Evening star., 1933-03-12
LATIN NATIONS HOPEFUL
OF ROOSEVELT NEW DEAL
"Good Neighbor" Policy Regarded as
Promise of fNon.Intervention Tariff Re.
vision and Strengthening of Relations.

Chief Executive has more enlightened,
humane conception of international re-
lations than many Of his predecessors
have shown. He looks upon nations not
as artificial, omnipotent states. but as
groups Of individuals, the relations OF
which should be governed by the same
elementary christening principles which
regulate those of the individuals who
form them. The policy Of the good
neighbor" in last analysis Is nothing
more nor less than the biblical precept
Of doing unto your neighbor what you
would that they should do unto you.
Not Only Significance.
Yet, this is not the only significance
Of the new definition advanced by
President Roosevelt. Its merit lies
mainly, as said before, in that 1t ex-
presses in five simple words all that
set Of principles and doctrines which
make up present-day international law
and. even more important, those other
principles, still unprotected today, for
which idealists and progressives have
been striving for decades.
The policy Of the good neighbor"
means equality Of states, respect for
the sovereignty and rights Of other ma
tons, fairness to all Of them and friend
ship with all Of them.
1t means international cooperation.
mutual assistance, collective con-
sciousness.
1t means respect for standing obliga-
tions, sanctity Of treaties, good faith
and confidence in one another.
1t means preference for peaceful, con-
ciliatory methods. 1t means adjustment
Of differences and arbitration of inter-
national disputes. It means peace.
1t means fair, well-regulated eco
nomic contacts among nations and a
sense Of justice in their commercial re-
lationS.
The policy Of the good neighbor"
cannot accept. imperialism, hegemony.
interventions, territorial greed, eco
nomic overlordship, commercial dis
elimination and other doctrines based
on physical force and violence, which
in the past have caused so many con-
flicts and shown so much suspicion and
| diScord.
The policy Of the good neighbor" Is
the direct antithesis Of the policy Of
the big stick" of fateful memory for
Latin America
AS far as Latin America is concerned,
in my last article listed three stand
ards by which time would judge whether
the new deal' had been extended to
the other side Of the Rio Grande. They
were:
(a) Preservation and development Of
the policy of non-intervention in. and
respect for the sovereignty Of the small
Caribbean republics, inaugurated in
part during the Hoover-Stimson regime,
but In opposition to the policies Of
previous Republican and Democratic
administrations.
| pending and immediate Latin Ameri-
can emergencies, such as the Chaco
and Leticia conflicts.
Co Revision Of discriminatory GUS
toms tariffs and strengthening of gen.
eral inter- American economic relation
ships.
Promise Carried Out.
The announcement of the policy Of
the good neighbor," made by President
Roosevelt, carries a promise that all
three of these Latin American aspira-
tions will be carried out. In the po-
litical field the policy of the good
neighbor" is the best recognition of the
Latin American theory Of non-interven-
ton and equality of states. President
Roosevelt himself defined the good
neighbor" as the one who "resolutely
respects himself and, because he does
In the economic field the policy OF
the good neighbor" can only stand for
those ideals of cooperation and Just
treatment among nations which prevail
in the relations of individual neigh
bors who, because of their common in
terests, are interested in the common
good of all Besides, the President. in
another section Of his remarkable
speech. referred to "our interdependence
on each other" and added that I'VE
cannot merely take, but we must give
as we'll" which may also be interpreted
as favoring the readjustment Of inter-
national commercial relations in more
just terms.
Finally, in his brave condemnation OF
the money changers" in still another
part of the speech, Latin Americans
may find some reference to certain du-
bious practices of Wall Street bankers
in disposing of Latin American bonds.
which were on the front page only .
few weeks ago.
For all this, but above all, because
the policy of the good neighbor" ad-
vanced by President Roosevelt embodies
the only basis for a real Pan-Amer-
icanism-a Pan-Americanism of equal
rights and mutual obligations-1 con-
tend that the masterful speech of the
new Chief Executive has advanced the
date when Latin Americans may feel
confident that they shall not be left out
Of the new deal"
tCopyright. 19333