The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-24
MINISTER IS IN DARK
BARONMONCHEUR CAN'T EXPLAIN
 MORALES MESSAGE.
1t is However Believed that State De- partment at Brussels Believes DO- | minican Treaty Has Been Killed by Senate.

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 Washington, March 23.-In the ab- sence of hte Belgian Minister Baron Moncheur in New York, nothing is known at the Belgian legation regard ing the reference of President Morales in the dispatches from San Domingo received today to the Belgian claims which the President says are being pressed.
 Several days ago Baron Moncheur gram asking if any investigation was to be made by an American commission into the Dominican situation. It is supposed that, in view of the Sennte's refusal to deal with the Dominican matter, the Belgian government feels 1t is forced to pursue it's own course
 Other European powers, also while willing to await the negotiations of Secretary Hay, regard the attitude of the Senate as so opposed to the pro- posed course of the government that they fear they will be obliged to act individually on the question. The Belgian government has kept in close touch with the State Department in the preceding phases of the San De- mingo matter.
 Last fall with Italy and Germany, Belgium made inquiry Gs to the inten- tion of the United States relative to the collection of customs under the San Dominican Improvements Compa- ny's protocol and they expressed ap- prehension that the interests of their citizens having claims against San Do- mingo would suffer under the opera tions of the protocol, for the reason that sufficient revenue to meet them would not be available after the De- minican government had provided for its own maintenance and the United States had collected the revenues at Monte Crtstf and Puerto Plata.
 Their apprehensions on this score were somewhat relieved by the sub mission to the Senate of the proposed Dominican treaty. With the failure of this treaty State Department officials think with President Morales that the creditor nations hay econveived the idea that the treaty is lost and that 1t is now a case of each one for him self.
 But the State Department officials have by no means abandoned hope for the treaty and Secretary Taft and Act ing Secretary Adee have been in con- ference and communication with Sena- tor Cullom,a Chairman of the senate Committee of the Foreign Relations, providing information which it is ex- pected will go far towards removing any doubt as to the merits of the treaty that might finger in the minis of the Senators when the Senate again reassembles.
 Not only is this work being conduct ed in Washington but Prof. J. H. Hol- lander, one time Secretary of the Treasury of Porto Rico. has been se- lected by the President to go to San Domingo and make a thorough study of the financial conditions and report to him personally before Congress meets and Secretary Taft today con ferred with Captain Pillsbury relative to sending him to San Domingo on naval vessel It Is hoped that when the other creditor powers become ful- ly aware of the intention of the exec utiye to press the treaty at the next session of the Senate and to employ the intervening period of time in the collection of information, they may be disposed to refrain from forcing the issue now.
 Baron Moncheur UninfOrmed.
 Baron Moncheur, the Belgian Minis ter. returned to Washington tonight from a brief visit to New York. He is without any official intimation from his government as to its action in ths matter of pressing for the payment of Belgian claims against the govern ment of San Domingo. Provision for the payment of those claims, ne says, were made in 1901 by the terms of which the island government was to nav $30O,000 per year in monthly in- stallments.
 It has been some time now. the min ister says, since the monthly install ments have been met and naturally the Belgians are anxious that the pay ments should be resumed. The minis ter's belief is that the representations made by Belgium have not yet gone any further than to call the attention of the San Domingo Government to the failure in meeting its obligations with an expression of hope that the pay ments may be renewed as early as pos sIblc.