Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-16
THE MONROE DOCTRINE.
CONTINUED from First Page.)


were burdensome to the state, and which
are not infrequently disregarded and vlo
| lated by the governing authorities. Citl
| zens of the United States and of othel
governments holding these concessions ano
| contracts appeal to their respective gov
| ernments for active protection and inter
vention.
Except for arbitrary wrong. done or
| sanctioned by superior authority, to per-
| sons or to vested property rights, tne
| United States government following It's
| traditional usage in such cases. aims to so
| no further than the mere use of Its gooo
| offices, a measure which frequently proves
| ineffective. On the other hand, there are
governments which do sometimes take en-
| ergetic action for the protection OF their
| subjects in the enforcement of merely con-
| tractual claims and thereupon American
| concessionaries, supported by powerful in
| fuences, make loud appeal to the United
| states government in similar cases Tor SINH
| lar action. They complain that in the ac-
| tual posture of affairs their valuable prop
| critics are practically confiscated, that
American enterprise is paralyzed and that
unless they are fully protected, even by
the enforcement of their merely contractual
rights, 1t means the abandonment to the
subjects of other governments of the IN
terests of American trade and commerce
through the sacrifice of their investments
by excessive taxes imposed in violation OF
contract, and by other devices, and the
sacrifice of the output of their mines and
other industries, and even of their railway
and shipping interests, which they have es-
tabliShed in connection with the eXploita-
ton of their concessions. Thus the att
tempted solution of the complex problem
by the ordinary methods of diplomacy re-
acts injuriouSy upon the United States
government itself and in a measure par
ralyZes the action of the executive in the
direction of sound and consistent policy.
The United States government is embar-
raised in it's efforts to foster American en-
n o0r,oy1 nrpa
through the cultivation of friendly rea
tons with Santo Domingo, by the irritating
effects on those relations and the conSe-
quent injurious influence upon that COM
merce, of frequent interventions AS
method of solution of the complicated prob
lem arbitration has become nugatory, in
asmuch as, in the condition of it's finances,
an award against the republic is worthless
unless Its payment is secured by the pledge
of at least some portion of the customs
revenues. This pledge is Intellectual with
out actual delivery over of the custom
houses to secure the appropriation of the
pledged revenues to the payment of the
award The situation again reacts injuri-
ously upon the relations of the United
States with other nations. For when
award and such security are thus obtained,
as in the case of the Santo Domingo I'm
provement Company, some foreign govern
ment complains that the award conflicts
with its rights as a creditor, to some por
ton of these revenues under an alleged
prior pledge; and still other governments
complain that an award in any considerable
sum, secured by pledges of the customs
revenues is prejudicial to the payment of
their equally meritorious claims out of the
ordinary revenues; and thus controversies
are begotten between the United States and
other creditor nations because of the ap
parent sacrifice of some of their claims
which may be just or may be grossly ex-
aggerated, but which the United States gov.
eminent cannot inquire into without giving
grounds of offense to other friendly cred
itor nations.
Still further illustrations might easily be
furnished by the hopelessness of the pres
ent situation growing out of the social dis
orders and the bankrupt finances of the
Dominican republic, where, for consider
able periods during recent years, the bonds
of civil society have been practically dis
solved
Intervention of Foreign Governments.
Under the accepted law of nations foreign
governments are within their right, If they
choose to exercise it, when they actively
intervene in support of the contractual
claims of their subjects. They sometimes
exercise this power, and, on account of
commercial rivalries, there is a growing
tendency on the part of other governments
more and more to aid automatically in the
enforcement of the claims of their subjects.
In view of the dilemma in which the gov
eminent of the United States is thus
placed, it must either adhere to its usual
attitude of non-intervention 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 citi-
Zens in comparison with those of other
states-or else it must, in order to be con-
sistent in it's policy, actively intervene to
protect the contracts and concessions of its
citizens engaged In agriculture. commerce
and transportation in competition with the
subjects and citizens of other states. This
course would render the United States the
insurer of all the speculative risks of it's
citizens in the public securities and fran
chises of Santo Domingo.
Under the plan in the protocol herewith
submitted to the Senate, insuring faithful
collection and application of the revenues
to the specified objects, we are well assured
that this difficult task can be accomplished
with the friendly cooperation and good
will of all the parties concerned, and to
the great relief of the Dominican republic
The conditions in the Dominican republic
not only constitute a menace to our rela-
tons with other foreign nations, but they
also concern the prosperity of the people
of the island, as well as the security of
American interests, and they are Intimately
associated with the interests of the South
Atlantic and gulf states, the normal ex-
pansion of whose commerce lies in that
direction At one time and that only a
year ago, three revolutions were in progress
in the island at the same time.
1t is impossible to state with anything
like approximate accuracy the present pop
uldtlOn OF the dominican repuDl1c. In the |
report of the commission appointed by
President Grant in 1871, the population was !
estima ted at not over $50 600 souls, but ac- |
cording to the Statesmans yearbook for |
1904, the estimated population in 1888 is |
given $4,000 The bureau of the Ameri- |
can republics considers this the best esti- |
mate of the present population of the re- |
public AS shown by the unanimous report |
of the Grant commission the public debt of |
the Dominican republic, including claims, |
was 81 ,565, S31 .59A The total revenues were |
s772 6S4. 75A.
The public Indebtedness of the Dominican |
republic, not including all claims, was on |
September II last, as the Department of |
State is advised, $50, 2S0, 600; the estimated |
revenues under Dominican management of |
custom houses were 81 $50 600; the proposed |
budget for current administration was ST. ,
300, 600, leaving only $3.50, 600 to pay foreign |
and liquidated obligations, and payments |
on these latter will amount during the en-
suing year to 81, 100000, besides 100000 of |
arrearages of payments overdue. amount |
ing in all to 50 600 600 1t is therefore i'm
possible under existing conditions, which |
are chronic. and with the estimated yearly
revenues of the republic, which during the |
last decade have averaged approximately |
81 900, 600, to defray the ordinary expenses |
of the government and to meet Its obliga-
tons.
The Dominican Debt.
The Dominican debt owed to European