New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-07
RIGHTS AND DUTIES IN DOMINICA.

The Dominicans are playing with fire In a
dangerous manner. For some time past their
revolutionary broils have sorely tried the pa
thence of the United States. American property
has been destroyed American lives have been
imperflled. and the American government has
been made 10 suffer much anxiety and expense.
Moreover. the American government and the
American people have had 10 bear the shame
OF seeing chronic deviltTy prevailing In coun-
try lying near our shores and within our sphere
OF political influence and OF moral responsible
ity. Now the added injury is reported of what
seems Ike deliberate and malicious firing upon
our flag and killing an engineer OF our navy
II the facts are as reported. Domnicans may
well ask themselves how much longer they can
expect the United States to endure that sort OF
thing.
The United States has both rights and duties
in santo Domingo which it will not do for Do
minicans to disregard. 1t does not particularly
matter TO us whether the offenders belong 10
the government or TO the revolutionary
marty. The difference between the two Is
scarcely greater than that between tweedledum
and tweedIedee, and the government" of 10
dav may be the .'revolutionists' OF tomorrow,
as in fact II was OF yesterday. The United
States cares little whether Jim6nez or Morales
can Republic What il does care for. and does
demand. is that its flag shall be treated with
courtesy that the lives and property Of It's citi-
zens shall be secure, and that the Dominican
Republic under one government or another,
shall conduct itself in a manner betting a
State that wants to be recognized as indepen-
dent and sovereign. II the Dominican Republic
will comply with such reasonable requirements,
the United States will jealousy safeguard its
sovereignty. II it either viii not or cannot do
So Il must suffer the consequences.
The ordinary rights and duties Of the United
States in SantO Domingo are greatly reinforced
by the relations we have sustained for many
years with that country. More than three-quar-
tiers OF a century ago the United States pro-
claimed TO the world practically a protectorate
over Santo Domingo against all European in-
reference. During all these years that protec-
torate has been kept valid, without. OF course,
even the slightest interference with the islands
entire Independence. Many time in those years
some European power would have achieved the
conquest OF the island had 81 not been for the
American warning. There would now be Euro
pean intervention. and probably subsection Of
The republic within twenty-four hours, were 1t
not for the United States. The fact OF our hav-
ing exercised such protection in Santo Do
mlnGo's behalf gives rs peculiar moral rights
in that country. The fact OF our having thus
prevented other countries from intervening i'm
poses upon Us a peculiar moral responsibility.
1t would be regrettable FOR the United States to
be compelled 10 intervene. We have enough
work on hand already without adding The paci-
icatiOn and civilization OF SantO Domingo 10 Il.
But there are some compulsions that cannot be
avoided. and the news from Santo Domingo be-
gins to look very much as though one such were
being developed in that part OF the world.