funds for enjoying the pleasures of that capital, after he, like
so many others, shall have been, in turn, kicked out of his
country by some new bandit stronger than he.

So far so good. If the citizens of Venezuela like or permit that
sort of thing, outside nations have no call to interfere; but
this petty despot, having robbed, maltreated, and even murdered
citizens of his own country, proceeded to maltreat and rob
citizens of other countries and, among them, those of the German
Empire. He was at first asked in diplomatic fashion to desist and
to make amends, but for such appeals he simply showed contempt.
His purpose was evidently to plunder all German subjects within
his reach, and to cheat all German creditors beyond his reach. At
this the German Government, as every government in similar
circumstances is bound to do, demanded redress and sent ships to
enforce the demand. This was perfectly legitimate; but
immediately there arose in the United States an outcry against a
"violation of the Monroe Doctrine." As a matter of fact, the
Monroe Doctrine was no more concerned in the matter than was the
doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints; but there was enough
to start an outcry against Germany, and so it began to spread.
The Germans were careful to observe the best precedents in
international law, yet every step they took was exhibited in
sundry American papers as a menace to the United States. There
was no more menace to the United States than to the planet
Saturn. The conduct of the German Government was in the interest
of the United States as well as of every other decent government.
Finally, the soldiers in a Venezuelan fort wantonly fired upon a
German war vessel--whereupon the commander of the ship, acting
entirely in accordance, not only with international law, but with