New-York tribune., 1873-01-16
THE NEW SANTO DOMINGO.

The news which we publish this morning,
of the ratification of the treaty between Presi-
dent Baez and the Samana Bay Company of
SantO Domingo, is of high Importance not only
to the adventurous merchants who have en-
barked in this remarkable enterprise, but also
to the whole country. The treaty is one of
extraordinary character. 1t transfers to the
Company not merely the privilege of occupy
ing the chief harbor of the Dominican Re-
public, and making their own commercial
regulations, but virtual sovereignty over the
most valuable part of the Republic, and so
powerful an influence over the remainder that
these New-YOrk and Boston gentlemen may
now be called the chief power in that rich
and long neglected country. They may
frame laws for their new possession, appoint
officers TO execute them, levy taxes, establish
custom houses and fix duties on exports and
imports. They may not only build railways,
and telegraphs and canals, and wagon roads
within their own territory, but they have
practically monopoly of the construction of
the same class of works throughout the entire
Republic They have bought up or absorbed
all previous grants and privileges made by
the Dominican Government for internal i'm
provements. Henceforth the development of
the island is wholly in their hands. Indeed,
our chief curiosity is to know what President
Baez has left for himself. Probably, however,
in very few years the inhabitants of the
rest of Santo Domingo will discover that their
petty President and Senate and standing army
are only expensive membranes, and Will
hasten to get rid of them and bring them
selves under the rule of the Company.
DR.. Howe, in his second communication to
us, draws a brilliant picture of the happy re-
suits which are TO flow from this project.
Making all due allowances for the enthusiasm
of one who has been so ardent an advocate
of annexation that he cannot yet do justice to
the motives of those who disagreed with him,
there is, nevertheless, no reason to doubt that
the treaty which has just been ratified may
prove a substantial benefit to the Dominican
people as well as to the merchants who have
paid their money for it, If the Republic had
been annexed under the Babcock treaty, we
should doubtless have found ourselves saddled
with a heavy debt, a multitude of more or
less fraudulent concessions and various per-
nlexities arising out of the addition of an
uncongenial constituency to our heterogeneous
political body. 1t is very doubtful whether
the island would have made any rapid advance
in material prosperity under such a state of
things. It's commerce was already hampered
with grants which annexation would not have
extinguished; legitimate enterprise would not
have fourished in the midst of jobbery; there
would have been few inducements for immi-
grafton from the States; and private capital
would have had no temptation to undertake
the expensive works which are now expected
to change the face of SantO Domingo. The
| General Government would have been called
upon to lay out millions in the construction
of wharves, and harbors, and means of COM
munication, and a few spectators would have
| got all the profit.
But the treaty with the Samana Bay Com
pany places the Santo Domingo question in
new light. American merchants undertake to
regenerate the Republic for their own profit;
and as they 90 about the work in business
like way, with large capital, with ample priv
| ileges, and with the strongest possible inter-
est in doing it well, we may fairly presume
| that they will succeed where the United States
| of America would probably have failed. They
| have rolled all the jobs into one, and legiti-
mated it. They can bring in Yankee en-
ergy and shrewdness wherever 1t is wanted.
They can offer inducements to settlers which
neither Baez nor Congress could have offered
When their country is fit to be made State
of the Union, we may be ready to consider, if
we cannot avert, the question. Meanwhile the
United States will contribute nothing to the
support of the growing community, and will
have the satisfaction, such as it may be, Of
flying its flag in the West Indies-whereat we
trust the annexationists will be duly happy
| ... ---