The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-01-12

the Civil war. The money would be
used to pension aged and infirm Con-
federate soldiers and the widows of
Confederate soldiers.
For Monument to Maury.
II is interesting to note I'm this con-
nection that bill which has good
deal of northern support has just been
introduced TO erect Il monument In the
city of Washington to Matthew Foun-
tain Maury, one time commodore In
the United States navy. ard later
ranking officer in the Confederate
navy. Commodore Maury was a stu
dent Of ocean currents. He charted
the Gulf stream and contributed an
immense amount of oceanographic
knowledge to the world.
Our Santo Domingo Fuss.
Santo Domingo, small country,
is looming large just now in the
field Of Washington interests and
anXleties. Virtually the United States
is ut war with Santo Domingo. There
are several hundred United States ma
llhNo III liit lllilt lN!bubllN N4llNii
been put under martial law by Uncle
Sam.
Word which has come from the state
department recently makes it appear
that the United States hereafter may
consider the necessity of taking IL hand
in affairs in Europe, especially in re,
gard to the safeguarding of the rights
of small nations. Some students of
international relations hold that If thu
United Stares does this it means that
the countries of Europe may one day
feel they have perfect right to take
a hand in affairs on this, side Of the wa
ter and that therefore the Monroe
Doctrine must go by tl.e board.
This is matter admittedly only
for speculction and for future devel-
opments to prove one way or the
other, but there is intense interest and
some apprehension among the law
makers today because the Dominican
government has protested 20 the pow
ers of Europe against Uncle Sans ac-
ton in placing that country under mar
tial law.
May Cause Complications.
IT is not to be supposed for an in
stapt, of course, as the officials here
view 1t, that the big European govern
ments which have been Appealed to by
SantO Domingo will do anything in
the matter, or certainly not at present
because their hands are exceedingly
full with deadly troubles of their own.
The protest, however. has gone on rec
ord, and as some of the lockers into
the future here see the thing, Il pos
sibly eventually may develop cOmpli-
cations for this government.
Haiti and Santo Domingo have been
prickly-pear points to Uncle Sam for
a long time. The government aas n
treaty with Haiti which allows Uncle
Sam to collect not only the customs of
that country, but its internal taxes as
well, and 10 look after their disbul Sc
ment. 1t seems likely that in order
TO bring about complete order in San
to Domingo some like arrangement
must be made with that country. Al.
ready the United States Is collecting
customs Of the Dominican Republic.
but It is not collecting it's internal
taxes.
The most recent trouble with Santo
Domingo came because the various ele-
ments down there, led by different
men, attempted each in Its own behalf
to take the internal revenues and to
spend them for personal selfish pur-
poses. The result was such an inter
nal row that the United States had to
step in, and as n matter of fact we are
In mild way at war with Santo Do
mingo today, although 1t is not called
war.
Promised Their Debts Should Be Paid.
During the Roosevelt administration
England. France and Germany. TO all
of whom Santo Domingo owed money
which it would not pay, asked the
United States to assume with them
Joint control over the revenues of the
little republic President Roosevelt
could not entertain such Il proposition
because in IL way IL was n violation of
the Monroe Doctrine. although not lit
orally so. The American adminiStra-
ton made an arrangement by which
the United States government was
pledged to maintain the payments on
the dominican debt.
So 1t is that we have been collect
ing revenue down there and paying off
the republics debt as well as we
could. The Internal revenues were left
Ia The Dominican government itself.
As soon as ii was found out shat there
was money for the Dominican govern
ment i'm the internal taxes Of the cum
try, four or five governments spcang
up. each one willing 10 fight the Cyher
for the spells. This led to virtual
intervention on the part OF the pres.
ent administration. OF course the
United States will maintain control IN
Santo Domingo and bring about or.jer,
hut tie fact that this little bit az u
republic, that really is not a republic
nj MI. has protested to the powers of