Evening star., 1923-11-04
The Monroe Doctrine.

In a special dispatch to The Star
from New York, treating of plans for
buying the home Of Thomas Jefferson.
it was said that seemingly there IL
reason to believe that Jefferson's ad.
vice was largely responsible for the
Monroe doctrine" Further along the
reader is apt to conclude that credit
for the Monroe doctrine ahould be
given to Thomas Jefferson rather than
to James Monroe. A letter from JET.
ferson to Monroe Is quoted.
History often has a way Of refusing
to stay put and perhaps we are now
accepting a great deal Of history
which Is only history instead Of fact.
1t is easy for history to be set down
wrong. If Vercingetorix or Arievistus
had written the story Of Caesars con.
quest Of Gaul instead Of Caesar q dif.
ferent tale might have been told. II
the story of Thermopylae had been
written by the secretary Of xerxes in
stead Of by fellow-countryman of
Leonidas it might differ in some par
ticulars from the style in which 1t has
come down to US. But the history OF
the Monroe doctrine seems straight
and proper. Jefferson needs no more
laurels than those already his.
It has been set down by writer's that
Monroe conferred with Jefferson, Mad
ison, John Quincy Adams and Calhoun
and no doubt with other statesmen on
the subject of message received by
him from George Canning, prime min.
lister of England. After Waterloo
France, Russia, Prussia and Austria
formed what they titled the holy al
lance, to give aid in suppressing In.
surrection in each others territory
and for other purposes. The Spanish
colonies in America having revolted,
it was reported that the holy alliance
contemplated their subjugation, even
though the United States had recog.
nized their independence. Canning
proposed to Monroe that England and
the United States Join In opposing
such a move. It was this question
which caused Monroe to take counsel
with foremost American statesmen Of
his time. and out Of these discussions
was crystallized the Monroe doctrine
as set down In the Presidents mes.
sage Of December 2, 1923. The senti.
ment In that message was certainly
the sentiment held by nearly all Amer.
lean public men at that time. Monroe
wrote:
We owe II, therefore. In candor
and to the amicable relations exist.
ing between the United States and
should consider any attempt on their
part to extend their system to any
portion of this hemisphere as dan.
gerous to our peace and safety. With
the existing colonies or dependencies
Of any European power we have not
But with the governments who have
declared their independence and
have maintained II, and whose inde-
pendenoe we have on great consfd-
edged, we could not view any inter-
position for the purpose OF oppress.
Ing them or controlling In any other
manner their destiny. by any Euro
pean power In any other light than
disposition toward the United States.
The letter of Jefferson to Monroe
recently brought forward shows that
Monroe wrote to him several times on
this subject. Jefferson approved the
opinions expressed by Monroe and
wrote: "Our first and fundamental
maxim should be never to entangie
ourselves in the broils Of Europe. Our
second, never to suffer Europe to in.
termeddle with our Atlantic affairs"