New-York tribune., 1871-12-13
S1NTO DOMINGO.
A LECTURE BY FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN FAVOR
OF ITS ANNEXATION.

A LECTURE BY FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN FAVOR
OF ITS ANNEXATION.
Frederick Douglass lcctured last night at
stenway Hall, under the auspices Of the Mercantile
Library Association, before q large and intelligent
audience, on the annexation Of "santo Domingo
He said:
Santo Domingo ought share the blessings Of fre
Government This island is large as Ireland, and
capable Of supporting much larger population Setting
aside the political question OF annexng portion OF 1t to
this country, shall find enough whether We consider
It geographically, socially or historically, to induce
more intimate acquaintance with 1t. The Ameri-
can people should view tho annexation OF Santo
Domingo this country from the point OF universal,
brotherly love. In this aspect tho question should be-
rather, "What can we do for SantO DomingOl" than,
"What advantage can its annexation confer upon.us ~
We ought to look that island do upon Poland
and Ireland. No country ever more blessed by ma
ture or cursed by man, than SantO Domingo. She
s Interesting because Of her past history. and OF her
present condition. well because she Is the first part
of American soil which trodden by the
white mans foot. Historically she is tho start
ing point Of American civilization To stand upon
the same free air that Columbus breathed IS OF
any Amercan's heart and to make him desire that this
island should be portion OF the country which he calls
myseres 9TH Of the and here
sky first displayed the symbol Of mans redemption
May Mae Ss newer toSeSsa " the SeT,Ensisad shore;
of santo Domingo which i. the espitaI
well worth voyage If not snipwrect. to see It, The
their % prrect likeness TO one another is that they seem
~ n planned and built by the same architect COMPLETED
on the same day and inhabited by the family That
remarkable likeness which characterzes the houses is
IN the who as a as fS
be fonnd in the entire community:
TGG OK ha W
monuments and modering churches with Their silent
ston RSls that everything; and
alteration Of the s s there S1 Cne
,sa the same deveopment Of character will take place
There s nothing that exalt man into hero ON the
Snse Ss mani into ter like the s1ugs Of the
trade on this island Much has been said OF the horrors OF
thew were but the naura result of the expampes Of the
rapaco,ls masters who sought to esave them 1t was
that oneha OF the universe be exterminafed lot it
IAppausej think that the Latin race, having less DIS
iSl4 ssns ow Sn' eharsn faSS. f%"s
Ts Esyi they accorded them an position
were not Is high as % he whse 1hty NOR %eps
slaves. In this equvoca position the muattc became
caste and IKE all ether n ea'es fe Dst x S
from from both by complexion and position and bound to
asr pomnso 'ae aed woud side with either a: his inclination
or interest might lead him at the time Hence society
in that island was constantly In state OF dlsurDance
From what saw and heard in santo Domingo found
that the Latin civilization has been there most con.
snicuous and Rnomnios failure. 1t has taken one OF
the most beautiful and fertile islands and has con,
Quoted it to the very extremity Of barbarism Latin
civilization and Latin Christianity there have utterly
failed but that why Saxon cvllzation ana
Protestanfsn should fail too Though the climate there
rendors extreme physical cxertOn unpleasant tninK
by vise division Of and labor and the application
OF Yankee ingenuity. the working classes may DC
rendered a. comfortable and happy as in any other
made there ia that the people who owned fhe isand
have never inade good Of ts people an object Ihey
have swept it's wealth into foreign countries ana re-
tnrned IL nothing Had One-tenth Of that wealth Deen
Xnended m improving the people would be to-day IN
prosneros condition. While large proportion OF lts
n6uuIon are quiet and peaceabe, they are easlly ea
ibrongh their ignorance into revolutionary
large majority Of the people OF santo D9minso "io
ta5av I'm favor of annexation to the United states.
One OF the objections to annexation 10 tnat te IoPot
To belong to the cOlOrcd race The answer 70 tnh
a. that n s too late the day TO attempt 70 Dud up
me- nat,nns m the ground OF color or race: lAppansel
Another objection is that the island would DC dcut % ~
defcnd Well anything worth defending 10 always dnl
ut ~ defend: The things most highly priced are the
most d,tIicult TO defend. But, ENGLAND can deehu
Jamaica 1000 miles away the United states Gugn 10 w
able TO defend santo Domingo only snree Gays a away
Iinnlsnsej Plant there the btar.bpanged Banner,
and IL viii need other defense. lAplMaustsl
San+o Domingo is not large enough to be naiio sne
might do well enough for State But u SAIL w mHae a
dn w. want with santO Domingo |" Well, what 40 we
,yant with coffee sugar cocoa, or with anything eso
think we want that island quite as much as We wa.eu
Alatk Langhterl We paid for that' pu' t'' we '"n
get for nothing .a.,,
At the close Of the lecture Mr. Dougnas was persoh'
ally cong ratulated by many gentlemen present.