THE MONROE DOCTRINE 321 



When Rush's despatches relating his interviews with 

 Canning reached Washington in September (1823) the 

 President was plunged into a sea of doubt and perplexity. 

 He fully realized the importance of the question as he saw 

 plainly the approach of the dreaded clash ; it was the spirit 

 of absolutism, angered and jealous, which was seeking to 

 arrest the progress of democracy in the Western Hemi- 

 sphere. To him the subjugation of the South American 

 colonies by France, or by the combined forces of the Holy 

 allies, pointed directly to the absorption of those colonies 

 by the great powers and their forcible return to the sway 

 of imperialism. It meant the hedging in of the United I ' 

 States by its natural enemies, and the possible overthrow of j 

 republican institutions at home. He was determined from! 

 the first to act, but in just what manner was the question. 

 To unite with Great Britain in a joint declaration to the 

 powers for the furtherance of any end whatever, would be to 

 enter upon an entangling alliance; indeed, to subvert a sacred 

 policy of his countryf** To issue a declaration such as the 

 occasion called for would involve an interference in the affairs 

 of foreign nations, and if issued alone by the United States 

 it might avail nothing against the forces of combined Europe. 



Jefferson was then in retirement at Monticello, removed 

 from the cares and vexations of public life, but to this aged 

 statesman, Monroe turned for advice. To Madison as well, 

 also in retirement at his Virginia home, the President for- 

 warded copies of the Rush- Canning correspondence, solicit- 

 ing his counsel in this critical matter. The replies of these 

 two men are valuable historical documents. That of Jeffer- 

 son is as follows : 



MONTICELLO, October 24, 1823. 



DEAR SIR, The question presented by the letters you have 

 sent me, is the most momentous which has ever been offered to 

 my contemplation since that of Independence. That made us a 

 nation, this sets our compass and points the course which we are 

 to steer through the ocean of time opening on us. And never 

 could we embark on it under circumstances more auspicious. 

 Our first arid fundamental maxim should be, never to entangle 



