The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1905-12-13

save To see that the puIiu noo'I,Ia tior
In any shape. On the one hand, TINS
country would certainly decline TO go y
fran to eou prsyent 4 lust Z t0 debt: on sot the other
hand, IL is very inadvisable to permit
any foreign power to take possession,
e ef an 'e ampsrisany republic pl III order to en-
force the payment Of It's obligations; TOT
such temporary occupation might urn
into a permanent ocG4pa,aoih Ees me NAV oh at
any time be that we must ourselves uh.
dertake to bring about some arrangemen
by which SO muf IN as ns RosS II Is far bet.
ter tina this country should put through
such an arrangement, rather than allow
any foreign country to undertake II.
The Santo Domingo Question.
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
slightest consequence whether we grant
the aid needed by Santo Domingo as an
incident to the wiSe development OF the
the case Of Santo Domingo as standing
wholly By itself, and to be treated as
such. and not ON general principles, or
with any reference to the Monroe doc
trine. The conditions in Santo Domingo
have for a number Of years grown from
bad to worse until a year ago all society
was on the verge OF dissolution. For
tunately, just at this time a ruler sprang
up In Santc Domingo, who, with his
colleagues, saw the dangers threatening
ship, of the only great and powerful
neighbor who possessed the power. and
as they hoped also the will to help them.
There was imminent danger of foreign
Intervention. The previous rulers of San
to Domingo had recklessly incurred debts,
and owing TO her Internal disorders she
OF paying the debts. The patience of her
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 I'M
official assurance of this government that
1t would itself strive to help Santo Do
mingo In her hour of need. In the case
Of one of these nations. only the ac-
tual opening OF negotiations TO this end
by our government prevented the seizure
Of territory in Santo Domingo by a Eu-
ropea power. OF the debts incurre some
were just. while some were not of a
character which really renders 1T obi
to pay them in full. But she could not
pay any of them unless some stability
was assured her government and people.
Asks Support for Treaty.
Accordingly the executive department
Of our government negotiated a treaty
under which we are to try to help the
Dominican people to straighten out their
finances. This treaty Is pending before
the senate. In the meantime a temporary
arrangement has been made which will
last until the senate has had time to
ldhc dCllDIl uDOl liz TREATY.. ODueT tnlS
arrangement the Dominican government
has appointed Americans to all the i'm
portant positions in the customs service,
and they are seeing to the honest collec-
ton of the revenues, turning over 40 per
cent. to the government for running eX-
penses and putting the other 55 per cent.
sion in case the treaty shall be ratified.
among the various creditors. whether
European or American.
This has completely discouraged all rev.
dictionary movement, while 1t has al
ready produced such an increase in the
revenues that the government is actually
getting more from the 45 per cent. that
the American collectors turn over to 1t
than 1t got formerly when 1T took the
entire rss ssS sv eeoeie 1t IT + ena9nli 6g,t the poor
more to turn their attention to industry
and to be free from the curse OF inter
minable revolutionary disturbance.
There Is, Of course, opposition to the
treaty from dishonest creditors, foreign
and American, and from the professional
revolutionists of the island itself.
The Army and Navy.
We cannot consider the question Of our
foreign policy without at the same time
treating Of the army and navy. We now
have a very small army-indeed, one we'll
nigh infinitesimal when compared with the
or course the army we do have should be
as nearly perfect Of its kind and for it's
any army in the world has a better aver
age Of enlisted man or a better type of
junior officer; but the army should be
trained to act effectively in a mass. Pro-
vision should be made by sufficient appro-
prfations for maneuvers of a practical
kind so that the troops may learn how
to take care of themselves under actual
service conditions.
The number Of posts In which the army
Is kept in time of peace should be mate
rally diminished and the posts that are
left made correspondingly larger.
To accomplish this end we must have not
company or regimental garrisons, but
brigade and division garrisons.
For a Big Navy.
Our navy must, relatively to the navies
of other nations, always be of greater size
than our army. We have most wisely con-
tinued for a number of years to build up
our navy, and 1t has now reached a fairly
high standard Of efficiency. This stand
ard of efficiency must not only be main
tanned, but increased. 1t does not seem to
me necessary, however, that the navy
shouldn't least in the immediate future
be increased beyond 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 be-
comes apparent that they are useless.
PROBABLY the result would be attained by
adding a single battle ship TO our nayy
each year, the superseded or outworn yes
sells being lad up or broken up as they are
thus replaced.
Public Land Laws.
One again / call your attention IN rho
condition of the public land laws. Recent
developments have given new urgency to
the need for such changes as will fit these
laws TO actual present conditions. The
honest disposal and right use of the re-
naming public lands is of fundamental i'm
portance. The Ubiquitous methods by
which the monopolizing of the public lands |
Is being brought about under the present
laws are becoming more generally known
but the existing laws do not furnish
effective remedies. The recommendation |
OF the public n commission upon this
HnD1eCf are wiaa and chnpll r. &c. |
effect.
As to the Grazing Land Claim.
The greater part Of the remaining pubIic |
lands cannot be irrigated. They are al
present and will probably always be Of
greater value for grazing than for anv
other purpose. This fact has led to the
grazing homestead of $40 acres in Ne
braska and to the proposed extension Of n |