The Washington herald., 1912-09-26
Affairs of Domingo.


itous dispatching of $50 marines to-
gether with two of the highest officers
of the United States government to
Santo Domingo for the declared pur-
pose of retaining control over the Gus
tom-houses of our little ward, which
comes to US as a surprise out of a clear
sky, is an indication of the facility with
which the United States can intervene
to sustain the flag of one of its Mon
roe doctrine proteges, once such pro-
tege has agreed to become Dawsonlzed.
Brig. Gen. Frank Mcintyre is the
head of the Insular Bureau of the War
Department. The Honorable" William
Tecumseh Sherman Doyle is the chief
of the Bureau of Latin Affairs of the
Department of State. Both these dis
tinguished officials are to be out of
the country while Secretary Knox is in
Japan We are warranted in consider
ing such a step surprise, after the
giving out of nothing but optimistic
news. From every source we have had
nothing but assurances that by our act
the Dominican Republic had been
saved"
1t was contended that the treaty or
convention contained boundary joker
in favor OF the Dominicans, at the
time the United States Senate was in
vited to ratify the Dawson-Velasquez
convention. In other words, the Do
minican-American authorization for
United States forces to be used in the
collection of the customs of this for
eign country was called the Dawson
Velasquez treaty.
1t now appears that the boundaries
of the Dominican Republic are on the
north the broad Atlantic, on the east
the Mona Passage, on the south the
tranquil Caribbean, and on the west the
territory of the independent republic Of
Haiti 1t is well-known fact that while
the Haitian population cannot help
from increasing and expanding over
\into unoccupied Dominican territory,
the Dominicans for their part incline to
cling to the north, east, and south
coasts of their fatherland Hence
difference Of opinion arises between the
two republics as TO the de facto and
the de jure boundary line.
As the United States government, by
the terms Of the application of the
Dawson Interpretation of the Monroe
Doctrine. guaranteed to collect all the
Dominican customs for them. and as
there are ports of entry on the nigra-
tory boundary line, the sending of ma
rines and high department function
aries to the republic merely responds
TO the call OF the Dominicans, at present
in control OF the country. upon the gov
ernment Of the United States to collect
all the revenues and not merely the
customs duties along the coast. There
is, therefore, nothing alarming in the
present move. Nor is there any fear of
annexation of fertile Santo Domingo.
after consenting to be "Dawsonized,"
despite the fact that were it annexed
it could, by itself, supply all the cane
sugar the United States could consume
The Dominican Republic being "Daw-
sonized" means that it is so circum-
stanced that it need no longer give it
self any concern about its international
affairs since the Dawson-Velasquez
convention became official.
The attractive Bay of SANTANA, oc-
cupying as it does a strategic location
at the eastern portion of Santo Do
mingo, should be at the disposal of our
government. and we look forward to an
arrangement whereby that bay is placed
at the disposal of the United States as
the fruits of the efforts of the strongly
supported expedition headed by the high
functionaries designated as special
commission at this time.