Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-16

transmitting the SantO Domingo
protocol to the Senate was made
public today. 1t is considered by
many the most important state pa
per of this Congress in its discus
sion of the responsibilities as well
as the rights of the Monroe doc
trine.
In the opinion of senator's, President
Roosevelts message accompanying the
Santo Domingo protocol made public to-
day is one of the most important state
papers of this Congress. The President
asserts that the protocol affords practi-
cal test of the efficiency of the United
States government in maintaining the
Monroe doctrine. The President says that
if this nation would profit by the Monroe
doctrine it must accept certain response
bilities along with the rights which 1t
confers The protocol which he submits
is an agreement with Santo Domingo by
which this government shall take pos
session of the customs houses of the is
land republic, collect the customs, hand
over 45 per cent of the proceeds to the
Dominican government and apply the re-
malnQer TO lUe cAllHS VI tiS
800. 900 900 or more of the Dominican
debt.
The President says that the justification
for the United States taking this burden
and mourning this responsibility is the fact
that it is incompatible with international
equity for the United states TO retuse 10
allow other powers to take the only means
at their disposal of satisfying the claims OF
their creditors and yet to refuse itself TO
take any such steps. The President says
that the conditions in the Dominican re-
public not only constitute menace to our
relations with other foreign nations, put
they also concern the prosperity or the peor
pie of the island as well as the security OF
American interests. The ordinary resources
of diplomacy and international arbitration
are absolutely impotent to deal with the
situation which, the President says can
only be met by organizing It's nnahces on
sound basis and by placing the customs
houses beyond the temptation OF msurgent
chieftains The treaty authorizes this gov
ernment to take such steps as IL may ueem
| proper to preserve order in the island. An
imnortant feature of the Presidents mes
ga ge is the statement that lit is perhaps un-
necessary to state that no step OF any klnd
has been taken by the administrator uhuer
| the terms of the protocol which is herewith
submitted.
The Presidents Message.
| The Senate today made public the proto-
| col with Santo Domingo, which was sub
mitted by President Roosevelt late yester-
| day afternoon.
| The Presidents message accompanying
| the protocol is as follows:
| To the Senate: l submit hereWltn d pfo-
| tocol concluded between the dominican re-
| public and the United States.
| The conditions in the republic of Santo
| Domingo have been growing steadily worse
| for many wears There have been many
disturbances and revolutions, and debts
| have been contracted beyond the power OF
| the republic to pay Some of these debts
| were properly contracted and are held by
| those who have legitimate right to their
| money Others are without question I'M
| proper exorbtant, constituting claims
| which should never be paid in full and per-
| hapS only to the extent OF very Small
| portion of their nominal value. y,
| Certain foreign countries have long felt
| themselves aggreved because of the nom
| payment of debts due their citizens. The
| only way by which foreign creditors could
| ever obtain from the republic itself any
| guaranty of payment would be either by
| the acquisition of territory outright or tenn
porarily, or else by taking possession or the
| custom houses. which would of course In
| itself In effect be taking possession of a
certain amount of territory.
The Monroe Doctrine.
1t has for some time been obvious that
those who profit by the Monroe doctrine
must accept certain responsibilities along
with the rights which 1t confers; and thai
the same statement applies to those VIII
uphold the doctrine. 1t cannot be too otter
and too emphatically asserted that the
United States has not the slightest desire
for territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT at the ex
pense of any of it's southern neighbors, ant
will not treat the Monroe doctrine as dr.
| excuse for such aggrandiZement on its part
| We do not propose to take any part o.
| Santo Domingo, or exercise any other con
troll over the island save what is necessary
| fo ifS financial rehabilitation in connection
| with the collection of revenue part o
| which will be turned over to the govern
| ment to meet the necessary expenses O.
| running it. and part Of Which VIII be dis
| tributed pro rata among the creditors O.
the republic upon basis of absolute equity
The justification for the United States tax
ing this burden and incurring this response
| bility is to be found in the fact that 1T i
incompatit4e with international equity fo
| the United States to refuse to allow othe
powers to take the only means at thei
disposal of satisfying the claims of thei
| creditors and yet to refuse, itself, to talk,
any such steps.
An aggrieved nation can without inter
ferng with the Monroe doctrine take wha
) action it sees fit in the adjustment of 1t
disputes with American states provides
that action does not take the shape of in
, reference with their form of governmen
or of the despoilment of their territor
under any disguise. But, short of this
when the question is one of money claim
/ ! the only way which remains. finally, to col
| lect it is a blockade, or bombardment, @
| the seizure of the custom houses and thi
| means, as has been said above what is i
effect a possession, even though only
temporary possession, of territory. Th
: United States then becomes party in ir
terest, because under the Monroe doctrin
; it can not see any European power seiz
] | and permanently occupy the territory
e | one of these republics and yet such sci.
! ure of territory, disguised or undisguise,
. may eventually offer the only way in whic
the power in question can collect any debt
: unless there is interference on the part
the United States.
Violations of Contracts.
One of the difficult and increasingly CON
pIicated problems, which often arise
: Santo Domingo, grows out of the violation
: of contracts and concessions, sometimes IN
: providently granted, with valuable PRIV
: leges and exemptions stipulated for upo
: grossly inadequate considerations whic
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