In 1915, however, the United States took the island under its protection by a treaty which not only gave the Government complete control of the fiscal administration but bound it to "lend an efficient aid for the preservation of Haitian independence and the maintenance of a government adequate for the protection of life, property, and individual liberty." Since 1898, then, the map of the Caribbean has completely changed its aspect.

The sea is not an American lake, nor do the Americans wish it to be such.

In time, as the surrounding countries become better able to stand alone, direct interference on the part of the United States will doubtless become less than it is today.

There is, however, practically no present opportunity for a non-American power to establish itself and to threaten the commerce or the canal of the United States.
Few people in the United States and perhaps fewer in the countries involved realize from what American influence has saved these small states.

A glance at Africa and Asia will suggest what would otherwise have been the case.