AsregardswhatIhavesaidinthischapterconcerningSocialism,I
wishtocallespecialattentiontotheadmirablebookon“MarxismversusSocialism。”whichhasjustbeenpublishedbyVladimirD。
Simkhovitch。WhatIhave,hereandelsewhere,merelypointedoutinroughandreadyfashionfromactualobservationofthefactsoflifearoundme,ProfessorSimkhovitchinhisbookhasdiscussedwithkeenpracticalinsight,withprofundityoflearning,andwithawealthofappliedphilosophy。CrudethinkersintheUnitedStates,andmoreoverhonestandintelligentmenwhoarenotcrudethinkers,butwhoareoppressedbythesightofthemiseryaroundthemandhavenotdeeplystudiedwhathasbeendoneelsewhere,areveryapttoadoptastheirownthetheoriesofEuropeanMarxianSocialistsofhalfacenturyago,ignorantthatthecourseofeventshassocompletelyfalsifiedthepropheciescontainedinthesetheoriesthattheyhavebeenabandonedevenbytheauthorsthemselves。WithquiethumorProfessorSimkhovitchnowandthenmakesanallusionwhichshowsthatheappreciatestoperfectionthisrathercuriousqualityofsomeofourfellowcountrymen;asforexamplewhenhesaysthat“ASocialistStatewiththefarmeroutsideofitisaconceptionthatcanrestcomfortablyonlyintheheadofanAmericanSocialist。”oraswhenhespeaksofMarxandEngelsasmen“towhomthinkingwasnotanirrelevantforeigntradition。”Toomanythoroughlywell-meaningmenandwomenintheAmericaofto-daygliblyrepeatandaccept——muchasmedievalschoolmenrepeatedandacceptedauthorizeddogmaintheirday——variousassumptionsandspeculationsbyMarxandotherswhichbythelapseoftimeandbyactualexperimenthavebeenshowntopossessnotoneshredofvalue。ProfessorSimkhovitchpossessesthegiftofcondensationaswellasthegiftofclearandlogicalstatement,anditisnotpossibletogiveinbriefanyideaofhisadmirablework。Everysocialreformerwhodesirestofacefactsshouldstudyit——justassocialreformersshouldstudyJohnGrahamBrooks’s“AmericanSyndicalism。”
FromProfessorSimkhovitch’sbookweAmericansshouldlearn:First,todiscardcrudethinking;second,torealizethattheorthodoxorso-
calledscientificorpurelyeconomicormaterialisticsocialismofthetypepreachedbyMarxisanexplodedtheory;and,third,thatmanyofthemenwhocallthemselvesSocialiststo-dayareinrealitymerelyradicalsocialreformers,withwhomonmanypointsgoodcitizenscanandoughttoworkinheartygeneralagreement,andwhominmanypracticalmattersofgovernmentgoodcitizenswellaffordtofollow。
Nonationcanclaimrightswithoutacknowledgingthedutiesthatgowiththerights。Itisacontemptiblethingforagreatnationtorenderitselfimpotentininternationalaction,whetherbecauseofcowardiceorsloth,orsheerinabilityorunwillingnesstolookintothefuture。Itisaverywickedthingforanationtodowrongtoothers。Butthemostcontemptibleandmostwickedcourseofconductisforanationtouseoffensivelanguageorbeguiltyofoffensiveactionstowardotherpeopleandyetfailtoholditsowniftheothernationretaliates;anditisalmostasbadtoundertakeresponsibilitiesandthennotfulfilthem。DuringthesevenandahalfyearsthatIwasPresident,thisNationbehavedininternationalmatterstowardallothernationspreciselyasanhonorablemanbehavestohisfellow-men。Wemadenopromisewhichwecouldnotanddidnotkeep。Wemadenothreatwhichwedidnotcarryout。Weneverfailedtoassertourrightsinthefaceofthestrong,andweneverfailedtotreatbothstrongandweakwithcourtesyandjustice;andagainsttheweakwhentheymisbehavedwewereslowertoassertourrightsthanwewereagainstthestrong。
AsalegacyoftheSpanishWarwewereleftwithpeculiarrelationstothePhilippines,Cuba,andPortoRico,andwithanimmenselyaddedinterestinCentralAmericaandtheCaribbeanSea。AsregardsthePhilippinesmybeliefwasthatweshouldtrainthemforself-
governmentasrapidlyaspossible,andthenleavethemfreetodecidetheirownfate。Ididnotbelieveinsettingthetime-limitwithinwhichwewouldgivethemindependence,becauseIdidnotbelieveitwisetotrytoforecasthowsoontheywouldbefitforself-
