THE MONROE DOCTRINE 413 



'had urged the United States as the " oldest of the republics 

 of the new continent," and therefore the one called upon " to 

 lend the others its powerful moral support in disputes with 

 European nations," to intercede in its behalf. Without 

 -exception, the replies from Washington expressed sympathy 

 with Venezuela in her controversy. In some instances assur- 

 ances were given that if Great Britain were wrongfully seek- 

 ing to extend the lines of her Guiana colony, such action 

 would be regarded by the United States as an unjustifi- 

 able encroachment upon the Western Hemisphere, and 

 therefore a subject coming clearly within the scope of the 

 Monroe Doctrine. Moved by these representations, Mr. 

 Frelinghuysen, in 1882, had offered to propose to Great 

 Britain a submission of the question to the arbitrament 

 of a third power, should Venezuela so request. In a 

 letter to Mr. Baker, American Minister resident at 

 Caracas (January 31, 1883), he outlined the attitude of the 

 United States one of strict impartiality, but favorable to 

 the employment of good offices toward inclining Great 

 Britain to arbitrate. There was a word of caution to Mr. 

 Lowell, the American Minister in London (July 7, 1884), not 

 to commit the United States "to any determinate political 

 solution" of the question, which at that time indicated 

 clearly the conservative attitude of the government. In 

 this letter Mr. Frelinghuysen stated that 4 ' The moral posi- 

 tion of the United States in these matters [alleged foreign 

 encroachments in the Americas] was well known through 

 the enunciation of the Monroe Doctrine, but formal action 

 in the direction of applying that doctrine to a speculative 

 'case affecting Venezuela seemed to be inopportune, and I 

 could not advise Venezuela to arouse a discussion of the 

 point." 



Venezuela readily accepted the arbitration proposals of 

 the United States, but not without some show of embar- 

 rassment. Should the United States use its good offices in 

 an endeavor to incline Great Britain to submit the 

 matter to the arbitrament of a third power, the United 

 .States, therefore, as mediator in the case, would likely be 



