Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-08-14
We My annex HAY1|
War in the Little Republic May
Lead to Annexation Of
the Island.
Value of the Territory as a
Naval Base Would Be
Great.
Importance Growing With Sc
lection OF the Panama Route
for the Canal.

| Washington, Aug 1l.-The recent
political disturbances in Santo Domin-
go and the present revolutionary out
break in Hayti have served to attract
attention among public men here to
the menace which those so-called re-
publics present to the United States.
and to some extent to revive discus
sion of the question of annexation,
which has been given more or less con
past thirty Years. While members of
the government have commented on the
bearing to annexation of the existing
conditions in the negro republic, there
lis no official movement looking TO that
end. What the future will bring forth
is regarded us conjecture, but there is
IAN undercuIrent of belief that long
continued perturbation among the peo-
pie OF the island of Hayti, whose geo
graphical limits include Santo Domingo.
VIII awaken interest in its value to the
United States from commercial and
military standpoints as we'll as those
of preservation OF the public health.
the danger of continual disorders, and
the interests of America generally.
To some extent the possessions of
Porto Rico, the right to acquire coalins
in Cuba. and the desire of the Danish
government to sell its Antillean pos
sessions to the United States, have
tended to lessen the Importance of Sc
curing Hayti for military strategic rea-
DRY of strategists that the next great
war in which the United States be-
comes involved will be fought princi-
pally in the caribbean, has prevented
the question of Hayti's value as /, naval
base from being lost sight of among
men who follow the profession of arms.
The danger of the possession of too
many depots of operations. each requir-
ing defense. is Obvious, but the aivan-
tage of owning Hayt. on account of the
sole value of possessing the valuable
strategic roadstead of SANTANA Bay, in
Santo DOMINICAN territory, is consid-
cred by many as sufficient ground for
giving consideration to the matter of
annexation. Even the Cleveland adj
mniStration, conservative as it was on
the question of acquiring foreign terri
tory, was anxious to secure SANTANA
Bay for naval purposes and made some
effort i'll that direction. The impor-
lance of the island of Hayti TO the
United States has become tenfold
greater since the selection of the Pa
naina route for an isthlnian canal. 1t
lies nearer the isthmus than Cuba, the
Danish West Indies. or Porto Rico;
nearer, in fact, than any other West
Indian island, with the exception of
Jamaica, which England owns In adj
dition to SANTANA bay, it contains Co
naives bay, which is suitable for naval
coaling purposes.
Before the abortive attempt to annex
Santo Domingo by treaty was made in
Grants time the Importance of the ISL
and to this government was recognized
by military men and the knowledge of
its value to the United States as a mill
itary station has grown since then. Nc
kinley was the first president after
Grant under whose administration the
annexation of Hayti was regarded as
likely to be accomplished. but the ques-
ton presented by the acquisition of the
Philippines. Porto Rico. Guam, part of
Samoa. and the Hawaiian islands and
the. Danish West Indies negotiations,
kept the administration and congress
toe busy to permit attention to be given
to the Hayti- Santo Domingo matter.
The feeling against granting conces-
sions to foreigners in Hayti and San
Domingo is very strong, but it is be-
lieyed here that diplomatic advances to
the governments of the TWO countries
locking to attach them politically to the
United States would not be summarily