THE MONROE DOCTRINE 409 



of Santo Domingo had nothing to do with the Monroe doc- 

 trine, and the admission of the island into the Union was 

 considered by Congress in reference only to the actual value 

 or worthlessness of the territory. Unfortunately the debate 

 in Congress was so characterized by bitterness of personal 

 feeling and antagonism to the President, that the friends 

 of General Grant felt obliged to withdraw the bill before 

 a vote could be taken upon it. 



Shortly after the close of the Civil War a movement was 

 inaugurated in Congress looking to acquisition of territory 

 north of the United States. A series of conflicts between 

 upper and lower Canada had awakened the British Govern- 

 ment to the advisability of uniting her Canadian posses- 

 sions into a single dominion. This was accomplished by 

 what is called the British North American Act. This act 

 united in close ties of confederation the provinces of 

 Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince 

 Edward Island, Manitoba, and British Columbia, with a 

 Parliament at Ottawa. More cordial feelings between the 

 provinces were thus brought about by the acknowledgment 

 of mutual interests and dependence. 



In some quarters objections were made in the United 

 States that this act of Great Britain was in violation of the 

 spirit of the Monroe Doctrine, because it seemed to be 

 antagonistic to the proper fulfilment of the destiny of those 

 provinces, which eventually would become a part of the 

 United States. Mr. Seward declared that " British Colum- 

 bia, by whomsoever possessed, must be governed in con- 

 formity with the interests of her people and of society upon 

 the American continent." 



Congress also considered a resolution which voiced the 

 uneasiness of the country at witnessing " such a vast con- 

 glomeration of American states, established on the monar- 

 chial principle, such a proceeding [the confederation] being 

 in contravention of the traditionary and constantly declared 

 principles of the United States, and endangered their most 

 important interests." 



In this case, as in the preceding one, the application of 



