The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-12
SOUTH AMERICAN
NATIONS ANXIOUS
REGARDING PACT
Note Sent U. S. About Monroe
Doctrine Status Indicates
RetiCenCe to Join If Wash
ington Is Given Rights.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Correspondent Of The Nswa
| ScImItarl

"'J3S' 70 Sstssle ''iS''NN'
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Correspondents Of The Nswa
SclmltaFl
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12-Central and
South American countries have become
suspicious Of the insistence by certain
members of the United States senate
on a reservation to the peace treaty
which would give this country alone
the right to interpret the Monroe doc
trine.
The note addressed to the depart
ment of state by the government OF
Salvador asking the United States to
define at this time its Interpretation
of the Monroe doctrine, means, l am
assuI ed by one of the ministers who
is IN touch with the views ot other other
governments, that Central and South
American republics will not enter the
league of nations If they must sign
away to the United States the sole
right of determining what the Monroe
doctrine means without any under
standing in advance Of what it does in
clude.
The situation is direct outgrowth
of the senate debate, and reports here
indicate that the prospect of bringing
the Pan American countries into the
league of nations hinges directly on the
purposes and motives of the United
States as revealed by the discussion in
the American senate.
Attitude on Doctrine.
70 the original statement by Presi-
dent Monroe Of our national policy Of
preventing European countries from
acquiring territory or colonizing in this
hemisphere, the republics south of us
nave no objection. But they have
watched the Monroe doctrine interpret
ed variously by Republican and Demo-
cratic administrations In such fashion
as to evoke suspicion on the part of
their peoples that the Monroe doctrine
means to the Unitsd States not only a
bulwark against European interference,
but the privilege of doing as we please
| south of the Rio Grande.
south America has not forgotten
Elih Roots refusal to make the Mon
| roe doctrine common principle of In
ternational und srstanding in this hemi-
| sphere, nor has President Roosevelt s
remark about the use of international
| police power" been dismissed from the
sensitive minds Of Latin American
They are gEatified that the United
States keer Europe ont OF this hem
/ lisphSte. bus bf fled over ttte rgiSeat tIee
| interference by the United States in
! what they construe as their own af.
fairs. The question asked by Salvador
| was prompted by the fear that. WITH
the United States out of the league
| Europe would be left to determine what
| constituted IAN impairment of the
| validity of such regional understand
| ings as the Monroe doctrine" as the
| covenant now reads. There is no OBJ
| lection to the statement that the Unit
| ed States alone shall be permitted tc
| enforce the Monroe doctrine, but there
| is decided aversion to leaving blank
| lust what the future Interpretation OF
the doctrine shall be.
| The moment any Central or South
| American countries sign the conditions
OF me covenant OF the league, they
WouG, OF course, accept the principle
| that tie Monroe doctrine is not affect.
| Cd. but II a reservation is added, say.
| ing, as Senator Lodge and the foreign
| relations committee has framed it, thai
the Monroe doctrine. as interpreted By
| the United States alone is outside o.
| the jurisdiction of the league, the
| Southern republics would refuse to put
| their signatures on the contract
| They say it would be a plain ad
| mission on their part that the United
States alone can interpret the Monroe
doctrine as it peases.
1t VIII be noted that President Will
son, impressed, no doubt, by the argu.
mentS of Latin American diplomats a
the Paris peace conference, used les,
harsh language when he referred TO tn,
doctrine as a regional understanding.
That would seem to imply that ther,
must be two parties at least to an nm
derstanding and that the disputes wouic
be worked out purely by Pan American
counties without interference by Euro
pean members of the league.
This is logical consequence of tn,
Wilson policy toward Latin America
revealed from time to time in tn,
last seven years. On one occasion Nj
| Wilson announced the readiness of thi
government to pledge itself to guaran
tee the territorial integrity and polti
cal Independence Of the republics soutl
OF the Rio Grande. This pledge wa
accompanied by reciprocal pledge t.
enter into a mutual promise to respec
each others boundaries, but failed, ow
ing to the outbreak of the European
war. which upset all diplomacy in thi
hemisphere.
tended to hurt the feelings Of Latin
American people, but his annual mes
sage to congress in 1904 is still regard
ed by statesmen south of us as likely {
be in the mind of his intimate frien
and party colleague, Senator Lodge o
Roosevelt said:
Chronic wrong-doing or an impo
tence which results in general loos
enng of the ties of civilized societ
may in America, as elsewhere. ulti
| civilized nation and in The wAstar
hamisnhera The adberepea wee'el IL
United States To the Monroa Sect II ~
NAV force the fTnited StateS %oS,,a.,a ~
rehjctantIy in fIagrant casas ~ s,'e
wrong doing or impotence to the exer
II is a mere triusm to sav tbs
every nation. whether In AmeTica no q
anvWhere else which desires tn main
tain its freedom lis indenandencs ynms
ultimatelv realize that the right W. src
indenen dence can not he aanarat =.
from the resnonsihiIitv Of n,alfip% go
| - ., Va A"h"5 h"o