The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-03-09
A Set Up job.

II ne Ot. raul DcSDQLcH, RADICAL, tnuS
speaks of the San Domingo Commits
sioners, and the motives which in
duced their appointment:
Everybody knew when Ben Wade
was appointed on the San Domingo
Commission that he was furiously in
favor of annexation. Old Ben is one
of the furious sort of men. He has
got the notion into his head that an
nexation is the proper thing, and he
will fight it out on that line, to the
end. He could as well have given his
report on the day the Tennessee sailed
in January, as to wait until the mid
die of April and then sign one. This
is the reason why Mr.. Wade was se-
lected, because his report would be in
favor of annexation. Gen. Grant ap-
pointed Mr.. Wade becadse he wanted
just such a man.
Mr.. White was appointed to please
Mr.. Conkling. one of the San Domin-
go lobbyists, who put the job through
the House. Mr.. White is an intimate
friend of Mr.. Conklfng, and happened
to be in the New York State Senate
when Mr.. Conkling was elected. to
the United States Senate. He is a
first class school master, and in his vo-
cation is almost without peer. He
has one of the curious school master
minds that makes him very valuable
man for the investigation of little
things, and the collection of Irrelevant
statistics. OF course he is more or
less dogmatic and self opinionated but
one. who means to be clever and ami
able. How much information he can
gather on the annexation question,
pure and simple, is problematical. He
does not understand Spanish, but
lisps French little, while Ben Wade's
knowledge of these languages is about
equal to that of a Kangaroo.
Last summer Mr.. White narrowly
escaped being made Minister to Eng
land. When that position was beg
ging, Mr.. Conkling was consulted,
and he commended Mr.. White, and
Secretary Fish was directed to offer
him the salary that is paid for keeping
a man at the Court of st. James, Just
then Senator Morton happened to visit
Washington. 1t occurred to the Pres
ident that it would be prime strategy
to appoint Morton, so he had the let
ter to Mr.. White suppressed, and told
Conkling he would give his friend
some other good thing. And this is
why Mr.. White came to go to San
Domingo, and is sample of the basis
upon which appointments are made.
DR.. Howe was appointed because he
is an old man, and an enthusiastic phi
lanthropist, and an intimate friend of
Sumner. The theory on which he
was appointed was, that he is known
as lifelong advocate of self govern
meut, and had spent some of his best
and younger years in aiding the
Greeks aud Poles aud Cretans in their
struggles for independence, he would
naturally fall into the annexation
scheme, and report signed by him
favoring annexation would be very
annoying to Mr.. Summer, whom the
President would be gratifed to see
stung in this way.
These. seem to be the dominating
motives that controlled the selection
of the Commissioners. The whole
make up of the thing indicates the de-
termination to have a report in favor
of annexation. The first installment
of the reports of the proceedings of
the Commission indicate that the
right selection was made to secure the
end sought.
Because this is to be the result of
the expedition to San Domingo, it
does not follow that the people of the
United States will endorse the pro-
ject. The possession of that piece of
property will prove costly one, and
the first business on hand will be a
war. Half the island may be bought,
but the other half will be gained only
at the end of fight, and futnre pos
session and peace secured only by the
presence of standing army. This
may be agreeable to few SPECTATORS,
but it will be an outrage on all the
other citizens of the United States.