The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-15
Thc Sam Domingo Invc.tigalion.

WAsHISGTOS, ID. {, June ~, 1870.
Tie San Domingo Investigation, with
out any further order from the Senate,
will probably take wide enough range
TO include an examination Of the charge
Of fraud and jobbery in connection with
the treaty. This on the whole is perhaps
better than the proposed inquiry by the
Foreign Relations Committee, for the re-
port and testimony will now be made
public ultimately, while in that case the
matter would have been conducted in
secret session. The friends OF Hatch have
put in IL long statement from him, but 1t
relates principally to his work and i'm.
prisonmcnt, and dealings with Bacz and
Cabral, and is not Of paramount public in.
tcrcst, though it shows outrageous treat
ment by BaCz and considerable proficiency
In lying on the part Of that individual and
his associates, and is Il suggestive com.
mcntary on his character and his method
of action on questions OF public policy.
Gen. BabCock and Consular Agent Perry
have each been on the stand several times
and both are likCl y~tO he there again.
There is direct contradiction between
them on the essential point with reference
TO Hatch. Perry details conversations he
says he had with BabCOCk, and even goes
so far as to say that BabcOCk gave him to
understand that the President wanted
Hatch kept out Of the way. This BabcOCk
sQuarely denies, and he also deuies that
Perry told him specifically about Hatchs
case, us Perry aiilrms he did. Perry
broke ont pretty sharply against Babcock
at one sitting Of the Committee, and said
he could endure q good deal, but could
not boo" tn hear such .misstntCment Of
facts in the case. BabcOCk was searching
" CrOss.eXamincd by Ferry and others.
His friends are confident he will come
out all right, while those who put faith in
Perry are certain he will come out all
wrong. The differences between the two
are so radical that the result must depend
largely on other evidence. 1t Is under
stood that u dispatch hus been put in from
one OF Bacz's Ministers, in which it ap.
pears there was Il disposition on the part Of
the Dominican Government at least TO
keep Hatch out of the way until the treaty
had been concluded and ratified. Hatch,
in his personal statement, says he has long
been in favor of annexation, and believes
it will ultimately come TO that but he op-
poses the Baez treaty, because he knows
there is jObbery behind it.
These charges Of corruption have never
taken formal shape, but some idea can be
given Of what they are. II is asserted, for
one thing, that the San Domingo ring,
numbering some twenty or thirty per
sons, some Of them DOminicans, have got
hold of various buildings ut low figure,
that it is intended our Government shall
buy at high figures after annexation takes
place. Another charge is that the ring
has got IL secret title to various salt mines,
logwood groves and tracts of mineral
land; that some Of, these belonged 10
the Dominican Government, and are
covered and conveyed to the Uni,
ted States by the treaty, but will
be claimed by private parties, on grants
from Baez as soon us that document is
ratified. There are also charges that
large tracts OF public lands, Of valuable
quality, have been COnditiOnally granted
to the ring, in connection with Il railroad
charter, since the treaty was negotiated,
and that the charter and land grant will
come 10 llHuI Ill u NHllu lulLl u W. SIt
the Island, and be thrown up if the treaty
fails or is rejected. \ further charge is
that purchases OF property likely to he
needed By our Government were made,
with the stipulation that they were to be
paid for in certain kind OF Dominican
paper money; that this money has since
been immensely deprecated by order or
Inrrnn Of Ro0y and that the Finn has
bought it upa cheaper rate in gold, and
hold it to use IN paying for its property if
annexation succeeds. There are other
charges somewhat similar in general
character to these, but how much truth
there is in any Of them will hardly be
known till the investigating committee
makes its report, and perhaps not even
then, as there is no way of reaching the
Dominicans, who are said to be in the
ring, Of which it is thought by some that
Bacz himself is silent and unseen mem
Der.