The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-01-31
THE SITUATION
IN SAN DOMINGO.
Mr.. a. l.. Coulter Consulted BY
the President OH Affairs in
the Island.
MoRALEs's TROUBLES HIS OWN
He Listened to Bad Counsel and
Created Distrust Against
Himself.
lspecIal 10 The Times. DIsnatnh. s

Special 10 The Times D1lspatch3
ASHLAND, VA, January 9o..-rhe Ash
| patch Interviewed to-day Mr.. a. T.. Coul-
| ter. of Richmond. Va, who Is In charge
of large American interests in Santo Do
| lust as he returned from am interview
I with President Roosevelt, in which had
/ been discussed at length the Dominican
situation In general. BY his long resi-
| dence In the island and his intimate
knowledge of men and affairs down
there. Mr.. Coulter is we'll qualified to give
authentic information on the vitality. in
teresting questions now occupying the
public mind. In the proposed relations of
the United States to that turbulent re-
public. Mr.. Coulter came up from Santo
Domingo, only last week and being Dues.
toned about conditions there. said that
the recent troubles could have no other
effect than to clear UP the situation. The
flight of, and practical abdication of the
presidency by Mr. Morales was brough3,,
of action by his enemies. All of tho.
foreigners in the island had n high re-
gard for Mr.. Morales. who is an edu..
a sense of regret that he should have
given a too willing car to some OF his
personal followers. who induced him to
! take measures which could not fail to
ton in his cabinet. His successor. how.
ever, Mr. Cacere. is also II man of
strength and Of high abilities, and prob
ably more powerful than his predecessor
In that he commands the devotion OF his
party, the "Horacistas," whose legitimate
leader and representative he is to an cx-
tent that Mr.. Morales never was.
Asked as to his views on the pending
Santo Domingo treaty. Mr.. Coulter ex-
pressed himself as emphatically urging
its ratification. Why he said, II am
be any considerable opposition to 1T. 1t
must only come from a want OF know
ledge of the situation.
vividi i.1 since nee my Coming North tha, this
Dominican question Is bens made a par
~ matter in Washington. but any matter
that could be further from party politics
IT would be hard to conceive of 1t in
wolves national concerns and only ma
tional concerns. To grasp at II as con-
ven,ent chance to slap at the President
is. or should be, outside the arena OF
party politics TO any American who Is
a true patriot and has the well-beirg OF
his country sincerely at heart As the
President most earnestly said to those
whom he talked with on the subject. Let
them hit me az much as they want to--I
can stand 1t and say nothing. But do not
let them hit our country. and expect
me to keep slence.' No person can le-
ultimately criticize the proposed treaty:
it Is the easy, quiet. dignfed and efica-
cious method of solving very vital and
urgent emergency-an emergency preg-
nant with possibilities of most Sc
rious trouble II this solution is not ac-
cepted. possibilities that will certainly be
turned into realities within n very few
days after its rejection becomes known
down there
What specific Kind of trouble do you
/ rnean2'
Different Troubles.
We'll, there are two distinct kinds of
trouble-domestic and foreign. Besides
one American claim again the Dominican
government, there are French. Belgian,
German, Spanish. Italian and English
claims. and all these arc going to take
steps to collect their money. The So
curity given by Santo Domingo to it's
creditors for loans made is the right to
occupy and administer the custon-houses.
which yield practically all the revenue OF
the island. Thus the Americans are
Cristi and Puerto Plata the Italians OF
SANTANA and Sanchez, the Spaniards and
Germans of Macors. and the French and
Belgians OF Santo Domingo city. This dis
poses of all the ports of entry i'll the coun-
try excepting two insignificant ports in
| the extreme southwest.
| Certainly it would not be palatable
| to our people to see Europeans step into
! the custom houses and so occupy terrrl-
| tory Qor the man who believes that such
an administration of customs houses
! without territorial occupation prac-
/ ticablc, Just, is not in the least in touch
1 with the situation) in the Western Hem-
! lsphere. Where, then. would be the Mon
/ roe doctrine, and what would happen to
4
| might involve US in war with all, prac-s
! tically, of Europe. And this is no exag-
/ Serated statement of the situation. Last
| March | was ia Santo Domingo at the
| Very critical time when the Senate adj
! 1ourned without acting on the treaty. 1t
/ was only u question OF hours whether
| the Italians would or would not assert
their rights and take possession of the
custom houses to which they are entitled,
| and nothing Is more certain than that II
| Mr.. Roosevelt had not then--on that
day~and that hour--prOmulgated what we
| call the modus vivendi the Europeans
/ would be now occupying territory that
| we are supposed to protect from foreign
invasion, unless we had either satisfied
of war Calabra was actually on its
J way from Kingston, jamaica, for this
4 ayowed purpose, when the modus vivendl
/ was effected,
Would Bring Chaos.
/ Then II the treaty was not satisfied, the
! interior conditions in the island would
simply be chaotic; there would be no
limit to the disorder and lighting that
| would at once ensue If the support which
the treaty would give, and which the
J modus vivendl is now giving, to the Do
ninican administration were not avail
able. have been In tile country long
there, and they always cause a paralyi-
/ zation Of business and work. but the
former fights would be as child's play
i compared with the struggle that would
! immediately follow a rejection of the
I treaty. Under the operation of the
I modus vivendi. 50 per cent. OF the GUS
| toms receipts. have been retained by the
American collectors toward the payment
! of the foreign debts. and this has caused
an accumulation In eight months of over