THE MONROE DOCTRINE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13350, 7 April 1914, Page 3

THE MONROE DOCTRINE

Addressing a meeting on the subject of "British Interests in the Argentine" Mr Herbert Gibson told the story of the beginning of what is now known as the "Monroe doctrine." Englishmen sometimes think of it to-day as a stronghanded but rather obsolete law, made very long ago, that bids European nations keep their fingers off the fertile lands of South America. It began in the Argentine. The campaign of a hundred years ago, when the South American Spaniards thoroughly thrashed the British soldiers who tried to take the city of Buenoa Ayres, is almost forgotten ; but they did it very effectively. Like all good fighting races England and Argentina shook hands as soon as the bib* fight was over, and ever since then the Republic of Argentina and the United Kingdom have worked together. "It is too well known to require repetition," said Mr Gibson, "that the British were the firflt of European nations to recognise the independence of the Argentine Republic. What preceded that is perhaps less well known. In 1823 some of the leading European Powers were disposed to intervene in their own interests in the little wars that were going on between the Spanish - American communities and Spain itself." It was just at this time that George Canning addressed a letter to Mr Rush, the United States Minister in England, suggesting that Spanish South Americans had thoroughly won their/ title to independence, and that it would be -a splendid benefit both to the South American Republic and to civilisation in general if Great Britain and the United States agreed to support them in resisting 'European aggression or territorial occupation. These views, continued the lecturer, were sent, fby Mr Rush to hi» Government. ""President Monroe saw the value of what Canning had suggested, and incorporated it in his Presidential Message.