Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-02-17
Dominican Message to Senate
Outlines General Idea.
APPLICATION OF MONROE DOCTRINE
.anv Attempt of outside Govern-
ments 10 oppose Destiny of Little
Republic We Would Regard
M nm Unfriendly Act"

cd States of the customs revenues OF
Sauto Domingo for the adjustment of
MI the obligations OF that government
has been made public by order of the
senate In executive session. The dOcu-
ment includes the new agreement as
well as the original protocol and award
of the commission of arbitration for
the settlement of the claims of the
Santo Domingo Improvement company,
under which agents of the United
States are already collecting the rev
enues ut certain of the ports of the
dominican government.
Few documents that nave gone to the
senate in relation to any of the south
or central American or West India re-
publics have attracted so much atten-
ton. Because of the controversy Ii a
has arisen as to the right Of the eXecu-
five TO enter into treaty arrangements
with any foreign government without
the advice and consent of the senate
extraordinary interest has been aroused.
The message of the president outlineG
the policy of the administration in re-
Iation to the Monroe doctrine. holding
that il demanded that this govern
mcnt axe charge of the customs of
American States when it is manifest
thai they are unable To maintain their
own integrity.
I'm addition to the presidents discus
sion of the Monroe doctrine in the case
of SantO Domingo, the protocol itself
makes Il specific declaration of its
application and in hat respect is un-
usual in treaty making. The declara-
ton occurs in the second paragraph.
which recites that the government of
the United States views ANY attempt
on the part of governments outside OF
this hemisphere to Cypress the destiny
of the Dominican republic as a mani
festation of an unfricndly disposition
toward the United States" The mes
sage in part says:
The conditions in the republic Of
Santo Domingo have been growing
steadily worse for years. There have
been many disturbances and revolu-
tons, and debts have been contracted
beyond the power of the republic to
pay. Some of these debts were proper
ly contracted and are held by those
who have n legitimate right to their
money. Others are without question
improper or eXorbitant, constituting
claims which should be paid in full
and perhaps only to the extent of a
very small portion of their nominal
value.
1T has for some time been obvious
that those who profit by the Monroe
doctrine must accept certain response
bilities along with the rights which it
conferS and that the same statement
applies to those who uphold the doc
trine. 1t cannot be too often and too
euphaticTlly asserted that the United
states has not the slightest desire for
territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT at h AZ
pensc of any of its southern neighbors
and will not treat the Monroe doctrine
as an excuse for such ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
N its part.
The Dominican debt owed to Euro
uran creditors is about SD, 100000, and
OF this sum over SIS, ZOO, 900 is more or
less formally recognized. The repre-
| sentatiyes of European governments
have several times approached the sec
rotary Of state setting forth the wrongs
and mto!erable delays to which they
have been subjected at the hands OF
the successive governments of Santo
Domingo in the collection of their just
claims and intimating that unless the
Dominican government should receive
assistance from the United States in
the way of regulating its finances the
creditor governments in Europe would
be forced TO resort to more effective
measures Of compulsion to secure the
satisfaction OF their claims.
IF the United States government de-
ciineS to take action ana other foreign
! governments resort 10 action to secure
payment Of their claims the latter
would he entitled, according to the de-
cision of The Hague tribunal in the
Venezuelan cases, to the preferential
payment of their claims, ana this
would absorb all the Dominican reye-
nues and would be a virtual sacrifice
of American claims and interests in
the island.
Under the accepted law of nations
foreign governments are within their
right. if they choose to exercise it.
when they actively intervene in sup.
port of the contractual claims Of their
subjects. They.sometimes exercise this
power. and OH account of commercial
riyalries there is Il growing tendency on
the part of other governments more
ANA more TO aid automatically in the
enforcement of the claims of their sub
jectS. In view of the dilemma in which
the government of the United States is
thus placed, it must either adhere to
its usual attitude of nonintervcntion in
such cases-an attitude proper under
normal conditions, but one which in
this particular kind of case results to
the disadvantage Of it's citizens in COM
parison with those of other states-or
else it must, in order TO be consistent
in its nOlicV. ACTIVELY Intervene tn mo