Evening star., 1934-02-25
What Recognition Means
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larly to a European country, but it
| matters enormously to Central
American country because to that
country normal relations. especially in
trade, are essential to existence.
We had drifted long way from
T, the safe simplicity of the Jeffersonian
principle when we adopted for Latin
/ America the criterion OF the consti-
tutionality of the government. In
deed, this was a drift toward the old
European principle OF monarchial
legitimacy. 1t is true, of course, that
there had been inevitable develop
ments from the too rigid dictum Of
Jefferson. No principle which is alb
solutely static has life. 1t was pos
sible in the first years of the republic
to lay down definite rules which ap-
piled to conditions as they then ex-
listed: but those rules, during the
course of a century, either had to be
stretched or discarded.
For example. Jefferson said moth
ing as to the willingness of govern
ment seeking recognition to live up
to its obligations under international
law in its relations with other ma
tions; primarily, of course. with the
United States. AS years went by this
proviso became more and more in
portant. because year by year the
xxyNrId cfed AS i,fa
trade increased. as the nations were
more and more closely bound to one
! another 1t was essential that the great
body Of international law which gov
erned relations between the nations
should be safeguarded and strength
ened. Business Is dependent on credit,
| and there can be no credit unless
men can depend on the good faith OF
nations. There can be no such good
faith II successive governments repu-
diate the obligations made by their
predecessors.
Must Meet Obligations.
For these reasons it grew to be COM
| mon practice to insist that a nation
seeking recognition should be not only
| in control Of country, with the sub
stantial consent of the people, but
that it should signify its intention to
fulfill its international obligations. AS
this gradually became one of the eS-'
sentials of recognition so far as this
| country was concerned, so 1t was
equally adopted as essential by other
nations. Mexico is the only nation,
80 far as I know, which demands
nothing as q prerequisite to recogni-
ton except control of the machinery
Of government.
Another natural outgrowth Of the
Jeffersonian doctrine and by no means
inconsistent with it Is the tendency to
go little slowly in recognizing new
! government, especially when it has
assumed Office as the result Of revo-
luton. In the days when John Adams
was President it did not particularly
matter whether the American Govern
ment recognized new government or
not; in the days of Franklin D. Roose-
velt it matters great deal.
Today American recognition, espe-
cially in the Western Hemisphere, is
taken by the rest of the world as a
certificate Of character, and the other
nations follow suit. This means that
unless We want to do great deal of
damage, we must pay strict attention
to the question of whether the new
government really represents the pop
ular will and therefore is likely to
retain power.
Developments Normal.
These two accretions to the tradi-
tional American doctrine of recogni-
| tion-proof that the new government
Will fulhll its international obliga-
tons and delay in recognition to be
sure that the new government really
represents the will of the people and
Is likely to last-may be called normal
| developments. 1t was because the
Soviet government at first was believed
to be ephemeral and not the creation
OF the Russian people, and later be-
cause it was unwilling to live up to
its international obligations, that the
American Government for IS years
and more refused to recognize it. The
Wilsonian doctrine of constitutionality
was not development from the Amer
lcan tradition but rather a departure
from 1t. The doctrine as to recogni-
ton OF revolutionary governments in
Central America, although it is similar
to the Wilson doctrine, is less a de-
parture from traditional American
practice than it is an exception to
that practice - this because it was
never meant to apply anywhere except
In Central America
The republics of Central America
had got into the habit of substituting
revolution for orderly election This
was disastrous for their own economy;
1t became a matter of serious concern
to the United States after the Panama
Canal was built and in operation. At
their own suggestion Mr.. Hughes, when
he was Secretary of State, invited these
nations to Washington to consider a
treaty covering this question Of revo-
lutions-or rather to make a much
earlier treaty more specific.
| They agreed, as between each other,
not to recognize any government which
came In through revolution. The
! agreement was detailed and specific,
making it almost impossible for any
| revolutionary leader to succeed to
power even if he were regularly elected
after he had seized the government.
Mr.. Hughes stated that the United
States would support them by recog-
nizing only when they had done so
themselves according to the terms Of
their treaty.
Revolutions Fewer.