The Washington times., 1921-04-20
us. TO STAND
BY MONROE|SM
e. HARDING.
Still Protector of Pan-America,
President Warns World in Ad-
dress at Bolivar Statue.
By GEORGE r. HOLMES.
Interss tional News Service.

NEW YORK, April 20.-Standing
In the shadow of the statue Of
Simon Bolivar, the great South
American iberator, President Hard
ing. In an address yesterday, re-
asserted his faith in the doctrine
laid down by Monroe a century ago
and stated plainly that the United
States stands ready at any time to
fight, if necessary, to preserve that
doctrine and to protect the young
democracies of the new world
against oppression and tyranny.
DIPLOMATS IN AUDIENCE.
Diplomats from all tho South and
Latin-American countries and many
from the countries Of the Old World
were In the audience which heard the
Presidents simple utterance of faith
In the destiny Of the two Americas
and the warning which accompanied
1t that the United States is the "big
brother of the smaller republics n
Sact as we'll as in theory.
The republics of the New World
have a great mission to perform as
well, the President declared. He
cited a world torn by war and con-
fict and strife turning to the two
rich young continents of the Western
world in hope of aid.
Herein lie for us both duty and
opportunity" said the President:
"duty to those who we may help; op-
portunity, in helping others. to help
ourselves"
VIGOROUS ADDRESS.
President Harding's reassertion Of
his faith in the Monroe Doctrine and
his intention to preserve it was vigor-
GUS.
'The doctrine proclaimed under
Monroe" he said, (which ever since
has been jealously guarded as a
fundamental of our own republic,
maintained that Nhese continents
should not again be regarded as fields
for the colonial enterprise of Old
World powers. There have been
times when the meaning of Monroeism
was misunderstood by some, perverted
by others. and made the subject OF
distorting propaganda by those who
saw in II an obstacle to the realiza-
tion of their own ambitions.
Some have thought to make our
adhesion to this doctrine a justiflca-
tion for prejudice against the United
States. They have falsely charged
that we sought to hold the nations OF
or'sr thot we might monoolize the
privilege Of exploitation for ourselves.
Others have protested that the doc
tripe would never be enforced IL to
enforce it should involve US in actual
hostilitiies.
1.-The history of the generations
since that doctrine was proclaimed
has proved that we never intended 1t
selfishly. that we had no dream Of
exploitation. On the other side. the
history Of the last decade certainly
must have convinced the world that
we stand willing to fight. II necessary,
to protect these continents, these
sturdy young democracies, from op-
preston and tyranny.
RECOUNTs ACHIEVEMENTS.
Surely. we may contemplate with
some satisfaction the vindication that
our American system has won. Under
1T, in a period so brief that history re-
calls no parallel of achievement, we
have filled two continents with splen-
did and prosperous states. We have
main attained ourselves independent Of
the older systems, aloof from their
differences and struggles We have
erected in these continents a great
power which, when civilization was at
stake, we dared to cast into the scale
on the side Of right; and we have seen
its weight have deciding part in
tho cause of human justice.
'sThis much our American system
has wrought by way Of it's own
justification Surely we may look on
our work and decide for ourselves.
whether It has been good. Believing
that it has been good we may well
decide there can be no departure
from the standards that were raised
for us by the founding fathers.
-If we could consult our Wash
ington and our Bolivar today, and II
they could advise us out Of their
wisdom and experience, they would
tell us to go forward in the firm con-
fidence that ours is the right course.
! believe they would admonish US to