Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-11
LATINS STILL CHAFE
OVER u. S. in NICARAGUA
Critical Elements Refuse to Believe Dis.
interested Action of This Country,
Despite Advantages to All.

States deems that its interventionS In
the Caribbean countries is purely
friendly interference" to insure the
peace among them, in some instances
and in others to protect the lives ano
property of American citizens. while
in South America this interference Is
construed to be arbitrary armed in
terventions'' of which it avails itself to
preserve and protect commercial and
strategic interests.
From the United States point of view,
its attitude can readily be explained.
Thus, opine the supporters of its poll
cies-nobody can criticize the attitude
Of the United States in fastening to
| lend its aid to a small country whose
progress and tranquility are being en-
dangered by internal disorders. In sup
pressing the continuance OF these dis
orders which tend to destroy the very
life of the country so affected; In ma
terially aiding in the re-establishment
! of peace and order, the United States is
faithfully carrying out plan OF action
which historical circumstances have
placed upon her as the leading nation
Of the continent. Besides these, other
great benefits are derived by those
countries, such as the rapid develop
ment of their commerce, industries,
| CCOlIOLlllC d1AN OoAASA UNNoh-
| tages heretofore unknown from the es-
tablishment of Yankee enterprises with
in their boundaries.
Held Undue Aggression.
How many of those republics have al
ready reached that advanced stage Of
| civilization, thanks to the intervention
of the United States! And to this the
Latin Americans reply, that no matter
how beneficial such interventions may
be to them, they constitute an agrees
sion upon the sovereignties OF those
countries; a violation of their rights as
automatic and independent states and
of their liberties. The interference OF
more powerful state in the interest OF
public peace, "even though it may sue
coed in subsiding civil disturbances.
they consider an intrusion" in al
fairs which should be exclusively han
died by the natives of each one OF those
countries.
The Central American republics,
small and weak as they are, form part
of the great concert of sovereign ma
lions, and it is claimed they should
therefore be accorded the same respect
that the other sovereign nations enjoy,
thanks to their strength anc unlimited
resources. It would not occur to any,
body, it is asserted, to suggest the
armed intervention of, say. France, Italy
or Brazil, on the pretext that their in
ternal peace is being menaced. On the
other hand. on various occasions when
several of the Republics on the Carib-
bean Sea were undergoing this state of
affairs, they were considered as good
motives for the landing of Marines on
the Central American shores. This is
exactly the most serious contention of
the Latin Americans who oppose such
interventions, because, 1t is claimed,
without their consent the inherent rights
of those countries to govern themselves
which they acquired at the expense of
their own blood upon their liberation
from the Spanish crown, are being de-
MED. A noted Argentine writer recently
stated that In this respect The words of
Tactic should be remembered. when he
said, "a turbulent liberty is worth more
than tranquil Servitude."
Would LEARN to Be Free"
Political stability, he asserts. will be
accomplished solely by the Latin Ameri-
can countries at the expense of trying
experiences, because they have hardly
enjoyed a century of democracy: but 1t
will be necessary that the United States
allow them to learn to be free"
Such is the prevailing criterion OF the
Southern American countries respecting
intervention. The sovereignty of ma
lions, they contend, consists in the alb
solute right to fully enjoy the itnernal
autonomy and to its complete foreign
independence. This right is enjoyed
by the great powers because Of their
strength, and by the weak because Of
the respect accorded to toem by the
strong ones. Hence they de1uce that all
Intervention, whether armed or diplo-
matte, permanent or temporary, is in
contrapoSition with international law.
However, the great mistake lies in
that those who advocate these ideals
attribute to the United States certain
intentions which it does not have. They
exaggerate its purposes and believe its
attitude to be one of conquest and i'm
perialism. They think of Rome slowly
but surely absorbing her weak neigh
bors. Thus there exists a miSunder-
standing Of political order. If the
Latin Americans could only understand
the true intentions and ideals of the
United States; if they only knew that
this Nation is as far from having impc-
realistic aspirations as our present gen.
Grafton is from the Roman conquests,
they would judge with more leniency
the policies Of America toward Central
America. That unfriendly propaganda
has gone so far that when the United
States undertook to aid in the settle
ment of the old Tacna-Arica contro-
versy by granting these provinces to
Bolivia, which has no seaportS-a lust
and final solution reached by its experts
after long and arduouS Study-even
then there were some who believed that
this was done by the United States with
the view of later on buying those prov
inces and firmly establishing itself
there, or to advocate the formation of
new independent state, which would
eventually be placed under the protec-
torate of the United States, thereby
taking the first step toward the political
intervention OF South America
American Interests Defended.
The other defense offered by the
North American statesmen in iustifying
armed interventionS of the Caribbean
zone Is that of the protection of the
interests OF American citizens residing
IN those countries which are being
! agitated by internal conflicts This is
d traditional principle in the foreign
policies of the United States and the
Marines have accordingly acted in the
defense of this principle in Central
America as well as in China or in
other places.
The Latin American viewpoint in this
respect is as follows: THE citizen who
abandons his native land to live in an
other country is subject to the juris-
diction and laws of the particular coun-
| try where he resides" Hence it does
not seem appropriate that the interests
of foreign citizens should be protected
| forcibly by their own governments
without regam to the laws of the coun-
tries wherein these interests are estab-
lished. Surely, 1t is claimed by the
enemies of the United States, this coun-
try would not permit the armed inter-
vention Of Central America solely to
protect the interests of their subjects