be little doubt of the result;
for, if we expect a few cases Wnere
doubt has existed as to the appllca-
biIity of the Doctrine, and the belated
assertions of President Carranza that
it is non-existent, it is now under-
stood by all the nations of the world.
But it is too late to have forebod-
ings on account of the remote cnance
that a question concerning the Monroe
Doctrine may have to be submitted
to arbitration or inquiry under the
, Covenant, for the Bryan treaties, ratl-
fed by the Senate in 1914 and 1913,
we have already agreed Win 6Iedt
! Britain, France, Italy and six other
| European nations, as well as with
Chill, Brazil, Peru and seven other
American states, that all disputes or
an international character, including
those affecting national honor and vi
! tai interests, such as the Monroe Doc
trine, shall be submitted to an Inter-
national Commission for investiga-
ton and report, and that pending such
| report war will not be declared or
hostility commenced. These treaties
are international engagements" and
their validity. within the reservation
of Article XXI, is not affected by the
Covenant. Under the Bryan treaties,
therefore, arbitrator, a. majority OF
whom are not to be American citizens.
would nave jurisdiction to consider
and report concerning any dispute
arising under the Monroe Doctrine.
and while the arbitration was pro-
ceeding this country would be obliged
to abstain from enforcing the Doc
trine, however exigent the situation
might be. Under such circumstances
the question whether Article XXI ade-
quately reserves the rights of the
United States under our traditional ma
tional policy loses much of it's impor-
lance.