THE PAN-AMERICAN IDEAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 73, 25 March 1912, Page 4

THE PAN-AMERICAN IDEAL.

I It wa= certainly a good idea on the j part of President Taft to dispatch the American Secretary of State on a diplomat!: tour through the far States of Central and South America. For the signs of the times are pointing steadily in the direction of trouble between the Latin-American Republics oii the one hind, and the I'nited State? or the European Powers on the other. No doubt the Latin-Air.ericnn Republics appreciate the importance of the Monroe Doctrine arid the value of the protection that it affords them. But while they have come to cx]>«t the United State* to guard every part of America against all foreign aggression—as witness Castro's appeal vhen Kngland and Germany attacked Venezuela—they are not at all disposed to acquiesce in unconditional subjection to Washington. Along with the nvklrtssiscss and the impracticability of the Latin-American goes a Kubs-tantial endowment of racial arro* ganco and self-sufficiency which makes : him i very difficult person to handle. i Mr. Secretary Knox found this out for himself during his recent tour; for the Soqth American States seem at first to have regarded his attempts at conciliating them a 9 iIJ-bred patronage, nnd they resented it accordingly. However. t<iat difficulty has been got over; at least Mr. Knox has persuaded him•ie.lt that his mission has had the effect of smoothing away all diplomatic difficulties between the United States and their southern neighbours. Kb donbL it is true that the most capable and progressive of South Amcrjca'3 statesnncn in rewnt y«»rs hove looked steadily toward closer .relations with tha United States as th.? one practicable solution of their diplomatic difficulties with foreign Powers. The Pan-Ameri-can Congresses, though they hare not produced formal compacts and alliances, have Yen by no mean 3 barren of results. For they have at least accustome<! the Latin Americans to look to Washington for sympathy and guidance. And what is more important still is this, that they have helped the leading American statesmen of the day to understand that the !Monroe Doctrine implies responsibilities a3 well a<? rights, and that it is the duty of the Washing-, ton Government to maintain order and protect foreign interests in all parts of America,.to which it denies the European Powers access. If Mr. Rnox's tour has helped to impress this important truth; upon the Americans in both continents, he -will deserve all the credit that he is apparently claiming now from his fellow count rvmon.