Evening star., 1933-12-29
Text of Roosevelt Speech
Policy OF Non.Interyention With Arms Is Pledged
by President at Dinner Honoring
Woodrow Wilson.

try, Woodrow Wilson accelerated com.
prehension on the part Of the people
themselves. It is, I believe. true that
the events Of the past 10 months have
caused . greater interest In govern
ment, the problems OF government ant
the purposes Of government than in any
similar period In our history: and YET
this recent interest and comprehension
would have been impossible for the
American people had they not had from
Woodrow Wilson the original stimulus
and the original understanding Of which
In that speech in Mobile, Presiden,
Wilson first enunciated the definite
statement that the United States will
never again seek one additional foot OF
territory by conquest" The United
States accepted that declaration Of
policy. President Wilson went further
pointing out with special reference tc
our Latin American neighbors that ma
terial interests must never be made su-
per1or to human liberty.
Nevertheless and largely as a result
Of the convulsion Of the World War and
its after effects, the complete fruition of
that policy Of unselfishness has not in
every case been obtained. And in this
We, all Of Us, have TO share the re-
sponsibility.
Opposes Armed Intervention.
I do not hesitate to say that II I had
been engaged in q political campaign
as q citizen Of some other American
republic, I might have been strongly
tempted to play upon the fears Of my
compatriots Of that republic by charging
the United States of North America
with some form Of imperialistic desire
Of some other republic might have
found it difficult to believe fully in the
altruism Of the richest American repub-
lie In particular, as citizen OF some
other republic, I might have found 1t
hard to approve of the occupation of
the territory of other republics, even as
q temporary measure.
1t therefore has seemed clear to me
as President that the time has come TO
supplement and to implement the
declaration of President Wilson by
further declaration that the definite
policy OF the United States from now
on Is one opposed to armed intervention.
The maintenance Of constitutional
government In other nations Is not q
sacred obligation devolving upon the
United States alone. The maintenance
OF law and the orderly processes of gov
eminent In this hemisphere is the con-
Germ Of each individual nation within
its own borders first OF all. It is only
If and when the failure of orderly proc
eSseS affects the other nations of the
continent that 1t becomes their concern :
and the point to stress is that in such
an event it becomes the joint concern
OF whole continent in which We are
all neighbors.
1t Is the comprehension Of that doc
trine-a comprehension not by the lead
ers alone but by the peoples of all the
American republics, that has made the
conference now concluding its labors in
Montevideo such fine success A better
state Of feeling among the neighbor ma
tions Of North and Central and South
America exists today than at any time
within a generation. For participation
in the bringing about Of that result we
can feel proud that so much credit be-
longs TO the Secretary OF State of the
United States, Cordell Hull.
In the wider world field a chain Of
events has led, Of late. away from rather
than towards the ultimate objectives of
Woodrow Wilson.
The superficial observer charges this
failure to the growth of the spirit of
nationaliSm. But, In so doing he Sug-
gests nationalism in its narrower. re-
strictive sense. and q nationaliSm OF
that kind supported by the overwhelm-