The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1905-02-17
PRESIDENT SUBMITS LENGTHY
MESSAGE ON SAN DOMINGO
TO THE SENATE.
TOUCHES ON THE MONROE DOC TR!AE
FOREIGN NATIONS APPEAL TO
UNITED STATES TO PROSE
CUTE CLAIMS.

Washington, Feb. 17.---The messa Sc
from the president, transmitting to lie.
senate protocol of an agres.se4l5 be-
tween the United States and the 20
minican government, providing for
the collection and disbursement by the
of the Dominican republic, was during
the day ordered made public, together
with the protocol, letter from John
B. Moore, formerly assistant secretary
of state, which gives a statement re-
garding the award under the former
protocol, and the award of the com
mission which settled the claims of.
the San Domingo Improvement com
pany.
The messageis of nearly 1880 words
and was read in full to the senate. 1t
is largely a discussion of the rights
and duties of the United States under
the Monroe doctrine and the president
says the protocol affords practical
test of the efficiency OF the United
States government in maintaining the
doctrine. In beginning his message
the president says that conditions in
San Domingo have been
Growing Steadily Worse
for many years and debts have been
contracted beyond the power of the
republic to pay. Certain foreign coun-
tries, he says, have felt themselves
aggrieved because of the non-payment
OF the debts due their citizens and
have felt that the only way they could
be by acquisition Of territory or taking
charge of the customs affairs of the
republic
1t is pointed out by the president
that the Monroe doctrine would pro-
@hibit any foreign government from
stepping in and he says that those
who profit by this doctrine must &C.
cept certain responsibilities along with
/ the rights it confers He says fur
Their:
The justification for the United
States taking this burden and incur
ring this responsibility is to be found
in the fact that it is incompatible with
international equity for the United
States to refuse to allow other powers
to take the only means at their dis
posal of satisfying the claims of their
creditors and yet to refuse, itself, to
take any such steps,
Will Not Seize San Domingo.
An especial point is made by the
president shat this government does
not propose to take any part of San
Domingo or to exercise any other con-
troll over the island save what is nee
essary to its financial rehabilitation
in connection with the collection of
over to the government to meet the
necessary expenses of running it and
part Of which will be distributed pro
rata among the creditors of the re-
public upon basis of absolute equity.
Discussing the course aggrieved ma.
lions may take against American re-
publics without interference with the
Monroe doctrine the president says
any action maybe taken which docs
not take the shape of interference
with their form OF government or OF
the despoilment of their territory IN
der any Disguise; but, short of this,
when the question is one of a money
claim, the only way which remains,
finally, to collect it is blockade Or
bombardment, or the seizure of the
customshouse, and this means, as has
been said above, what is in effect a
possession. y