The sun., 1903-11-12
SANTO DOMINGO IN TURMOIL.

Visitors to Santo Domingo see peau'i-
full tropical island. the second In size IN
the Antilles, hut the first in altitude, IN
picturesque aspects and in the fertility
OF Ito plains and valleys. Until the inde-
pendence OF Cuba was won, 1t was the ON!
island in the West Indies which vas not
a political dependency Of one or '-nother
OF the great nations. 1t Is the only place
In the world where blacks, slaves and the
descendants Of slaves, have ever wrested
the supremacy from their white masters,
established their autonomy and up to TINS
time have succeeded in maintaining II.
Exposed to many perils from without.
torn repeatedly by civil strife. the prey OF
the selfish ambitions Of their leaders, the
wonder il that the two negro repuolcs
of the island have survived at ALL and not
that, amid the ignorance and the dificulties
that environ them, their progress IN CIVIL
ization has been small.
The republic Of Hayti occupies the west
err; third and the Republic OF Santo Do
mingo the eastern two-tIirds OF the Island
Th,ir people differ much from one another
The Haytians are French-speaking negroes
and most of them are pure bloods their
country is therefore called the black re-
public. Most Of the Dominicans, on the other
hand, are mulattoe, and their language Is
Spanish.
Our country has long felt special IN
terest In the Republic Of Santo Domingo.
While the trade OF Hoyti is chiefly with
France, that of Santo Domingo Is nearly
all with the United States. The republic
looks to US as a market for all Its great
sugar crop, upon which its financial pros
of Of
are run with American capital: and the past
few years have been gloomy times IN santo
Domingo owing to the low prices OF sugar
in the New York market, which have cause
financial stringency and stimulated the
almost noessant political troubles. Inc
revenues Of the country and the national
bank are cont oiled by an American cor
p,ration, the Santo Domingo Improvement
Company The same company manag' g
the only railroad, now sixty miles long,
crossing two mountain ranges, whicn Is
to connect the two chief ports, Porto Plata
on the north and Santo Domingo on the
south coast. Starting from Porto Plata,
the CHEF commercial port, its present
terminus is La Vega in the heart Of the
republic.
We have heard in the past few days OF
tho United States, Germany and Italy
ordering warships TO one or another port
OF the republic. This Ia due chiefly to the
fact that the Dominican Government,
fearing that the revolutionists would re-
ceive contI aband Of war from abroad,
has used it's little fleet to establish a block
ade OF the leading ports, with the result
thnt the presence Of foreign warships is de-
sirable to protect the interests OF citizens
OF their respective countries.
The ups and downs Of the political parties
" hich have kept Sento Domingo plunged in
civil strife with only an occasional breathing
spell of two or three years make a long
and dreary record. 1t is four years since
Isidro Jiminez, the leader Of the more
moderate faction Of the Liberal party, be-
came President after the overthrow and
assassination OF President HeureauI.
Horacio Nasquez, the leader of the more
strenuous faction Of the same party, was
Vice President and issued an address ap-
penling to the people not to forget the
services OF Jimi es and to give hearty
support to his administration. But 1t
was not long before political differences
drove Jiminez and Vasquez as far asunder
as the poles. Early last year Nasquez
made Jiminez fugitive finding refuge
in New York while Va quez became Presi-
dent. To-day the Jiminez party are the
revolutionists in the field and their leader
is back in the island trying to smuggle
himself across the border of Hayu into his
own country; and according to the de-
spatches there is considerable prospect
that Jiminez will again be on top and Vas
Quez will be the fugitive
So it goes. The leaders differ about
methods of civil administration, paper
money and gold, public expenditures,
and all other matters of domestic policy.
Each party proclaims itself the only pos
sibe saviour of the country. Personal
ambitions are large element in shaping
policies; and questions that other republics
settle by votes are adjusted by fire and
sword.