The Washington times., 1905-03-09
Santo Domingo.

w hCI ACdiHCu puS S1Nsdti0 ulSd62l &C
as to the proper remedy for an i'll
there is always the chance that the
patient may expire while awaiting a
decision. While this professional
courtesy" is not SO vigorously OBJ
served among political wise nen,
there is similar interest in the diff
ference of opinion at the present time
between the President and the Sen
ate over the Santo Domingo treaty
consideration.
AS is often the case in contentious
of this sort, both sides are right from
their particular point of view. The
President says a bad state of affairs
exists and that this country's inter
ests demand the action he has recon-
mended. The Senate admits the basic
conditions and does not deny its de-
sire to settle the question properly,
but has its doubts as to the efficacy
OF the remedy proposed,
There comes the rub. The Presi-
dents message, made public yester-
day, presents patriotic reasons for ex-
ercising this country's good Offices in
settling the claims of the Santo
Domingo Improvement Company. But
in the eyes of the Senate it also
launches this Government on a debt
collecting career that will be well nigh
endless. Unless the determination to
take hold of affairs now is coupled
with the plain warning to all the
world regarding debts contracted in
the future, Senator's view with con-
cern the ends to which such a policy
OF national benevolence will unavoid
ably lead
Were the Government of the Unit
ed States to commit Itself to policy
Of exercising protectorate over the
weak republics of the western hem
isphere, its first duty would be to i'm
pose PLAT amendment" on each
improyident and inexperienced nation,
just as it did in Cuba This is I'M
deniably the milk in the cocoanut.
Without providing restrictions which
could not be evaded in the contrac-
ton Of new debts, this country would
become the laughing stock of the
world. 1t would be accomplishing
about as much, in manipulating alien
custom house receipts for the pay
ment of creditor nations, as would a
q child trying TO bail out a sinking
boat. Before one leak could be patch
ed up another would be sprung some
where else. 1t would be all work and
nothing to show for it afterward
What then is the best course to
pursue? It is a question complicated
enough to puzzle the wisest heads. In
these days of enlightened diplomacy
Senators are apt to minimize the fear
of foreign aggression so long as some
disposition is evinced by a small re-
public to meet just deots They op-
pose assuming the responsibility for
other republics, such as Venezuela
and who knows how many others
which would be forced upon this
country as soon as foreign nations
found their debts could be collected
il that way without trouble.
Whatever the individual judgment
of statesmen as to the wisest solu
ton of the Santo Domingo question
one point must be agreed upon b!
all-that no remedy can be effective
or lasting which does not prohibit alb
solutely the contraction of new debts
capitalized in millions for few hun
dred thousand actually received il
cash. The game of internationa
hold-up by intriguing reVolutionists
who continually change places at The
head Of the government in order tt
repudiate their country's claims, ha:
continued long enough to be put dowI
as were the avowed pirates of old