The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-06-06

There is little question that the pro
possl at Santiago de Chile thus to
merge it into an international treaty
was a mere echo Of the insidiously
hostile attack that was made upon
the doctrine in the covenant of the
league of nations, which falsely de-
scribed it as a regional understand
ing for the maintenance Of peace-a
description containing within the
compass of seven words three misrep-
reservations so gross that we must re-
gard them as maliciously wanton and
deliberate. The doctrine is not "re-
gional," it is not an understanding"
and it is not primarily "for the main
tenance of peace"
This should of course be obvious to
everyone who intelligently reads the
text of the doctrine, and the story of
its origin. The doctrine was formu-
lated and enunciated without the
counsel or even the knowledge of any
other nation, save Great Britain
alone, and even her participation in
it vas declined. There was never the
slightest thought of making it a part
of a treaty, or a part of the interna-
tional law of the world. AS de-
scribed by one of it's historians, at
raither created proposed any con
ventional obligations either with Eu-
rope OF South America. It was no
menace of hostility to the former and
no pledge of protection to the latter
1t was an expression of the policy
which the United States purposed to
pursue, at it's own discretion, ano
solely for the sake of it's own peace
and security .* = 1t was made al
our own initiative and for our owl
good; and while as a matter of fact
the South American states welcomed
and rejoiced in it, they were under
no compulsion, moral or legal to do
so, or even to regard it with graf
itude. = = = 1t was to protecr
ourselves that we forbade European
monarchies to intrude their systems
into this hemisphere; and it will b,
to protect ourselves from annoyanc,
and to abate for our own good in
tolerable nuisances that we intervene
if ever we do so, in the affairs o
our southern neighbors.'
These considerations suggest hoy
littlt fitting it would be for us t
make the doctrine an international
compact among all American states
1t has been the fear, always eyre
giously u%nfounded, of some of on
South American friends that w
would use the doctrine as a means o
a pretext for bullying or Cypress
ing them. There never was a NOR
gross misrepresentation in the worlC
the untruth of which is demonstrat
ed by the very character of the doc
trine which we have set forth. But
is an imperative rule that respons
bility and authority must always g
together, commensurate. If we wer
to make the doctrine a treaty, binC
ing us to give the South America
states protection at their call, W
should inevitably be invested with al
thOrity to coerce them at our ow
will; SO that the action so maladroi
ly proposed at Santiago would, if t;
ken, result in the very thing whic
the South American states have del
recated and which they would aboN
all resent.
No, the Montroe doctrine has bee
for a hundred years our own do
trine, ours alone. AS such it h;
been successful and beneficent in 3
Incompatible degree. AS such it h;
been the cornerstone Of our foreie
policies. AS such it has commando
ultimately, the respect of the worl
As such it will be perpetually mai
: tanned, and to it this nation will gil
. its loyal and unwavering support.
+ Boston Transcript.