The Washington times., 1905-08-11

/
! In the interest of justice il is as nee
! essary to exercise the police power as
| 70 show charity and helpful generosity.
/ But something can even now be done
/ toward the end IN view.
! "lhat something, for instance, this
! Nation has already done as regaras
! Cuba, and is now trying to do as re-
| sdrdS Santo Domingo. There are few
| things III our history in which we
| should take more genuine pride than
| the way IN which we liberated Cuba
| and ,hen. instead of instantly aban-
! doniug 1t to chaos. stayed IN direction
/ Ut the affairs of the island until we had
put II on the right -patn, and finally
! gave it freedom ana helped it It
/ started on the life of an Independent
! republic.
Help Santo Domingo.
| "Santo Domingo has now made an ap-
peal 10 Us TO help it in turn. and not
| only every principle of wisdom. but
! every generous instinct within US bids
: US respond to the appeal. The eondi-
tfons in Santo Domingo have for
number OF years grown from bad TO
worse until recently all society was on
| the verge of dissolution.
| Fortunately just al this time Wise
ruler sprang up in Santo Domlhso'
| who, with his coilea CUES, saw the dan
| gers threatening their beloved country.
ana appealed TO the friendship CT their
great ana powerful neighoor TO neip
! them, 1 nc immaculate TIM eat Esaillt ~
! thern in the shape of foreign interVen-
| ton
| The previous rulers of Santo Do
| mingo had recklessly incurred debts'
and owing TO her internal disorders she
! had ceased 10 be able TO provide means
! OF paying the debts. The patience OF
/ her foreign creditors had become eH-
/ hausted, and at least one foreign hatlon
/ was on the paint OF Intervention, anu
was only prevented from intervening by
| the unofficial assurance OF this GOV
- tea n
| help Santo Domingo in her hour OF
| need.
| Some Just Debts.
| "Of the debts incurred some were just,
| while some were not of a character
\ which really renders it obligatory on.
or proper for Santo Domingo 70 pay
them in full But she could not pay
| any of them at all unless some stability
was assured.
Accordingly the executive depart
ment of our Government negotiated
treaty under which we are TO try TO
| help the Dominican people TO straighIeIh
on their finances. This treaty IS peHu-
| ine before the Senate, whose consent 10
I'm the meantime we have made q
| temporary arrangeTnent when WIN I -tisa AS
| until the Senate has had time 70 take
| action upon the treaty. Under TINS ar
! rang cement we see to the hoheSt auiiiiu-
! istration of the custom houses coilect-
| ing the revenues, turning over 40 per
| cent to the Government for running eX-
/ penses and putting the other 90 per eeht
/ into a safe deposit for equitable olEi-
| sion among the various creditors, wheth-
i er European or American, accordingly
| as, after investigt tation, their claims
/ seem Just
Source of Revenue.
The custom houses offer wen-nigh the
l r,F in S9ntO Do
nningo. and the different revolutions US
! uaIIy have as their real aim the obtain
ing possession of these custom houses.
| The mere fact that we are protecting
the custom houses and collecting the
| revenue with efficiency and honesty mas
completely discouraged all revolutionary
! movement, while it has already pro-
duced such an increase in the revenues
| that the Government Is actually getting
more from the Is per cent that we turn
| over to it than it got formerly Wnen u
| took the entire revenue.
| This is enabling the poor, harassed
people Of Santo Domingo once more 10
turn their attention TO industry and to
be free from the curse OF interminaple
revolutionary disturbance,
| 1T offers to all bona fide creditors.
I American and European, the only really
! good chance to obtain that to which
thev are Justly entitled while it in re-
turn gives to Santo Domingo the only
! opportunity of defense against claims
which 1t ought not TO pay-for now II IT
! meets the views of the Senate we shall
ourselves thoroughly examine all these
/ claims, whether American or 1orelgn,
and see that none that are improper are
! paid.
It's Opponents.
Indeed the only effective opposition
to the treaty Will probably come from
dishonest creditors. foreign and Ameri-
can, and from the professional revolu-
! tionists Of the island itself. We have
! already good reaon to believe that some
of the creditors who do not dare expose
their claims to honest scrutiny are en-
| deavOring to stir up sedltiOn in the
! island, and are also epdeavortug to stir
/ up opposition To the treaty both in
Santo Domingo and here, trusting that
/ IN one place or the other 1t may be
| possible TO secure either the rejection
| of the treaty or else its amendment in
such fashion as to be tantamount 10
Under the course taken, stability and
order and all the benefits of peace are
1T last coming TO Santo Domingo, all
! danger OF foreign intervention mas
! eased, and there Is at last prospect
! that all creditors Will get justice, no
| more and no less
IF the arrangement is terminated,
j chaos viii follow; and If chaos follows
sooner or later this Government may
| be involved in serious difficulties with
/ foreign governments over the Island or
/ else NAV be forced Itself to intervene in
the island in some unpleasant fashion.
/ Under the present arrangement the in
dependence of the island is scTupulousiy
! respected. the danger % violation Of the
! Monroe Doctrine by the Intervention of
/ foreign powers vanishes, and the inter
/ ference Of our Government IS minimized,
/ so that We only act in conjunction with
the Sauto Domingo authorities TO secure
the proper administration of the Gus
/ toms, and therefore 10 secure the pay
meut of just debts and TO secure the
Santo Dominican government against
! demands for unjust debts
Protectorate Not Needed.
The present method prevents there
] being any need Of our establishing any
/ kind of protectorate over the island and
/ gives the people of Santo Domingo the
same chance to move onward and up
ward which we have already given to
| MECHANIC AND COFFEE.
The Old Coffee Troubles Left When He
Quit.