The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-15

the interest charges.
Day Of Reckoning Comes.
80 long and so steady was the orgy
of revolution. speculation. cebt-makins
and interest-dodging that the natl on's
credit grew worse than that of Its
| Individual citizens. Finally. the day
! of reckoning came Foreign warsh.ps
/ approached the ports whose harbors
| had given refuge to the great discov-
! erer, Columbus. and whose capital city
| still contains what undoubtedly are
his ashes, and demanded that the
claims Of their subjects be satisfied
claims for money advanced, claims for
interest accumulated, claims for prop
erty wantonly destroyed--and they de-
manded 1t at the point of big naval
guns.
"In a predicament from which they
were powerless to extrtcate them
selves. the Dominicans were ready
enough to negotiate a treaty turning
over the control of the country's GUS
toms to the United States IL, in re-
turn therefor, the United States would
protect them from angry European
creditors and rejuvenate their treas
ury.
Americas Good Ffnanciering.
And so 1t was that in 1905 the
United States undertook TO serve as
vouch for her debts. The tariff was
tiles urging that duties be laid on lux
uries rather than upon necessities.
upon the things Of the rich rather
than upon those Of the poor. The
tariff as a whole was cut down, the
general reduction being so per cent
on export taxes and IA per cent on
import duties.
And yet In spite Of this great re-
duction, in spite of payments of ST.
2e0.0 a. year on the debt there was
still left a greater net income for the
use OF the government than 1t had
ever had before.
For a long time it was thought
that. deprived Of the opportunity of
securing customs-house revenues
through the seizure OF ports. revolu-
tons could not support themselves.
But after six or seven years of peace
trouble broke out again, and during
1914 and 1915 1t became SO serious
that the United States was forced TO
intervene in behalf of peace and to
demand, with marines on shore and
naval guns trained and pointed on the
ports, that the country return to
state OF quiet. And so today the Do
minicans, realizing that the Monroe
Doctrine is determined to afford them
protection from their own excuses.
their own bitter passions and blind
purposes. have accepted the inevitable
and have secured the blessings Of
peace from without when they could
not attain that end themselves. 1t
is a reluctant acquiescence they ytei"
but q wholesome one, none the less.
Pay Price Of Peace.
cit has not been without effort or
without expense, nor yet without the
actual sacrifice of blood and life that
our country has stepped into play the
role of Good Samaritan to the peoples
Of Santo Domingo. Haiti and Nicara-
qua. who had lost the blessings OF
peace and were unable to regain them.
In Haiti alone We lost one officer and
six marines and had a number wound
ed But out of this altruistic effort
are growing results of which r. nation
that covets no territory. that seeks
only its own security and the welfare
Of it's unfortunate eighhors. may well
he proud.
I'm Porto Rico We have reduced the
death rate from forty five per thous-
and to nineteen per thousand. ard
a begin ming along the same line Is
being made in these new fields OF
America endeavor. In Porto Rico
wages have increased from sixteen
cents to seyenty-five cents. and stA-
BILE conditions show encouraging re-
suits in the same direction In our new
ward lands. In Porto Rico the school
attendance jumped from 90 per cent
to more than as, and these new wards
are trying to follow in Porto Ricos
path.
Benefits Conferred.
wherever America has gone,
whether to Panama, whether to Saato
Domingo, Porto Rico. Nicaragua the
Philippines or Haiti. the welfare OF
the people has been her first concern,
and while all colonial history shows
that the tares of evil are never absent
from the wheat OF good. our nations
record of help given whore most neei-
ed is one that well may challenge
our admiration and quicken our pa
triotisnt.
The success In Santo DOMINICAN
customs administration led ID another
experiment along the same ne a few
years later. Nicaragua became rev.
olution-torn, resulting in the over
throw of Zeiaya and the conversion
of the country from an unspeakabie
despotism into one OF ruinoas anarchy.
Rival factions issued fiat money as
freely as tap water flows from n spi-
got The treasury was bankrupt. in
terest was in default. foreign creditors
were threatening TO collect their debts
with gunboatS and cruisers, and there
was not enough money to be had by
the party in power even to pay sal
aries. much less soldiers wages. The
offer OF the United States to perform
for the Nicaraguans a service similar
to that given the Dominicans was a.
cepted. and here again the plan
worked beautifully az long as hydra
headed revolution remained under
cover. Trouble came. however, and
only the presence OF American ma
rines has served to keep the peace.
The outs are bitterly opposed to the
role being played by the United States,
but Nicaragua Is being retuvenated in
spite of ever handicap that the state
OF mind Of its citizens entails.
II conditions were bad in Santo
Domingo when the United States un-
dsrtook to help the country back to
peace and prosperity. they were worse
In Nicaragua when We assumed the
role Of guardian. But even in Mica
raGua they were mild indeed compared
with those obtaining in Haiti when
our country finally stepped In there.
Our agreement with Haiti goes fur
thsr than those with Santo Domingo
and Nicaragua. II provides for an
Northumberland constabulary which
shall have control of the country and