Evening star., 1927-04-26

over to narrow and bigoted nation.
| alism, accompanied by misrepreSenta-
tions of other countries, not only mis-
informs and misleads the people al
home, but produces the reaction of a
ranking bitterness abroad. An al.
most equally harmful attitude is the
other extreme. 1t usually consists of
malicious and misleading partisan at.
tacks on the conduct of our own Gov
ernment in it's efforts to defend Amer.
lean rights when they are threatened
or invaded in foreign countries, Our
Government has usually been too re-
miss. rather than too active, in sup
porting the lawful rights of it's citi.
ZenS abroad. That has been So long
our established policy that it is rather
| difficult to conceive it assuming a
| truculent and arrogant attitude. Put
when it Is proceeding with modera-
tion, attempting by peaceful negotia-
ton to adjust differences, defending
| the rights of its citizens and main
| tanning national dignity, great care is
necessary to give the public the exact
facts and avoid the appearance of
seeming to support the position of for.
! eigH governments. When such an at
| titude becomes known in the offending
country, it is widely quoted there, and
when all other arguments have been
answered becomes their chief reli-
ance for maintaining their position.
| 1t not only furnishes ammunition for
! our adversaries, but attacks our own
| forces in the rear. An American press
which has all the privileges which it
enjoys under our institutions. and
which derives it's support from the
| progress and well.being of our people,
| ought to be first of all thoroughly
| American.
Effort and Sacrifice.
Progress and civilization have al.
ways depended upon effort and sacri-
| fee We have set up our institutions,
established our ideals and adopted our
social standards. We believe that
| they are consistent with right and
| truth and justice. We live under q
| system that guarantees the sanctity
| of life and liberty through public or
der and protects the rights Of private
property under the principle of due
process of law. We have thrown every
possible safeguard around the iudi-
| vidual in order to protect him from
any invasion of his rights even by the
| Government itself. 1t is peculiarly an
American doctrine, now usually ac-
practice, by all civilized countries, that
these are inalienable rights, that they
ought to belong to all persons every
where, and that it is the chief func-
| ton of government to provide instru-
mentalities by which these rights can
be secured and protected. We have
adopted these ideals because we be-
lieve that they are of universal appli-
cation and square with the eternal
principles of right. But we may as
well realize that they will not con-
tinue to prevail unless we are pre-
pared constantly to put forth great
efforts and make large sacrifices for
their support.
while we have not been willing to
assume any general attitude of cru
sading toward other nations, and, real
izing that institutions cannot be be-
slowed but must be adopted, have left
them for the most part secure in
their right to work out their own des-
tiny, vet we have always been willing
to encourage and assist, in so far as
we could in harmony with interna-
tional law and custom, other people in
securing for themselves the benefit of
these principles and ideals. In that
conflict between freedom and despot-
ism, which is as old as humanity, and
which constantly recurs in one form
or another. both among ourselves and
among other people, it has always
been the policy this Government to
extend it's sympathy and in SO far as
it lawfully could its support to the
side Of freedom.
Duties to Citizens.
"These are some of the standards
which it has been the policy of our
Government to support among its
people at home and in it's dealings with
other nations. While it is well estab-
lished international law that we have
no right to interfere in the purely
do.nestic affairs of other nations in
their dealings with their own citizens,
it is equally well established that our
Government has certain rights over
and certain duties toward our own
citizens and their property, wherever
they may be located. The person and
property of a citizen are a part of the
general domain of the Nation, even
when abroad. On the other hand,
there is distinct and binding obliga-
ton on the part of self-respecting gov
ernments to afford protection to the
persons and property Of their citizens,
wherever they may be. This is both
because it has an interest in them and
because it has an obligation toward
them. 1t would seem to be perfectly
obvious that if it is wrong to murder
and pillage within the confines of the
United States, it is equally wrong out
side our borders. The fundamental
laws of justice are universal in their
application. These rights go with the
citizen. Wherever he goes, these
duties of our Government must follow
him.
"It is all right to say that when our
citizens enter a foreign country they
should do so with the understanding
that they are to abide by the laws or
that country. They should, and they
do, and our Government would be the
last to interfere in the just appllca-
ton of the law of his domtcile to our
citizens. But this is only partial
statement of the case. The admission
Of our citizens within their territory
is a voluntary act of foreign govern
ments. 1t is a tacit invitation. When
we permit foreigners to come here,
and when other countries admit our
citizens, we know and they know that
such aliens come and go not only un-
der the rights and duties imposed Dy
domestic law. but also under the rights
and duties imposer by international
law. There is nothing unfair, nothing
imperialistic, in this principle. 1t mas
been universally adopted and recog-
nized as right and just, and is the
only reasonable method by Which en-
heightened humanity can safeguard
friendly intercourse among the citizens
of different nations. This policy has
been adopted in furtherance or the
humanitarian desire for a universal
reign of law.
Involved in Mexico.
"These principles are involved In
some Of the difficulties that we have
recently been trying to work out with
foreign nations, especially with Mexico.
We have had claims against that coun-
try running over a long series OF
years, growing out of the death Oh
s,oxox, re o,,y. citi1ans and tha loss of