Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-31
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Canning thereupon wrote: cit is not
| easy 80 say how much the previous
British proposition influenced the
President. hut the doctrine, if such il
may be called. prohibiting all future
colonization ON the American CONT
nents Is absolutely unacceptable to my
government and TO France. This eX-
t11ordinary principle will be com
bat"d by my government with all it's
force
The announcement of the doctrine.
in 1928, met with enthusiastic approval
by all Latin American republics, newly
struggling for their independence but
they have often vacillated since then
from eXaggeratinG the guardianship
which they infer in it, or, in reverse,
to resenting that alleged protection.
If we defy Europe and forbid ii to
collect its just debts here by Selling
q port or a bit of territory, as is their
wont in Asia and Africa, how far will
we go toward compelling the Amer
lean debtor to pay its just obligations?
Repeatedly the American Government
has told European creditor nations
that we did not intend to interfere in
their collecting their just debts.
When the MaXimilian intervention
France and Spain. they invited the
United States To join them, for we,
too, had claims there. Secretary
Seward replied that we had no obiec-
ton to their collecting their debts We
were then engaged in our Civil War
We did not, however, consent to their
setting up a Mexican empire with
European puppet, Emperor Maxi
milan. and Immediately after the sur
| I IL;
matum which caused France to with
draw and soon led to the capture of
Macmillan, deserted by his European
support.
That summary action, backed by
our victorious Union Army upon the
Mexican frontier could not have been
possible if the Monroe Doctrine had
| been joint affair OF an alliance with
all South and Central America
In review of the doctrine. by
George Wheeler Hinman, jr., in the
American Review, the writer said con-
corning our Mexican Macmillan in
PREVENTION:
Had the Monroe Doctrine been an
international agreement, the United
States would have been in honor
bound to have made a vigorous pro-
test and to have gone at once to the
aid of a sister republic in distress.
That would have come in the midst of
our own Civil War. in which Europe
was only waiting FOR an excuse to in
te~ee-c
Even the mere existence Of such an
international obligation could have
been used by France as an excuse for
, taking action to embarrass the Gov
eminent at Washington. Today one
shoulders to think what such a situ-
alton would have involved. Certainly
the Independence of the Confederacy.
The Union would have been DESTROYED.
Mexico would have been doomed to
remain Il vassal state. The remainder
of Latin America would have offered
a fruitful field for Old World aspira-
tons"
4: 4: X X
All that complication was avoided
by our holding a national, and not
an International. relation to the Mon
roe Doctrine; we discuss il with no
other nation: we enforce it how and
| when we see fit. in our own protec.
ton The established policy through
all administrations since 1923 has,
been TO decline alliance with Latin
America regarding it. But that does
not prevent Brazil or Chile or Ven
ezuela or Mexico from each adopting
similar policy. nor prevent all Latin
America, If il sees fit, from entering
into an alliance mutually to adopt
Il similar policy. The United States
does not attempt 10 limit their in.
dependence nor prescribe their for
eign policies, beyond insisting that
they shall not complicate American
independence with European intrigue,
and, so far as our own tranquility is
affected, they must maintain orderly
governments. The latter has nothing
TO do with the Monroe Doctrine, but
has much to do with the peace of
America. for which the United States
is most responsible. in the measure
of it's paramount interests.
We have enforced the Monroe Doc
trine against Austria and France in
Mexico, against England in Venezr~'a.
against Spain in Cuba, against Gk.
many in Colombia, against Japan II,
Lower Caiifornia-all without ALI
ances with Latin America. And in
addition To and apart from the Mon
roe Doctrine, we use our influence,
and at times our Navy and Marines,
to maintain orderly governments in
America.
! tCopyright. 1925. by Paul v. Colf1nAI d.