Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-21

Clarifying Of the administration atti-
tude with respect to the rights Of Ameri-
can citizens In foreign countries brings
general approval TO Secretary Of State
Stimson. His reliance upon the laws
Of nations IS defining the limits Of the
protection that Is to be given Is &C.
cepted as good policy and likely "a
create good win In Pan-America, Col
lection of debts, according to express
sions of opinion, In harmony with the
attitude OF the administration, should
not be one Of the functions OF govern
ment.
Considering the dificulty Of the Sec
retary's position, the Seattle Daily
sibie to please everybody, and the aver
age citizen must conclude that the lot
OF the Secretary of State Is as unhappy
as that Of the policeman In the Gilbert
and Sullivan opera" The Times holds
that mo matter what course Is taken
there are those to say that he has made
a mistake" The kalamazoo Gazette
advises that although the line between
adequate protection of American lives
and domineering interference In other
peoples business may be an extremely
thin one at times, it ought to be OBJ
served as scrupulously as possible" The
Gazette concludes that "the present
administrations program may not be
one Of complete non-interference, but
1t does seem to reflect growing popu-
lar distaStS for using the Monroe Doc
trtne as O handy cloak for meddling In
other countries affairs"
Critics Of the newly stated policy
insist that Americans in Latin America,
especially In the Caribbean states, are
entitled to more protection than inter-
vaak Ia zka 10 u0wRa 10
Springfield (Mass.) Republican, recall
ing Secretary Olneyis spurious dictum
that the United States Is sovereign on
this continent but contepding that 1t
rs still too large an order, and the
Hoover administration is wise not to
increase the hostility of all Latin Amer
lea by attempting to execute it."
\ \ \ \
"Enunciation of the doctrine at q
time when q number of the countries
to the south are said to have defaulted
on their obligations to American in
vestorS is q reassuring omen," declares
the Baltimore Sun. That paper Is con
WINGED that Secretary Stinson, "by this
means, brings profession into line with
practice, and in so doing gives the new
policy q formal blessing that will af-
ford 1t greater stability and greater
promise Of endurance" The Sun FORE
casts: ITO all intepts and purposes, he
proclaimed his Nicaraguan departure
and also his warning on the collection
OF debts by force, as deliberate moves
toward q policy Of reconciliation and
reapprochement by which he hopes to
eliminate the sore spots in our Pan
American diplomacy and free this
country from the costly onns of imp
rialiSrn"
Discussing the military policy of the
United States in Nicaragua, the Nor
gantown Dominion-N News states: Great
statesmen have argued pro and con as
to just what the policy Of our Govern
ment now Is. The poor Marine, accus-
toned to do his thinking In terms of
action and without equivocation, GER
tainly cannot be expected to know Just
what he is in Nicaragua for, If our
greatest statesmen themselves are not
sure. In other words, the Marines who
are down there in the thick Central
American jungles probably would not
know, II SANDING were to appear,
whether to fill him with lead or to
treat him like . long-lost brother.
There Il no argument with the .new
policy. But by all that's right and
just, let us get the rest OF our Marines
out OF Nicaragua, and not have them
stranded there I'm q confusion which
Ill becomes their traditional fighting
qualities"
"The Hocver-stimson policy Is on
the right path" says the Cleveland