Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-02-01
San DemInge and Its Resources.

| From the able speech OF Hon. W. ID.
Kelley, in the House on Friday last, we
make the following extracts.
OF the commercial Importance Of annex
! alton. he says:
No gentleman who has not given special
attention to this question can have any
idea of the proportion our commerce with
| the West India Islands bears to our entire
foreign commerce. Whether tested by the
amount ne import from each country, or
| by the total of our imports and exports to
| and from each country, our trade With the
| West India Islands stands second; that
with the United Kingdoms of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, alone exceeding It,
II Is true that our exports to France exceed
our exports to the West Indies; but our
imports from the islands are more than
Gssy per cent. In advance of those from
France, The countries having dominion
over these islands are careful to SO regulate
their trade that while the American peo-
pie may be the chief consumers of the
raw materials produced bg the colonies,
their own fields, factories and workshops,
and not ours, shall supply them with the
cereals and productions of agricultural and
manufacturing skill and industry. In or
der that gentlemen may have the subject
! fairly and fully before them, ] present a
| statement Of the commence of the United
States with all other countries for the year
ending June %, 1879, as shown by the re-
port Of the Secretary of the Treasury on
commerce and navigation. 1t Is as fol-
lows:
fosst5s s.1 EgRSs s sa s 5.gsr s m a:ta "a 800
Frshss lssI' 49, s siiisS5 90 lSs So
In recent conversation with an intelli-
nF ~ hne
spent many years il Cuba and San Do
>slneo. / said to him, " What would be
:, >effeet of American occupation of San
H., Togo, or its acquisition by us, upon the
IONS and commerce of the island ~
ro P,ouJT, wh;.h he replied:
10 "aion >sys from the occurrence of such
;, nrt n. Domingo will have resumed
nar a tor,- ms -aI -. ton among the producing
.nd cn,,enaerc;al n countries of the world,
and will have becon,N Ne ths weaithiesb ana
most prosperous islanI in ZIG - .iI 20
Under such new circum *Vcs, c., y y,o,,,i,,na M
exceed the Cuba of to-day paE 49,. on.llv .ntaS,
is, in my opinion, worth five uose 81
Cuba is worth. Prior TO the re reSaiutlon "a
l7Se and I7eo, San Domingo ~as the
wealthiest American colonial posSessiSsi
owned by any nation.
In lS4s President Polk ssnt Hon. sonh
Hogan an q commissioner to report tacis
about the Island. Among other things,
he reported the following:
This island is again peculiar from the
number and capacity of its harbors. The
entire coast is studded with deep and vaiu-
sble ports, and intersected with rivers
penetrating far into the interior, which
render all its resources, natural and indus
trial, available in augmenting the power
and extending the commerce of the nation
which either acquires the power OF sove-
rejQnty over 10 or becomes connected with
ID in the relations of mutual independence.
A glance at the map viii exhibit at once
to your eye the inestimable value OF tnis
island, and its commanding position IN IN .
military and commercial light. Inde-
pendently of its own internal resources,
mineral and agricultural. its position rem
1ers this MAGNIFICENT island one OF the
most admirable positions which the world
can exhibit for commercial emporium
Its vast and secure bays would anord smell
ter for the congregsted navies OF the world.
Its situation renders 1t accessible TO the
most important marts of this contlnent.
.Ifs the hands of q powerftI and e,,terpri-
sing 'aotsoN, ste influence sCoukd De fett IN az
the roYatfcotioas Of human coecerns.
Moved by the appeal of the people, ana
Instructed by the action Of all his really
great predecessors, the President proposes
to the country to bless them and the world
by granting their prayer; and for this ne
is assailed by the puny and short-sighted
leaders of the Democratic party. Against
their assaults ! will not pause to de-
fend him. He has vindicated. to
the world and history, the singleness
and reetitude of his purposes by the selec-
fian Of Reniamin f. Wade, Andrew ID.
white. and George s. Howe, as commits
s;onsrs TO make the inquiries ordered by
Cenuress. Truer men than these hecould
not have named, nor men more free from