66 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 



The civil war destroyed the slave power and the desire to acquire 

 territory for slave purposes. The doctrine devised by Polk in the 

 interest of slavery seemed to be dead. But now after nearly half 

 •a century it is revived in the interest of foreign commerce. It 

 suggests an old epigram: 



" To kill twice dead a rattlesnake, 



And off his scaly skin to take, 



And through his head to drive a stake, 



And every bone within him break, 



And of his flesh mincemeat to make. 



To burn, to sear, to boil and bake, 



Then in a heap the whole to rake, 



And over it the besom shake 



And sink it fathoms in the lake — 



Whence after all, quite wide awake. 



Comes back that very same old snake." 



The Polk doctrine is an encroachment upon the rights of foreign 

 states. This fact is so clear that the wonder is that it does not 

 appeal to every one the moment it is stated. The explanation 

 perhaps is that frequent repetition secures its acceptance much as 

 we incline to believe a false report that is often repeated. The 

 first and most fundamental doctrine of international law asserts the 

 sovereignty, independence and equality of states. They are sover- 

 eign in the regulation of their internal affairs, independent of 

 interference in their relations with other states and equal in rights. 

 This is precisely the doctrine stated by John Quincy Adams,* 

 when urging the declaration in the cabinet meeting. 



"Considering the South Americans as independent nations," 

 he said, "they themselves and no other nations have the rigJit to 

 dispose of their condition. We have no right to dispose of them, 

 either alone or in conjunction with other nations. Neither have 

 any other nations the right of disposing of them without their 

 consent." 



From equality of rights results a corresponding equalit}' of obli- 

 gations. The same rights belong to all — the same duties rest upon 

 all — the greatest as well as the smallest, the strongest as well as 

 the weakest. Strength confers no privileges and weakness grants 

 no exemptions. If the weak state injure the strong one, it must 

 make reparation. It is the duty of the strong state to seek it 

 peaceably, it is her right to secure it forcibl}^ if necessary. 



In 1854 the people of Greytown, Nicaragua, insulted the Ameri- 

 can minister and destroyed American property. The United 

 States sent a war-ship there and, failing to secure an indemnity, bom- 



*" Memoirs," Vol. 6, p. 108. 



