The weekly clarion., 1870-12-15

a Mohroe. Mr.. Adams and Mr.. Clay eontem
Plated when they proposed TO join in Tn
Congress of Panama During the last ses
sion of Congress treaty Tor the annexation
a of San Domingo to the Uaited States faileu
!, to receive the requisite two thirds vote O
{ the Senate. | was thoroughly c0nvincei
then that the best interests of this countr.
commercially and materially demand IL
: ratification. Time has on.y confirmed N
: ia this view | now firmly believe that tn
moment it is known that The United State
J have entirely abandoned t9e project of &C
cepting as part Of its territory the IsIanG
: of San Domingo, free pof will be nego
tlated for by European nations In the BaV
I of Samana. A large commercial city viii
: spring up. TO which we viii be tributary
without receiving corresponding benefits
and then will be seen the folly of our re-
jecting so great prize. The Government
OF San Domingo has voluntarily sought thi:
annexation. 1t IS a weak power numbering
probably less than one hundred and twenty
Thousand souls. and vet possessing one Of
the richest territories undei the sun, capa-
BILE of supporting a population of ten mil
lions OF people in luxury. The people oi
san Domingo are not capable of maintain
ing themselves in their present condition,
| and must look for outside protection. They
! yearn for the protection ofo free insritu-
| tions and laws. our progress and civiiza-
! ton. Shall we refuse them2
4 The acquisition ofSan Domingo is desira-
i Bile because II its geographical position. Ii
| commands the entrance to the Caribbean
sea and Isthmus transit of commerce. 1t
! possesses the richest soil. best and most ca
paeious harbors. most salubrious climate
and the most valuable products of the for
\ est. mine and soil of any of the West India
/ Islands. It's possession by US will. i'm a few
! years, build up coastwise commerce of i'm
mense magnitude, which will go far to-
wards restoring to us our lost merchant ma
rine. 1t will give to us those articles which
we consume so largely and do not produce
thus equaliZing exports and imports. In
case OF foreign war, it will give us COM
mand OF all the Islands referred to- and pre-
vent an enemy from ever again possessing
himself of rendezvous upon our very coast
AT present our coast trade between States
bordering on the Atlantic and those border
ing on the Gulf of Mexico is cut in two by
the Bahamas and the Antilles. Twice we
must as it were pass through foreign coun-
tries to get bv sea from Georgia to the west
coast OF Florida. san Domingo, with
stable Government under which her i'm
mense resources can be developed, will give
remunerative wages to tens of thousands OF
laborers not now upon the island. This la
bor will take advantage of every available
means of transportation to abandon the ad-
iacent islands and seek the blessings of free
dom and its sequence, each inhabitant re-
ceiving the reward of his own labor. Por-
To Rico and Cuba will have 10 abolish sla-
very as a measure of self-preservation to
retain their laborers. San Domingo will
become a large consumer of the products of
Northern farms and manufactures. The
cheap rate at which her citizens can be fur
niShed with food, tools and machinery will
make it necessary that contiguous islands
should have the same advantages in order
to compete in the production of sugar cof-
fee, tobacco, tropical fruits, etc.
This will open to us a still wider market
for our products. The production of our
own supply of these asticies will cut off
more than one hundred millions of our an
nual imports besides largely increasing our
exports. With such a picture, it is easy To
see how our large debt abroad is ultimately
TO be eXtmguished. With a balance OF
trade against us, including interest on
bonds held by foreigners and money spent
by our citizens travelling in foreign lands,
equal to the entire yield of the precious
metals in this country, it is not so easy to
see how this result is to be otherwise ac-
complished. The acquisition of San Domin-
go is an adherence to the Monroe doctrine:
it is n measure of national probation; it is
asserting our just claim To a controlling in.
1uence Ofthe great commercial traffic soon
to flow from West to East by the Isthmus of
Darien; it is to build up our merchant ma
rine; it is to furnish new markets for the
products of our farms, shops and manufac-
tories. | [ is to make slavery insuppCrtable
in Cuba and Porto Rico at once AMI ulti-
mately; so i'm Brazil. Ii is to settle she un-
happy condition of Cuba and end al exter-
minating conflict. 1t is to provide honest
means of paying our honest debts without
orr~t2Xing he people. 1t is to furnish our
citizens with the necessaries of everyday
lite at cheaper rates than ever beore; and
it is, in fine, rapid stride towards that
greatness which the intelligence industry
aud enterprise of the citizens of the United
states entitle this country TO assume among
nations.
In view of the importance Of this ques-
ton. L earnestly urge upon Congress early
action expressive Of!ts views as to the best
means of acquiring San Domingo. Ny sug-
gestion Is that by joint resolution of the two
houses of Congress the Executive be au-
thOrlzed to appoint commission to negoti-
ate treaty with the authorities of San Do
ningo for the acquisition of that island, and
that an appropriation be made 10 defray ex-
penseS of such commission. The question
may then be determined either by the ac-
tion of the Senate upon the treaty. or the
Joint action of the two houses Of Congress
upon resolution of annexation, as in the
case of the acquisition of Texas. so con-
Yinced am | of the advantages TO flow from
the acquisition of San Domingo, and of the
great disadvantages, L might almost say
calamities, TO flow from non-acquisition,
that believe the subject has only to be in
vestigated to be approved. 1t is TO be re-
gretted that our representations in regard
To the injurious effects. es Oecialy upon the
revenue of the United States, of the policy
of the Mexican Government in exempting
tory on our borders. have not only proved
fruitless. but that it is even proposed in that
country to extend the limits within which
the privilege adverted to has hitherto been
enjoyed. The expedieney of taking into
your serious consideration proper measures
for countervailing the policy referred to,
WILL it is presumed, engage your earnest
cooperation. 1t is the obvious interest, es-
pecially of neighbOring nations, to provide
against impunity 60 those who NAV have
faI binb ariuaae rxyitbfr, hor
and who may have sought refuge abroad. |
For this purpose eXtradiIion treaties have
been concluded with several of the Central |
American Republics, and others are in pro-
greSs. The sense OF Congress is desired, as
early as may be convenient, upon the pro-
ceedings of the commission on claims |
against Venezuela, as communicated in my |
message of March 16, 1869, March /, 1870, |
and March 81, 1870. 1t has not been deem |
ed advisable to distribute any of the money |
which has been received from that Govern |
ment nntil Congress shall have acted upon
the subject. The massacres of French and
Russian residents at Tientzin, under cir
eumstances of great barbarity, were sup
posed by some TO have been premeGitated,
and TO indicate purpose among the popu- |
lace to exterminate foreigners in the Chi
nese Empire. The evidence fails to estab-
lish such a supposition, but shows COM
plicity between the local authorities and
the mob The Government at Pekin, how@
ever, seems to have been disposed to fulfil
its treaty obligations, so far as it was able to
do so. Unfortunately the news of the war
between the German States and France
reached China soon after the massacre. 1t
would appear that the popular mind became
possessed with the idea that this contest
extending TO Chinese waters would neutral
iZe the Christian influence and power. and
that the time was coming when the super
stitious masses might expel all foreigners
and restore mandarin influence. Antici-
rfptF IA franN I n
vited France and North Germany to
make an authorized suspension of hos
tilities in the east where they were tempo
rarily suspended by act OF the commanders,