| Show AN UNDERSTANDING NEEDED I is reported from Europe that the Presidents speech on the Monroe doctrine doc-trine has been received with much favor In Europe as defining more precisely than heretofore what this country means by It and as tending to assure the world that the small nations of South and Central America will not be protected In wrongdoing I But what we need In this country and In the case of those small nations is 0 more perfect understanding of what we mean ourselves by the Monroe Mon-roe doctrine how those pmull nations construe It and how far they are disposed dis-posed to yield precedence to the United Stales and conform their conduct to that precedence and guidance and how far we need the coODeratloii of Lhose nations in asserting our dominance domi-nance as icgardd European powers and toI I wl t extent we shall receive their acquiescence and support Without t such understanding wllh these our neighbors It might sometime some-time brine1 to us L very puillng dilemma as for Instance If one or more of them were determined in defiance de-fiance of Lhe Monroe doctrine to sell n foothold on Ibis hemisphere to some European power cither In satisfaction of some claim or otherwise J we Interfered In-terfered we might have to fight the South American nation as well as the I ntrudlng I European nation in I order to enforce the Monroe doctrine This doctrine in fad and In essence is a sort of protectorate and It is i high time that we obtained from the nations to be protected the right to Intervene In their behalf Nothing less than this will save us from all sorts oC trouble one of these days No higher service could any Secretary of Slate do to this country a well as to the Central and South American nations than to obtain IL clear recognition of our rights and duties in this behalf |
