Show it A M ama MM NW 11 pt n k g M 01 c T gw k OR N ON a 1 2 2111 N AM V li lak n n M mat eff P washington in proposing a peace pact for the western hemisphere president wilson roosevelt in his policies foil fell speech at buenos aires has directed attention to two important positions that the united states has taken in its foreign relations whether mr roosevelt so intended or whether it is by the very nature of the circumstance he nevertheless has set up before the american people the necessity for reexamination of the age old monroe doctrine and has brought up for fresh scrutiny the policies of president woodrow wilson that were designed to establish eventually world peace by collectivist action I 1 think that it must be admitted that the wilson policies for international peace have not worked anyone who examines them squarely and frankly must recognize one outstanding inescapable fact they have proved to be the illusions of an idealist they constitute a landmark however and in so doing it seems to me they should serve as a guide on what not to do candidly the wilson policies beautiful in theory that they were have been shown to be futile because they did not consider the perfidy nor the chicanery of european statesmen they were predicated upon a belief that the world leaders were sincere in their desire for peace and it is sad but true that such is not the case in other words the wilson theories that were up into a to be called the league of nations overlooked the element of human fallibility it requires only a brief r review of the history of the league of nations to reveal the definite conclusion that there is an absolute lack of sincerity on the part of the european statesmen each one has been concerned only with gains and advantages accruing to his own nation his actions have been permeated to the core with selfishness sometimes aggravated with desires for personal distinction the league tell fell down in dealing with dussias Rus sias stalin and germanys germanas Germ anys hitler it took a mighty flop in the movement to check italis mussolini in ethiopia having flattened out none of the three above mentioned has any respect for the lea league 9 ue authority when you add to this the absolute dismissal of the league as a world influence as was done by japan you have less than nothing left mussolini said the other day that in order to straighten out the euro tangle it would be acs illusions sary to wipe out all of the illusions he could have referred only to the tha slogan upon which we entered the world war namely the war to make the world safe for democracy later it will be remembered the world war was the war to end war neither of these slogans bore fruit each was an illusion a dream of world peace held by a great man whose only weakness in assuming world leadership was that he trusted other statesmen as he trusted the american people to arrive at a sound conclusion and stick to it I 1 am not prepared to say that the wilson policies led us in a wrong direction the fact remains however ever r that the war that was to make the world safe for democracy led directly into destruction of democracy and the establishment of fascism and communism in various parts of the world as an important factor in the government of peoples all of this of course was not visible nor predictable at the time the policies were initiated it is all too plain now however and that is why president roosevelt can very ery well be governed in his new move with the pan americas he can proceed upon a pan american basis with at least a hope of success because it is quite apparent that the americas north and south can protect themselves if arrangements for prevention of war relate only ito to the western hemisphere international affairs will have to be considered Isi si obviously but amo among ng those authorities with whom I 1 have talked about this problem there seems to be little doubt that if the idea of collectivist action first enunciated in the wilson policies is to avail anything it must be applied not to the world but to a section of the world I 1 noted in the official agenda the program outline of the buenos aires conference no boss that no reference wanted at all was made to the monroe doctrine apparently that course had to be followed the monroe doctrine is a ticklish matter among our neighbors to the south frankly they do not like it considering all of the factors involved in the monroe doctrine there seems no conclusion ahead but eventual abandonment of that pronouncement no when I 1 say that I 1 do not mean that the principles of the monroe doctrine nee need A be thrown into the ocean yet the name has been the focal point around which much antagonism has been built up and the romantic latin blood of south america can hardly be expected ever again to subscribe to the monroe doctrine by that name what then is the course the monroe doctrine whether it was ever so intended has placed the united states in a position where it is made to appear as a boss no nation of people enjoys being bossed so if the buenos aires conference is to result in a definite understanding by which the peoples of the western hemisphere are welded together in an effective group some understanding must be evolved which will replace the ill will engendered by the monroe doctrine possibly that understanding lies in the direction being followed by president roosevelt apparently he is willing to subordinate the monroe doctrine and concede to those other peoples on behalf of the united states the end of our undoubtedly it will be a slow process present P r e s e n t generations throughout the south american nations will be suspicious for a time and will move with caution but there are many who believe in eventual agreement among the western nations on a general policy that will keep us all out of european and far eastern entanglements entangle ments to a greater extent than ever before the thing that may break down the apparent roosevelt pl plan an is the circumstance of drawn swords and cocked rifles in europe at the moment it is entirely possible that before concrete adhesion among the north and south american peoples ican can be accomplished explosions in europe may take place if they do propaganda agents of the conflicting powers will be abroad instanter attempts will be made to alienate various nations in the western hemisphere to align them with one side or the other in the european controversy it may well be that this condition will ruin the roosevelt program before it gets under way but a start has been made and succeeding generations will profit if the peoples of north and south america can come to regard themselves as an individual group that is willing to make sacrifices necessary to cut off european connections when the european statesmen insist on fighting there is yet one more thought concerning the south american sessions there are students of international ter affairs who already are saying that history has repeated itself and that the united states has lost as usual in its diplomatic dealings they are saying that the revision of the monroe doctrine and the rebirth of that policy under a new name represents a gift by the united states it may well be that such has occurred but among saner minds I 1 believe the conviction is that the monroe doctrine already has undergone so many alterations and revisions that a major operation on its structure will clarify the picture the monroe doctrine was designed originally of course to prevent european nations from gaining a foothold in either of the americas that danger is definitely past why then is it necessary to perpetuate an antiquated policy that has no purpose any longer thus it seems to me that if a revision even a casting out of the monroe doctrine can eliminate suspicion of our governments purposes among those peoples inhabiting ha biting the same hemisphere it is not too much to pay there was a great banquet held at one of the hotels in washington a few days ago it barf birthday aday is 15 not unusual for observed great banquets to be held in the capital city but most of them are just banquets the one to which I 1 refer however had a significance that is quite unusual it commemorated the establishment of the united states patent office and celebrated its one hundredth birthday something like eleven hundred inventors research scientists representatives senta tives of industry and patent office officials entered the great dining room by candlelight then the toastmaster waved a wand over one of the greatest inventions of modern times and the room was bathed in an electric brilliance the like of which wh ich has never been seen the action typified told the story of scientific development in the united states and elsewhere 0 western newspaper union |