Evening star., 1928-01-15
u. s. FACING STIFF TASK
AT HAVANA CONFERENCE
Greatest Difficulty Seen Before Dele
CATION Is Convincing Latin Americas
of Square-Deal Policy.

harrassingly entangled in the 18th.
mian republic does not remove their
disapproval of the tactics. diplomatic
and military. that brought about our
| troubles there.
! Latin Americans are conscious that
| Washington must have realized the
necessity for drastic action when 1t
dispatched Maj. Gen. Johnny" Le-
| Marine Corps, to Nicaragua. person.
ally TO see that the situation" is got
ten well in hand" without further
| delay.
| Nicaragua. Latin Americans go on
| to explain. is a symbol in their eyes
! of American policy in general. They
wonder whether il is not a concrete
| illustration OF that moral responsible
! ity' which President Coolidge declared
in his New York speech of April 25.
1927. we feel toward the government
OF countries which we have recognized
this side of the Panama Canal" 1t is
not widely known in the United States
how that moral responsibility" state.
ment rankled-and still rankles-in
many sections 10 the south of us II
was heraided as the Coolidge doc
trine" in various countries and inter
preted as proclamation OF American
policy that is immeasurable in its pos.
SibilitieS.
Question "Moral Responsibility"
Does moral responsibility" toward
Latin American countries mean that
the Marines follow the dollar? Does
moral responsibility" denote that the
three billion dollars odd that American
capital invested in Latin America in
1877 has. to that fabulous extent, en-
HANGED the prospect that Marines are
going to be used. more and more. to
protect American investments north
and south of the Panama Canal? Does
moral responsibility" mean super
vised elections. under United States
Marine guard, elsewhere than Mica.
ragua? Does moral responsibility"
presage American Intervention every
time another Sacasa arises somewhere
in South America to challenge the lie.
gitimacy of another Diaz?
IL the plain-dealing Latins who ask.
ed these questions of the writer dur.
| ing the past IS hours in Washington
speak by the book, Messrs Hughes
Morrow, Fletcher. Scott, Rowe. Under.
wood, O'Brien. Wilbur and Judah are
going to be asked them at Havana.
too. Our delegation. OF course. is 60.
ing TO be asked lot about the Mon.
roe doctrine. Is 1t TO remain a uni.
lateral or one-sided Arrangement, or
Is the Big Brother of the North dis
posed 10 expand il into multilateral
declaration of principle. in which all
the II Americas will be on a footing of
equality? VIII Latin America. I'm
short. be converted into a partner in
Monroeism or condemned to remain a
mere beneficiary of it, Are nations
small and weak and undeveloped when
James Monroe cast the bombshelI of
ms doctrine into Old World politics to
continue in precisely the same state
OF implied dependency upon the United
states now that they are big. popu.
ious' sen.respecting and not really
menaced from Europe?
Conference Requested.
III. because Of the banishment OF
any genuine European peril. In NOT
the Monroe doctrine now become a
purely "continental' principle, and.
as such. is Latin America not en-.
titled TO a part in its maintena nee.
IL even as a result Of the merest
gesture OF magnanimity on Wash.
ington's part?
And there's another big question
likely to be posed at the Hughes
delegation OF distinguished Ameri.
cans at Havana. That is, would the
United States, before IL again inter.
venes in Latin American situa ton.
La Nicaragua. be willing to coun.
sci, automatically. with other Latin
governments before rushing the
devil dogs into the situation?
The agenda at Havana don't con
tain any Of these questions. The
agenda deal rather with material
things, like commercial aviation.
trade marks. consular procedure, san.
itstlon. patents. copyrights. highways
and pan-American railroad from
New York TO Buenos Aires. They
deal with codification Of interna.
tional law among the Americas. and
with host Of other important issues.
But this writer In letting no cat out
or the bag when he sets down, I'm
conclusion. that the vast and vital
questions which Latin Americans
really expect TO be tackled. II not
settled, al Havana are those 10
which. with the aid Of frank men
among them in Washington. ref
erence IL here made
ichpyrigh, 1891