Mr. Roosevelt's tour in South America was marked by an
interesting incident during his visit to Chile. Accord- ing to "unofficial advices" received at Washington, the ex-President engaged in a public debate upon the Monroe Doctrine with Dr. Martinez, formerly Chilean Minister at Washington. Dr. Martinez, it appears, in welcoming Mr. Roosevelt, observed that the Monroe Doctrine was a dead issue, whereupon Mr. Roosevelt is stated to have replied that, as an American policy, the doctrine was still very much alive, and to have insinuated that Dr. Martinez was ill-advised to air his views. Dr. Martinez then defended his attitude by saying that he had submitted his speech to the Chilean Foreign Office. As Mr. Roosevelt has upheld the modern American policy of restricting the Monroe Doctrine to the neighbourhood of the Caribbean in his speeches in Brazil and the Argentine, his remarks cannot be interpreted in a Chauvinistic sense. The incident illustrates the sensitive- ness of South America as well as the frankness of Mr. Roosevelt.