government;andoncehavingmadethepromiseIwouldhavefeltthatitwasimperativetokeepit。WithinafewmonthsofmyassumingofficewehadstampedoutthelastarmedresistanceinthePhilippinesthatwasnotofmerelysporadiccharacter;andassoonaspeacewassecuredweturnedourenergiestodevelopingtheislandsintheinterestsofthenatives。Weestablishedschoolseverywhere;webuiltroads;weadministeredaneven-handedjustice;wedideverythingpossibletoencourageagricultureandindustry;andinconstantlyincreasingmeasureweemployednativestodotheirowngoverning,andfinallyprovidedalegislativechamber。NohighergradeofpublicofficialseverhandledtheaffairsofanycolonythanthepublicofficialswhoinsuccessiongovernedthePhilippines。WiththepossibleexceptionoftheSudan,andnotevenexceptingAlgiers,Iknowofnocountryruledandadministeredbymenofthewhiteracewherethatruleandthatadministrationhavebeenexercisedsoemphaticallywithaneyesingletothewelfareofthenativesthemselves。TheEnglishandDutchadministratorsofMalaysiahavedoneadmirablework;buttheprofittotheEuropeansinthoseStateshasalwaysbeenoneofthechiefelementsconsidered;whereasinthePhilippinesourwholeattentionwasconcentrateduponthewelfareoftheFilipinosthemselves,ifanythingtotheneglectofourowninterests。
IdonotbelievethatAmericahasanyspecialbeneficialinterestinretainingthePhilippines。Ourworktherehasbenefitedusonlyasanyefficientlydoneworkperformedforthebenefitofothersdoesincidentallyhelpthecharacterofthosewhodoit。Thepeopleoftheislandshaveneverdevelopedsorapidly,fromeverystandpoint,asduringtheyearsoftheAmericanoccupation。ThetimewillcomewhenitwillbewisetotaketheirownjudgmentastowhethertheywishtocontinuetheirassociationwithAmericaornot。Thereis,however,oneconsiderationuponwhichweshouldinsist。Eitherweshouldretaincompletecontroloftheislands,orabsolveourselvesfromallresponsibilityforthem。Anyhalfandhalfcoursewouldbebothfoolishanddisastrous。WearegoverningandhavebeengoverningtheislandsintheinterestsoftheFilipinosthemselves。IfafterduetimetheFilipinosthemselvesdecidethattheydonotwishtobethusgoverned,thenItrustthatwewillleave;butwhenwedoleaveitmustbedistinctlyunderstoodthatweretainnoprotectorate——andaboveallthatwetakepartinnojointprotectorate——overtheislands,andgivethemnoguarantee,ofneutralityorotherwise;that,inshort,weareabsolutelyquitofresponsibilityforthem,ofeverykindanddescription。
TheFilipinoswerequiteincapableofstandingbythemselveswhenwetookpossessionoftheislands,andwehadmadenopromiseconcerningthem。ButwehadexplicitlypromisedtoleavetheislandofCuba,hadexplicitlypromisedthatCubashouldbeindependent。Earlyinmyadministrationthatpromisewasredeemed。Whenthepromisewasmade,I
doubtiftherewasasinglerulerordiplomatinEuropewhobelievedthatitwouldbekept。AsfarasIknow,theUnitedStateswasthefirstpowerwhich,havingmadesuchapromise,keptitinletterandspirit。EnglandwasunwiseenoughtomakesuchapromisewhenshetookEgypt。Itwouldhavebeenacapitalmisfortunetohavekeptthepromise,andEnglandhasremainedinEgyptforoverthirtyyears,andwillunquestionablyremainindefinitely;butthoughitisnecessaryforhertodoso,thefactofherdoingsohasmeantthebreakingofapositivepromiseandhasbeenarealevil。JapanmadethesameguaranteeaboutKorea,butasfarascanbeseentherewasneverevenanythoughtofkeepingthepromiseinthiscase;andKorea,whichhadshownherselfutterlyimpotenteitherforself-governmentorself-
defense,wasinactualfactalmostimmediatelyannexedtoJapan。
WemadethepromisetogiveCubaindependence;andwekeptthepromise。LeonardWoodwasleftinasGovernorfortwoorthreeyears,andevolvedorderoutofchaos,raisingtheadministrationoftheislandtoalevel,moralandmaterial,whichithadneverbeforeachieved。WealsobytreatygavetheCubanssubstantialadvantagesinourmarkets。Thenwelefttheisland,turningthegovernmentovertoitsownpeople。Afterfourorfiveyearsarevolutionbrokeout,duringmyadministration,andweagainhadtointervenetorestoreorder。Wepromptlysentthitherasmallarmyofpacification。UnderGeneralBarry,orderwasrestoredandkept,andabsolutejusticedone。
TheAmericantroopswerethenwithdrawnandtheCubansreestablishedincompletepossessionoftheirownbeautifulisland,andtheyareinpossessionofitnow。Thereareplentyofoccasionsinourhistorywhenwehaveshownweaknessorinefficiency,andsomeoccasionswhenwehavenotbeenasscrupulousasweshouldhavebeenasregardstherightsofothers。ButIknowofnoactionbyanyothergovernmentinrelationtoaweakerpowerwhichshowedsuchdisinterestedefficiencyinrenderingserviceaswastrueinconnectionwithourinterventioninCuba。
