THE MONROE DOCTRINE 357 



self taken so prominent a part in framing. This, too, was in 

 spite of the fact that he believed the Americas had a system 

 and interests of their own, removed from and perhaps op- 

 posed to those of Europe. When called upon to act, there- 

 fore, President Adams narrowed his former position and 

 declared a new doctrine. " Let every state defend the integ- 

 rity of its own territory." That, after all, was a useless 

 suggestion. 



Clay followed the sentiment of his chief, the United 

 States should not be obliged to guarantee the execution of 

 the principles of the Monroe Doctrine. 



The Senate and House passed resolutions, reaffirming the 

 policy of non-interference, asserting the broad principle 

 that the people of the United States should be left free to 

 act, in any crisis, as their own honor and policy might dic- 

 tate. Monroe Doctrine or no Monroe Doctrine, in case of 

 foreign aggression, the Government of the United States 

 should always be at liberty to follow the course of action 

 that the necessities of the occasion called for. There should 

 be no fixed rule to govern future contingencies and embarrass 

 the nation. Daniel Webster seems to have voiced the ma- 

 jority opinion of Congress during this Panama debate, when 

 he said : 



It [Monroe's Declaration] did not commit us, at all events, to 

 take up arms on any indication of hostile feeling by the powers 

 of Europe towards South America. If, for example, all the states 

 of Europe had refused to trade with South America until her states 

 should return to their former allegiance, that would have furnished 

 no cause of interference to us. Or if an armament had been fur- 

 nished by the allies to act against provinces the most remote from 

 us, as Chili or Buenos Ayres, the distance of the scene of action 

 diminishing our apprehension of danger, and diminishing also our 

 means of effectual interposition, might still have left us to con- 

 tent ourselves with remonstrance. But a very different case 

 would have arisen, if an army, equipped and maintained by these 

 powers, had been landed on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, 

 and commenced the war in our own immediate neighborhood. 

 Such an event might justly be regarded as dangerous to ourselves, 

 and, on that ground, call for decided and immediate interference 



