Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-07


recognize the duty Of bearing one an
others burdens, not only as among in
| dividuals, but also as among nations.
APPEAL OF sANTo DOMINGO
Imminent Danger of Foreign Inter-
yention There Must Be Averted
Santo Domingo, in her turn. has now
made an appeal to us to help. her. and
| not only every principle Of wisdom but
every generous instinct within. us bids
US respond to the appeal. It is not Of
the slightest consequence whether we
grant the aid needed by Santo Domingo
as an incident to the wise development
regard the case of Santo Domingo as
standing wholly by itself, and to be
treated as such. and not on general
Monroe rpse Doctrine Inc The The important point
is to give the needed aid, and the case
is certainly sufficiently peculiar to de-
to be judged purely on It's Tn
grown from bad to worse until a year
ago all society was on the verge of dis
who, with his colleagues, saw the dan
gers threatening their country and ap-
pealed to the friendship of the only
great and. powerful neighbor who pos
sessed THE power, and as they hoped
also the. will to help them. There was
Imminent danger, of foreign intervention
The previous rulers of santo Domingo
had recklessly incurred debts. and ow-
ing to her internal disorders she had
ceased to be able to provide means az Of
foreign creditors had become exhausted.
and at least two foreign nations were
on the point of intervention, and were
only prevented from intervening by the
unofficial assurance of this government
that 1t would itself strive to help Santo
Domingo in her hour of need. In the
case of one of these nations, only the
actual opening of negotiations to this
end by our government prevented the
seizure of territory in Santo Domingo
by European power .I; Of the debts In.
not of character which really renders
it obligatory on, or proper, for. santo
| Domingo to pay them in full. But she
could not pay any of them unless some
and people.
Dominican Treaty Negotiated
| Accordingly the executive department
! of our government negotiated treaty
under which we are to try to help the
| finances. This treaty is pending before
| the senate. In the meantime tempo
rary arrangement has been made which
to take action upon the treaty. Under
| this arrangement the Dominican govern
ment has appointed Americans to all the
important positions in the customs SER
collection of the revenues, turning over
45 per cent to the government for run
ming expenses and putting the other J., %
ratified, among the various creditors,
whether European or American.
Americans Collecting Customs
! The customs houses offer well-nigh the
only pG Of IN santo
ually have as their real aim the obtain
| ing possession of these custom houses.
| The mere fact that the collectors of Gus
| forming their duties with efficiency and
honesty, and that the treaty is pending
in the senate, gives certain; moral
power to the government of Santo Do
mingo which it has not had before. This
| has completely discouraged all revolu-
| tionary movement, while 1t has already
| produced such an increase in the rev.
enues that theA government is actually
| getting more from. the 45- per cent that
| the American, collectors turn over to 1t
than it got formerly when it took the
harassed people of Santo Domingo once
more to turn their attention to industry
and to be free from the curse of inter-
offers to all bona fide creditors. Ameri-
| can and European, the only really good
chance to obtain that to which they are
to Santo Domingo the only opportunity
Of defense against claims which it ought
not to pay, for now If it meets the views
Of the senate we shall shall ourselves thor
American or foreign. and see that none
that are improper are paid. There is. Of
course, !, opposition to the treaty
and American, and from the professional
revolutionists of the island itself. We
have already reason to believe that some
pose their claims to honest scrutiny are
| endeavoring to stir up sedition in the
island and opposition to the treaty. In
the meantime l have exercised the au-
thority vested in me by the Joint resoiu-
ton of the congress to prevent the In
| PRODUCTION of arms into the island for
revolutionary purposes.
Stability and Order Restored
| Under the course taken stability and
order and all the benefits of peace are
at last coming to Santo Domingo, danger
| of foreign Intervention has been sus-
| pended. and there is at last a prospect
that all creditors will get justice, no
| is terminated by the failure of the treaty
4 chaos will follow. and If chaos follows,
| sooner or later this government may be
eign governments over the island or
else may be forced itself to intervene in
the island in some unpleasant fashion.
ence of the island is scrupulously re-
spected the danger of violation of the
Monroe Doctrine by the intervention OF
| foreign powers NanlShes, ana tne inter
| ference Of our government is minimized
| SO that we shall only act In conjunction
with the Santo Domingo authorities to
secure the proper administration of the
customs, and therefore to secure the
payment of just debts and to secure the
/ Dominican government against demands
for unjust debts The proposed method
will give the people of Santo Domingo
the same chance to move onward and
! upward which we have already given to
l'the people of Cuba. 1t will be doubly to
our discredft as a nation If we fail to
take advantage of this chance; for 1t will
/ be of damage to ourselves, and 1t will be
OF ncalculable damage to Santo Do
1 mingo. Every consideration of. wise
| policy. and, above all, every considera-
4 ton of large generosity, bids as meet
the request of Santo Domingo as we are
4 now trying to meet 1t.
IMPROVING ARMY AND NAVY