InCuba,asinthePhilippinesandasinPortoRico,SantoDomingo,andlaterinPanama,nosmallpartofoursuccesswasduetothefactthatweputinthehighestgradeofmenaspublicofficials。ThispracticewasinauguratedunderPresidentMcKinley。Ifoundadmirablemeninoffice,andIcontinuedthemandappointedmenlikethemastheirsuccessors。Thewaythatthecustom-housesinSantoDomingowereadministeredbyColtondefinitelyestablishedthesuccessofourexperimentinsecuringpeaceforthatislandrepublic;andinPortoRico,undertheadministrationofaffairsundersuchofficialsasHunt,Winthrop,Post,WardandGrahame,moresubstantialprogresswasachievedinadecadethaninanypreviouscentury。
ThePhilippines,Cuba,andPortoRicocamewithinourownsphereofgovernmentalaction。InadditiontothisweassertedcertainrightsintheWesternHemisphereundertheMonroeDoctrine。Myendeavorwasnotonlytoasserttheserights,butfranklyandfullytoacknowledgethedutiesthatwentwiththerights。
TheMonroeDoctrinelaysdowntherulethattheWesternHemisphereisnothereaftertobetreatedassubjecttosettlementandoccupationbyOldWorldpowers。Itisnotinternationallaw;butitisacardinalprincipleofourforeignpolicy。Thereisnodifficultyatthepresentdayinmaintainingthisdoctrine,savewheretheAmericanpowerwhoseinterestisthreatenedhasshownitselfininternationalmattersbothweakanddelinquent。Thegreatandprosperouscivilizedcommonwealths,suchastheArgentine,Brazil,andChile,intheSouthernhalfofSouthAmerica,haveadvancedsofarthattheynolongerstandinanypositionoftutelagetowardtheUnitedStates。TheyoccupytowarduspreciselythepositionthatCanadaoccupies。Theirfriendshipisthefriendshipofequalsforequals。MyviewwasthatasregardsthesenationstherewasnomorenecessityforassertingtheMonroeDoctrinethantherewastoassertitinregardtoCanada。Theywerecompetenttoassertitforthemselves。Ofcourseifoneofthesenations,orifCanada,shouldbeovercomebysomeOldWorldpower,whichthenproceededtooccupyitsterritory,wewouldundoubtedly,iftheAmericanNationneededourhelp,giveitinordertopreventsuchoccupationfromtakingplace。ButtheinitiativewouldcomefromtheNationitself,andtheUnitedStateswouldmerelyactasafriendwhosehelpwasinvoked。
Thecasewasandiswidelydifferentasregardscertain——notall——ofthetropicalstatesintheneighborhoodoftheCaribbeanSea。Wherethesestatesarestableandprosperous,theystandonafootingofabsoluteequalitywithallothercommunities。Butsomeofthemhavebeenapreytosuchcontinuousrevolutionarymisruleastohavegrownimpotenteithertodotheirdutiestooutsidersortoenforcetheirrightsagainstoutsiders。TheUnitedStateshasnottheslightestdesiretomakeaggressionsonanyoneofthesestates。Onthecontrary,itwillsubmittomuchfromthemwithoutshowingresentment。
Ifanygreatcivilizedpower,RussiaorGermany,forinstance,hadbehavedtowardusasVenezuelaunderCastrobehaved,thiscountrywouldhavegonetowaratonce。WedidnotgotowarwithVenezuelamerelybecauseourpeopledeclinedtobeirritatedbytheactionsofaweakopponent,andshowedaforbearancewhichprobablywentbeyondthelimitsofwisdominrefusingtotakeumbrageatwhatwasdonebytheweak;althoughwewouldcertainlyhaveresentedithaditbeendonebythestrong。Inthecaseoftwostates,however,affairsreachedsuchacrisisthatwehadtoact。ThesetwostateswereSantoDomingoandthethenowneroftheIsthmusofPanama,Colombia。
TheSantoDomingancasewasthelessimportant;andyetitpossessedarealimportance,andmoreoverisinstructivebecausetheactiontheretakenshouldserveasaprecedentforAmericanactioninallsimilarcases。DuringtheearlyyearsofmyadministrationSantoDomingowasinitsusualconditionofchronicrevolution。Therewasalwaysfighting,alwaysplundering;andthesuccessfulgraspersforgovernmentalpowerwerealwayspawningportsandcustom-houses,ortryingtoputthemupasguaranteesforloans。Ofcoursetheforeignerswhomadeloansundersuchconditionsdemandedexorbitantinterest,andiftheywereEuropeansexpectedtheirgovernmentstostandbythem。SoutterwasthedisorderthatononeoccasionwhenAdmiralDeweylandedtopayacallofceremonyonthePresident,heandhispartywereshotatbyrevolutionistsincrossingthesquare,andhadtoreturntotheships,leavingthecallunpaid。Therewasdefaultontheinterestduetothecreditors;andfinallythelatterinsistedupontheirgovernmentsintervening。TwoorthreeoftheEuropeanpowerswereendeavoringtoarrangeforconcertedaction,andIwasfinallynotifiedthatthesepowersintendedtotakeandholdseveraloftheseaportswhichheldcustom-houses。
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