Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-17

The Senate having ratified the Kellogg
multilateral treaty of peace by vote of
IS to /, the report comes Immediately
that the reiteration of our Monroe Doc
trine, which accompanies the ratiflca-
ton in an explanatory Interpretation, is
sure to arouse Latin American opposi-
ton to the treaty.
Of all the betes noirs in some minds
located somewhere south of the Rio
Grande, the Monroe Doctrine is the
most formidable, because most mis-
understood. 1t Is held responsible for
all the expansion and development of
the United States since the Revolution.
Because of the Monroe Doctrine CD we
purchased Florida. The Monroe Doctrine
is responsible CD for our annexation of
Texas after that province had revolted
from the tyrant of Mexico, Santa Anna,
and had appealed to the United States
for protection. Because we babe Europe
keep hands off, in the warming of the
Monroe Doctrine, we acquired California
and all the rest Of the country won by
our Mexican War. The Monroe Doctrine
enabled us CD to conquer Spain in 1898
and so acquire the Philippine Islands
(for which we paid many millions of
dollars to defeated SPAIN and to seize
Porto Rico, and by the Platt amend
ment guaranteeing free and independent
republican government of Cuba we
must somehow have gained sovereignty
over that island, and later when we
put a stop to anarchy in Haiti it was
CD the Monroe Doctrine which author
lied US to do so.
We have twice withdrawn our po-
Icing troops from Cuba and have
turned Haiti back to the Haitians, but
dnocv7if hot on
roe Doctrine enables us to go back and
enforce order there whenever rebels
begin shooting up their government
Look at Panama, where France fell
down trying to build the interoceanic
canal, and we completed the job at a
cost of hundreds of millions of dollars
We are guilty of paying Panama
$40 100000 for the privilege of building
that line of transportation across her
mountains. and then agreeing to pay
her $250,000 a year in perpetuity; also
out of the goodness of our hearts we
paid Colombia, from which Panama
situation, $25,000,000 as consolation
sop.
Just what all those events had to do
with President Monroe'S announcement
in 1923, that never again would Europe
be permitted to COLOMBO or swap terri
tory in the Western Hemisphere, under
Europe'S theory of the divine right of
kings to the earth and all that is
therein. and balance of power, remains
a mystery.
Just as we bought the license to
build the Panama Canal, so we paid
Nicaragua 100000 for the right to
build an interoceanic canal across her
territory incidentally giving her a
much-needed connection between her
own East and West), and when rebels
| threatened anarchy there, her lawful
government voluntarily appealed to the
| United States to give her military aid,
as well as to protect our own canal
interests by insuring stable government.
What has Monroe's notice to Europe
| to keep hands of of America, North,
Central or South, to do with our pro-
| lection of Nicaragua? No more than
do with the safety of good citizens IN
| Salem, Mass.
The fact is that the directors to the
Monroe Doctrine, who appear so jealous
of the power of the United States to
defy the now defunct Holy Alliance and
| to protect all America from European
aggression and intrigue, have failed to
discover the difference between the
Monroe Doctrine warning Europe and
hegemony of America. which is only
slightly related to the Monroe Doctrine
If related at all.
Within the last decade the Monroe
Doctrine was interpreted by the late
Secretary of State Robert Lansing when
he disillusioned Japan as to its scope In
connection with the Lansing-IShii
treaty. Secretary Lansing reported to
the Senate at the time the treaty was
up for ratification the following con-
versation" with Ambassador Ishii:
Then 1t was during the same inter-
view that we mentioned paramount in
tereSts,' and he (IShiD made a refer
ence to the 'Mcnroe Dictrine' of the Far
East, and told him that there seemed
to be a misconception as to the under
lying principle of the Monroe Doctrine;
that it was not an assertion OF primary
or paramount interest by the United
States in its relation to other Ameri-
can republics; that its purpose was to
prevent foreign powers from interfering
with the separate rights of any nation
in this hemisphere. and that its whole
aim was to preserve to each republic
the power of self-development. I said
further that so far as aiding in this
development the United States claimed
no srecial privileges over other coun-
tries"
So when Japan actually proclaims
Monroe Doctrine" for the Orient 1t
will mean that foreign invasion of China
must cease and the American OPEN
door policy be enforced: that China, as
we'll as Japan, may maintain her indie
pendence and sovereignty. Why should
the United States object to that? We
invented the "open door" and have al
ways supported Chinese sovereignty In
her own country. just as We do Ameri-
can sovereignty and independence for
all American republics.
X X r X
The hope of the United States is that
every republic of this hemisphere will
proclaim the doctrine as its own, as
well as ours. Nevertheless. the Monroe
Doctrine is variously interpreted. even
by high authority in the United States,
as we'll as in Latin America, although
it Is not clear upon what historic basis
it is confused with hegemony-the right
of a nation to declare and maintain
dominant influence for its own protec-
ton within a certain sphere where its
interests are ieopardized. Hegemony
may have been the root of the original
adoption of the Monroe Doctrine, but
the Monroe Doctrine as a specific de-
tense may be enforced regardless of our
hegemony interests.
For example, in 1895 Great Britain
undertook to encroach upon the terri
tory of Venezuela and was putting the
boundary between that country and
British Guiana upon rollers so that it
could be pushed westward to suit the
interests of British Guiana. Protests.
both by Venezuela and the United
States, were ineffective, until President
Cleveland announced that the Monroe
Doctrine would call forth all the force
of our Navy to protect the South Ameri-i
can republic. We set up no claim to