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。