The sun., 1903-05-08
The Case of tho Dominican Republic.

The Case Of tho Dominican Republic.
According to the latest news from the
city of Santo D omingo, the Dominican
Republic, which comprehends about two
thirds of the island :of Hispaniola, is in
state of rreparable anarchy. The So
called regular government headed by
President VAsoUEz, having failed to ex-
pei the revolutionists from the capital.
has itself collapsed and there is no reason
to expect that the payment of driblets of
interest on the debts due to foreign credi-
tors, which has been for some time sus-
pended, will be resumed. In all this there
is nothing new What is new in the situa-
ton is the opportunity offered to foreign
creditors by the precedent established
in the case of Venezuela.
Aside from debts due by its citizens to
foreigners, the amount of money owed
by the Dominican Republic itself to Brit
ish, German, Italian, French, Belgian
and other foreign capitalists, does not
fall far short of twenty million dollars.
The Belgian bondholders are already
authorized by convention to assume
control Of the Dominican custom houses
in case of default on their bonds. As the
default has occurred, they are now at
liberty to exercise their treaty rights
What is to prevent the British, German
and Italian Governments from pursuing
a course identical with that which they
took against Venezuela. and demanding
that so much of the customs revenue as
may not be needed to satisfy the Belgian
creditors shall be applied to the liquida-
tion Of the claims of their own subjects?
In view OF our acquiescenoe in the coer-
cion Of Venezuela, we can hardly object
to a repetition Of the proceeding, for the
cases are exactly parallel, except herein,
that, whereas the claims of Great Britain,
Germany and Italy, and, presumably,
OF other creditor Powers, can be satisfied
by the sequestration Of about one-third
Of the customs revenue of two Venezue-
Ian custom houses, the whole revenue Of
all the Dominican custom houses will be
permanently needed to provide interest
and sinking fund for the debts due to
foreign creditors by the Dominican Re-
public.
That is to say. il the Venezuelan
precedent is followed, the Dominican
Republic will pass into the hands Of
receiver, and, as the foreign custom
house officials will need continuous pro-
lection, the harbors and maritime towns
will fall under the control Of foreign war
ships and foreign garrisons. The effect
of such state of things upon our inter-
ests in the Caribbean, already great, and
certain to be immensely magnifed after
the construction of the Panama Canal, is
obvious. We cannot permit European
Power to acquire on any prete1t Samana
Bay, which commands the Mona Passage
between Hispaniola and Porto Rico. and
which is one of the finest harbors in the
West Indies, if not in the whole world.
What is to be done about it? When we
had the opportunity of annexing the Do
minican Republic with the consent of it's
inhabitants, when annexation was urged
by the Grant Administration, we did not
own Porto Rico; we did not exercise, as
we now do, a species Of protectorate
over Cuba, and we did not contemplate
the building Of a Panama canal. More
over, there was then widespread i'm
preston among statesmen and jurists
that the Constitution followed the flag,
and that. if we annexed the Dominican
Republic, its colored inhabitants would
become 'pso focto citizens OF the United
States and entitled to an early bestowal
OF the privileges of Statehood. In many
OF these particulars the situation is COM
pletely changed
The inhabitants, indeed, of the Do
minican Republic ought TO be, and
doubtless would be, entirely satisfied
TO occupy the status now held by the
inhabitants of Porto Rico, because,
under our authority, they could count
upon the enjoyment of like pros perity.
Rather may We say that. under our con-
troll, they would obtain level efmaterial
we'll being which neither the natives OF