The daily times., 1921-09-07
o OPEN EXPRESSION
When Central and South
American Countries Joined
tie League Of Nations They
Believed the United States
Would Enter, Now Matters
Are Complicated.
(By David Lawrence).
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily

Times)
Washington, Sept. retrospective
of whether the absence of several
Latin-American states from the meet
ing of the assembly of the league OF
LG.:C-,s = Genera, Switzerland this
week Was concerted move, the in
cident has served to accentuate the
fact that the United States govern
ment must sooner or later make plain
to its neighbors below the Rio
Grande whether Washington looks
with active disfavor or passive favor
on the continued participation in the
league of the other republics of the
Americas.
The Central and South American
countries joined the league on the
Expectation that the United States
would, of course, be a member. They
now find the Washington government
mot only absolutely divorced from
| the league, but saying through its
official spokesman, Ambassador Geo.
Harvey, that the United States will
not deal directly or Indirectly with
the league. To those nations of Cen
trail and South America which ina
gine that they must follow the Uni
! ted States on European policy, this
! is plain hint to abstain. AS for
other nations like Brazil and Chile,
which have followed a more or less
independent foreign policy, it will
take something more than a vague
hint to bring about their withdrawal
from the league. Brazil, for example,
| is a member of the council of the
league and by the unanimous con-
sent rule can block any procedure
inimical to this hemisphere. Indeed,
some observers have suspected that
the Harding administration might not
be averse to the presence of Brazil in
the council because that country is
! the oldest friend the United States
has on this hemisphere and the in
:timacy between Rio de Janeiro and
Washington is such that the United
States would never suffer by reason
of Brazil's membership in the league.
There is another and perhaps more
vital aspect to the whole business of
Latin American membership in the
or later considerable embarrassment
for the United States. Latin-Ameri-
can countries are by no means a
unit as to what is the best policy for
them to pursue toward Europe The
Monroe doctrine which was original
ily announced as means of protect
ling small states in this hemisphere
from European aggression has been
vigorously interpreted by the demo-
cratic and republican administrations
in Washington all the way from alb
solute non-interference in the domes-
tic affairs of neighboring countries
to the welding of the big stick and
/ the sending of armed forces of the
United States for police purposes.
This uncertainty of Interpretation
has been the single thorn in the side
! OF D0CC0T T0ldL1OAS UOI"OCh A1tAh
America and the United States and
Just when it appeared that the Uni
ted States was erasing previous i'm
pressions of alleged Imperialism, the
republican party absolutely refused
to allow the Monroe doctrine to be
included within the scope of the
league of nations. To Latin-America
this meant a confirmation of its fear
that the United Sttaes wanted to be
free at any time to WELD the big stick.
To the republicans it meant simply
free hand in this hemisphere and
non-interference by Europe in our
Central and South American affairs.
But even with the United States
outside of the league of nations, the
opportunity still remains for any
Latin-American state to appeal to the