The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-25
w. SWIFT WRIGHT REPRESENTS
PRESIDENT JIMINEz.
He Gives Some Interesting Facts
About Conditions I'm the Re-
public of San Domingo.

1hepuOEc OF san domingo, ana Is IN the
city for few days. During the Spanish
American war Mr.. Wright served as a lieu
tenant in the United States signal corps
and was assigned TO TIE Seventh Army
Corps under General Lee. After the war,
in Havana. in his capacity as a newspaper
man he became acquainted with General
Jiminez. who was organizing a revolution
against San Domingo. Recognizing that
San Domingo was comparatively an un-
known country, Mr. Wright accepted an
invitation to accompany General Jiminez
on his revolutionary mission.
THE trip to San Domingo was rather
exciting" said Mr.. Wright last night ''The
United States government in Cuba was
interested in preventing any violation of
neutrality laws, and General Jiminez was
detained by the military authorities at
Cienfuegos and again at Santiago de Cuba
L had some trouble with the quarantine at
Santiago. but finally reached San Domingo
about the same time as the President, who
sailed from Santiago on a vessel chartered
for the occasion. The former President Of
San Domingo had been assassinated and
President Jiminez's friends had organized
provisional government and called an
election under the constitution. On his ar
rival at San Domingo he was received with
much enthusiasm by the people and was
elected President. 1t was a peaceful rev.
olution, which promised at the outset to be
long and protracted contest.
DISCOVERED BY COLUMBUS.
The Island of Santo Domingo was dis
covered by Columbus in 1892 and was first
known as the Pearl of the Antilles. Cuba
later successfully appropriated the title
San Domingo is in area almost equal to
the State of Indiana, containing $1,000
square miles. 1t is sixty miles east of
Cuba, seventy miles west of Porto Rico
and one hundred miles northeast Of ia
maica, so that it is practically the center
of the four great islands of the West In
dias. The center Of the island lies about ], 600
miles directly south of Boston The land
in fertility is equal to that of the other
islands while the climate is in many re-
spects superior. There is never any high
temperature In summer nor low in winter.
and the range is between so and 80 degrees
the year around. The island has had in
ternal dissenson for a hundred years and
has not attracted foreign capital. The
largest city does not exceed 1900 popua-
ton and still retains the architecture of
three hundred years ago. This Is the city
of San Domingo, capital of the republic.
Some OF the buildings now standing were
begun in 1902. There are practically no
roads of any kind and scarcely one-tenth
of the land Is under cultivation. The min
eral resources have never been determined.
Gold is found in considerable quantities
and there seems TO be an abundance of
iron and copper ore. Sugar, tobacco, trop-
ical fruits and cocoa are the principal
products of the land though not much at
tentiOn is given to their culture on account
of the scarcity of intelligent labor.
THE labor of the country is unreliable.
The original Indians were exterminated by
Spanish cruelty. slaves were imported I'M
der the Portuguese slave-trading system
and these Africans took the place of the
original people. They are good-natured,
happy, extremely hospitable but have an
aversion to labor of any kind. This is
largely due to the Conditions existing in
the country. They have little need of
money or anything that money will buy. A
simple, inexpensive garment will last them
nished by nature without any effort on
their part. They have no ambition or
pride and will not work to obtain many of
man goes armed with machete and revolver
and desire for the possession of these is
about the only incentive to labor.
WOULDN'T WORK LONG.
"a friend OF mine, an Englishman who
had a plantation up the river, was en-
deavoring to have a field inclosed and
sought for time in vain to find the labor
necessary. He finally found a man who
agreed to go to work, but who warned
him that he would not complete the task.
Il lost my revolver the man said, and
will work long enough to purchase another
one That is all the work my friend coula
get out of the man. No inducement was
sufficient to persuade him to continue at
work These conditions are met largely
by the Importation OF English trained labor
from st. Kits, st. Thomas, Jamaica and
other West Indian islands. The continual
warfare and the unsatisfactory condition
of labor has kept the island back for one
hundred years.
Its history during this time is very
interesting. Spain owned 1t twice, France
once and England once and for a time it
was conquered by the neighboring republic
OF Hayu and held in subsection for two
decades. IL was also a member of the
three republics, an alliance formed be-
tween Ecuador, Bolivia and San Domingo
General Grant tried to annex the island
to the United States in 1871, but was pre-
vented by Senator Charles Sumner, who
tackled an amendment or the bill provid-
ing for the recognition Of the belligerency
Of Cuba 1t is the general impression in
San Domingo that the late President Heur-
eaux made two attempts in 1892 and 1898
TO sell the island to the United States. but
the negotiations were secret and there
seems TO be no record of the transaction
a
character, wide business experience and
liberal educa ton. During his exile he lived
two years in New York, three years in
Paris and two years in Hamburg, and ac-
quired a considerable knowledge of the
three languages. The language of the
country is. of course, Spanish. pure Cas-
lillian, which is not the case in Cuba. Pres
ident Jiminez has inaugurated many re-
forms. has adopted American gold as the
basis of exchange and has given liberty
of speech to the people.
BAD FINANCIAL CONDITION.
THE new administration found the finan-
ces of the country in very bad shape.
There was 100000 of paper money in cir
culation. without any provision for it's
redemption, and the silver dollar of the
country contained only cents worth of
silver. There was a debt of $1,000 600 gold
and very strong reputation party in the
country. The President insisted on a recog-
milton OF the debt as far as it had been
authorized by the government and secured
legislation which provided for an appro
priation OF $4,000 a month for the pur-
chase OF the paper money on bids not to
exceed 20 cents on the dollar. The money
SO purchased was burned publicly I'm the
plaza. Ii is hoped by this legislation TO
make the paper money current at 20 cents
on the dollar. but that stage has NOT yet
been reached. The paper has no circulat-
ing value and changes hands in blocks of