News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1905-12-06

OpAAsoutAph MS tQuulIy WOulu CHT-
tainly decline to go to war to prevent a
foreign government from collecting IL
just debt On the other hand it is
very inadvisable to permit any foreign
power to take possession, even tempo
rarily, of the custom houses of an
American republic in order to enforce
the payment Of its obligations, for such
temporary occupation might turn into
a permanent occupation. The only es-
cape from these alternatives may at
any time be that we must ourselves
undertake to bring about some arrange
ment by which so much as possible of
a just obligation shall be paid.
To do SO insures the defaulting re-
public from having to pay debts of an
improper character under duress, while
it also inSureS honest creditors Of the
republic from being passed by in the
20terest of dishonest or grasping cred
s1ors. Moreover, for the United States
> take such a position offers the only
possible way of insuring us against
clash with some foreign power. The
position is therefore in the interest of
peace as well as in the interest of JUS
tice.
SantO Domingo.
Santo Domingo has now made an APP
peal to us, and not only every principle
of wisdom, but every generous instinct
within US, bids us respond to the APP
peal The conditions in Santo Domingo
have for a number of years grown
from bad to worse until year ago all
1,t,, i; 1,,4t,
Fortunately just at this time ruler
sprang up in Santo Domingo who, with
his colleagues saw the dangers threat
ening their country and appealed to the
friendship of the only neghbor who
possessed the power and the will to
help them. There was imminent dan
ger of foreign Intervention. The pa
thence of foreign creditors had become
exhausted, and at least two foreign ma
tons were on the point of intervention
and were only prevented by the unofti-
cial assurance of this government thDt |
it would itself strive to help Santo
Domingo in her hour of need.
Accordingly, the executive depart
ment of our government negotiated a
treaty under which we are trying to
help the Dominican people to straight |
en- out their finances. This treaty is
pending before the senate. In the |
meantime a temporary arrangement |
has been made under which the Domn-
lean government has appointed Amer
leans to all the important positions in |
the customs service, and they are see |
ing to the honest collection of the rev.
enues, turning over 45 per cent to the |
government for running expenses and |
putting the other So per cent into a
safe depositary for equitable division
in case the treaty shall be ratified
among the various creditors, whether
European or American.
Under the course taken stability and
order and all the benefits of peace are
at last coming to Santo Domingo, dan
ger of foreign Intervention has been
suspended. and there is at last a pros
pect THAI all creditors will get justice,
no more and no less. If the arrange
ment is terminated by the failure of
the treaty chaos will follow, and sooner
or later this government may be in
volved in serious difficulties with for
eign governments over the island or
else may be forced itself to Intervene
in the island in some unpleasant fash
ion.
Army and Navy.
do not believe that any army in the
world has a better average of enlisted
man or a better type Of junior officer,
but the army should be trained to act
effectively in a mass. Provision should
be made by sufficient appropriations
for maneuvers of a practical kind.
Provision should be made for the pro-
motion of exceptionally meritorious
men over the heads of their comrades
and for the retirement of all men who
have reached a given age without get
ting beyond given rank.
There should be an increase in the
coast artillery force so that our coast
Notifications can be in some degree
adequately manned. There is special
need for an increase and reorganization
of the medical department of the army.
In both the army and navy there must
be the same thorough training for duty
in the staff corps as in the fighting line.
The importance of this was shown con-
clusively in the Spanish-American and
the Russo-Japanese wars. The work
of the medical departments in the Jap
anese army and navy is especially
worthy of study.
Our navy must, relatively to the ma
vies of other nations, always be of
greater size than our army. We have
most wisely continued for number of
years to build up our navy, and it
has now reached a fairly high standard
of efficiency. This standard must not
only be maintained, but increased. 1t
does not seem to me necessary, how
ever, that the navy should, at least in
the immediate future, be increased be-
You'd the present number Of units.
What is now clearly necessary is to
substitute efficient for inefficient units
as the latter become worn out or as it
becomes apparent that they are use
less. Probably the result would be
attained Inv o66inU cinr1a ba tt1acbin |