The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-17
The. st. Domingo Land Company-A
Grand Project on Paper.

Our readers have seen, by what appeared in
our columns yesterday, that the ST. Domingo
question has been revived in new form.
This time, however. it is apparently without
the objections that surrounded it two years
ago. Then the proposition was to annex the
st. Domingo Republic. The President of the
United States proceeded so far as to negotiate
for annexation, and obtained the consent of
Congress to appoint Commission to 60 to
st. Domingo to report upon the advsability Of
annexing that Republic. Our readers will re-
member that the frigate Tennessee carried the
Commission with all the ''pomp and circum-
stance of great national undertaking; that
the Commission reported favorably to the
scheme; but that, after all, the Senate was
adverse to the proposition. Yes, Senate
having an overwhelming majority of the ad-
ministration party refused to ratify this
administration project. Public sentiment was
against it, and in this case, at least the Senate
acted in accordance with the public will
Among other objections to annexation the
one that had great weight both with Senators
and the people in causing the scheme to be re-
jected was the stupendous job of the St Do
mingo Land Company, which was at the bot
tom of it. This company had obtained from
Baez, the President of st. Domingo a grant
Of about one-third of all the public lands of
the Republic, and the parties who had worked
up the annexation project were those inter-
ested in the grant. In this new scheme we see
the names of the same persons who were most
nd ctiv in tha nj viii,
some others added. Among those prominently
interested in the old company are Fabens,
Spofford and Barlow. The gentlemen who APP
pear to be members of the new or reorganized
one are warm friends of President Grant and
his administration. We may mention Henry
Clews especially, who is treasurer of the COM
pany. These facts may create a suspicion
that General Grant is not only deeply inter-
ested' in this private enterprise of American
citizens-as MIR. Hazard, the secretary of the
company, says, though not in personal sense,
we presume-but that this scheme is favored
by him with the Interior view of bringing
about annexation in an indirect manner
of accomplishing his long-cherished OBJ
ject which the Senate mercilessly squelched
We do not think the President would act in
such surreptitious manner. We believe he
honestly thinks that the possession Of the ter
ritory of st. Domingo, or the SANTANA portion
of it, by an American company, would be
benefit to the trade of the country. This, we
imagine, is the "deep interest he takes in the
project and for no other reason. STILL the
American people will be disposed to believe
the President has the Interior object of annexa-
ton in view, and he should at once remove
such an impression by disavowing any purpose
of that nature.
This new st. Domingo Company, like the
old one, if, indeed, it be not the old one re-
vived and reorganized, shows q great deal of
tact in the initiation of its project. 1t has
obtained, to begin operations systematic
and extensive advertisement in the press of
this city and of the country gratuitously. This
cunningy planned dodge, like a skilful coup
d etdt, has aroused public attention generally
mere business operation, and, perhaps, q
stockjobbing one, has obtained all the noto-
riety desired without costing the parties o
cent The advertising is worth many
is worth anything at all. Should the
company continue to act with the same skill it
may get some value out of St Domingo, or out
of its stocks unless insuperable obstacles are
interposed in the want of trade or labor, or
in the failure to induce immigration to the
island.
There can be no objection, Of course, to the
enterprise of American citizens in ST. Do
mingo or anywhere else, provided the govern
ment be not dragged into annexation or COM
plications to defend land grants or privileges
conferred upon them. And here, considering
the peculiar action of the administration here
tofore with regard to st. Domingo it will be
necessary for the President to define exactly
the position Of the government on this ques-
ton. We want no annexation and no insidi-
Gus steps toward it, and, least of all, the an
nexation of distant tropical island that has
no production and trade worth mentioning,
and sparse population of degraded negroes
not speaking our language. We have territory
enough, embracing nearly all the climates,
varieties of soil and productions of the world.
We want all the population we have and more,
to make this vast territory productive. II we
did not it would be cruelty to induce white
men to emigrate as laborers under tropical
sun, and the negroes will not leave their
heritage here to 60 to st. Domingo. Still, we
say, if this company can, without annexation,
develop the resources of St Domingo and in
crease our trade with the island we could only
wish it success.
But we have duty to perform to the
American people in view of the too fattering
advertisement Of the st. Domingo Company,
for we have examined the ST. Domingo ques-