Arizona republican., 1904-12-17


 our revenues are spent in graft and war"
 Since last July the United States has been experimenting with plan by which the mulatto republic, as it is sometimes called. might pay off her debts to this country herself The board fixed the debt to American cap iualists at $4,5OO,OOO, and arranged that it should be paid in instalments cut of the customs duties of the four north shore ports. The very first payment was defaulted, and the American fiscal agent who was put in charge of the custom house at Porto Plata. according to the arbitration agreement, soon dis covered the cause. One-thfrd of the revenues had been going to line the pockets of officials.
 The treaty empowers the United States to put men in charge of the other ports; but such action, it is now believed in Washington, would not go far enough. It might pay a few in- stalments more, but it would not check the high-handed political robbery which is sapping the republic at it's very center. What is needed is a com- plete purging of the government, from the president. to the smallest. peon. and the busting of the horde of parasites who pose as officers. Such a purifca- tion also meets the approval of the Belgian, French, German and Holland bondholders, to whom Santo Domingo owes $7.25O. .OC0. and who are trying to get their money back through the GUS toms duties of the two chief southern ports.
 Should the United States step in and take hold of Santo Domingo, such con- trol would be only temporary in in- tention. As one state department off cial expressed it: "We would do there what we did in Cuba-simply straight The United States would not purchase, annex or even accept the republic as a gift"
 But it will be found that it is one thing to take hold of santo Domingo and another thing to let go. Still, the United States can not let affairs con tinue as they are. It is a most vexa- tious problem.
 The first glance of the American traveller on landing on Dominican soil. according to trustworthy sources. is enough to explain that governments hopeless bankruptcy. He will see groups of lazy loiterers about the pier, l whom he first believes to be beggars, l but all prove to be colonels of the | army. Although the entire revenues of the country amount to less than 2 millions annually. it maintains a mili- l tary establishment which costs s4,SOO,- 900 a year. In order that there may be | as many colonelcies as possible to dis l tribute among his supporters, each | president cuts up the army into smaller | divisions There have been four presi- dents in the last five years. The army l stands by its president until there are, no more salaries-which happens with in a few months-whereupon a new | revolution is started.
 The extravaganza of the civil gov ernment is almost on a par with that | of the military. Although the country, | with it's eighteen square miles. is little | bigger than an Arizona county, and | has but six hundred thousand popula- | tion, it is made to support as elabo- | rate an executive administration as the | United States. It has a president and | a cabinet of seven members, each the l head of a department and each costing | the government S4O.OOO year. The | state is divided into twelve provinces | in order to afford pretext for as many governors, together with their | staffs and retinues There are also ff- ty-three communal governments, | twelve agricultural inspectorships, and | more than sixty mayors. Consequently | there is scarcely any enc in Santo Do mingo. except the women and the nak- ed children, who is not called by some civic or military title
 If the United States takes charge it will find the task of reforming Santo | Domingo far greater, it is said, than in | turning out the hordes of oficeholders and army officers. The Dominican, un- like his neighbsr the Haytian, at the western end of the island has deep rooted hatred for the white man. Four ffths of the population consists of mu- lattoes, ana. unlike the pure blooded | negroes who constitute the remaining fifth, they regard the white race with bitter jealousy.