Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-01
GRANT AND SAN DOMINGO.

Hotr He Came to 4dc0cate Annexation
HIS Opinion of the Advantages to be
Gnt'ied by the acquisition Of the ISL
aud.
Hamburg Interview in New York Herald
Speaking of st. Domingo" said General
Grant, sit is strange how impressions have
eone abroad as to my connection with that
ton OF st. Domingo. The project had never
occurred to me, nor, indeed. had any pro-
ect of annexation The important things
to be done when I became Pre5ident were
the consolidation of our finances the re- uc-
| ton OF the debt and Of the taxes that came
with the debt, and the paciication of Il g
5 outh So far as the South was
concerned | had the ideas that
prompted my conversations with Lee, that
what the country wanted was peace, and
peace would come with concord. No one
knew as well what the war cost as we who
were responsible for its management So
when the proposition for the annexation of
st. Domingo came was opposed to it. I
dlduot want to entertain it. But it came
from people, and in such form that |
could not. as executive, refuse to consider it.
found when l entered iuto the question
that my experiences We're like hose of Presi-
dent White, of Cornell, and DR.. Howe, of
Boston. The more thought of it the more
saw 1t was for the advantage of the coun-
try. There was no wrong, no spoliation
implied, no war, as in the case of Texas and
Mexico. 1t was the will of the people of ST.
Domingo, as l knew from incontestable
| proof. still refused TO consider the pro-
| position which came from the President OF
The republic until sent my own agents into
the island. They went, caring, as I did,
| nothing about it, hopin :, perh aps. as l Ger
| talnly did, that there would be no reasons
| for annexation. They brought back their
| report | made the treaty. | submitted it
to MIR. Summer in the first place, not. as has
teen falsely said, because l wanted him to
support It,. but because Mr.. Summer was
| chairman of the committee of foreign rela-
| lions. and wished as matter of courtesy
| to HIM to tell him why the treaty has been
| made In secret. The reason was TO prevent
| certain jobbers from specializing in the debt
of the island. MIR. Summer did not oppose
the treaty in the Senate. but tried to smother
| 1t. You see treaties have limit, and Mr.
summers idea was to allow the limit to
pass. did not think that was frank with
st. Domingo, and | pressed the Senate to
say something. Under this pressure the OPP
|
not only Mr. Summer and Mr. Schurz, who
| had resolved to oppose me, no matter what |
did, bat good honorable men like Edmunds
with whom | was friendly. seeing that even
friends like Conkling and Cameron were
| lukewarm. l then appointed commission.
selected two men VINO were opposed 10 st.
Dom1ngo-President Andrew White OF
| Cornell university, and DIR. Samuel +. Howe.
also sent Senator Wade, who was probably
| as lukewarm as MIR. Cameron, who felt per
haps as | did in the be- inning-that We
probably had as much IS we wanted in the
way OF land-and who, however he might
feel, would of all men living be sure to make
an honest report. | also sent Frederick
Douglass. And when Wendell Phillips
speaks of ''the treachery to the black race"
involved in the treaty he might do me the
justice to add that MIR. Douglass was among
the most enthusiastic supporters of the
treaty, and that he is perhaps as good
friend of the black man and as Jealous of his
rights as Mr.. Phillips or myself | gave
these men no instructions as their report.
Ii had been mean enough to do so they
certainly were not degraded enough to have
gone. DR.. Howe was Mr.. Summers life
long friend. When they returned they were
| unanimous III favor of the annexation. /
then turned over the whole matter to Con-
gress IN special message. and from that
| time | have had nothing to do with st.
Domingo [ used no pressure about the
treaty. ha honestly tried to do my duty
| III the matter, not only To- my own country
but toward st. Domingo. So long as D..
Howe lived he labored for the annexation.
He visited the country, he wrote about it,
and never ceased to agitate. | think now.
looking over the whole subject, that ii would
I,o l,n.N,, .ot "a
to have annexed 81. Domingo 1t would
have settled many problems tnat now dis
turb us. 1t would have rendered the Cub
question more easy of solution. 1t would
| have given new home for the blacks. who
were and as | hear are still oppressed in
the South. If two or three hundred thou.
sand blacks We're to emigrate to ST. Domingo
under our republic the Southern people
| would learn the crime OF ku Kiuxi IN. be
cause they would see hoy necessary Il
black man Is to their own prosperity. 1t
would have settled several questions of
political economy. We should have grown
our own ceffee and sugar, our own hard
woods and spices. We should have become
an exporter, as we are now an importer Of
coffee. There would have been new field
for American capital and commerce. You
remember how large portion of the West
lHulan Tade uSed TO come to US, how III
fact, SO large portion Of our trade was
West Indian All this would have revived
We should have made of st. Domin 70 new
Texas or new California, with sources of
strength OF national prosperity even greater
IN some respects than those possessed by
Texas or California
Your correspondent ventured to suggest
that Mr.. Summer may have had conscienti-
GUS opposition to annexation--a feeling
prevalent in New England. s'.Ihat could not
very we'll have been, said the General, "as
he supported the annexation of Alaska, and
was anxious to confirm Mr.. Stewards treaty
for st. Thomas We paid Russia 5000
900 for Alaska, and he wanted US to pay ST.
00Oco0, ] think, for st. Thomas. | sup
pose one of his reasons for wishing Alaskt
was that it might annoy England-for at
that time he was severe upon England. But
L never shared that feeling. [ do not sneak
OF Alaska to demur to its annexation, but
only to say that If it was worth sS7,OOO0OO
st. Domingo was certainly worth taking for
a tribe. Ii ST. Domingo had come we should
have had Hayti. power | Ike ours in ST.
domingo makes us masters of the Gulf of
Mexico. If the Democrats ever gain power
at nome they will revive this question.
suppose II the treaty had been confirmed we
should have made st. Domingo territory
under military government at the outset
In that case should most probably have an
pointed General Schofied or General Terry
its Governor.
/. dmother Corner.
Milwaukee News
To