Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-04-03

wealthy. Intelligent and we'll cdccatTd
Every law is designed to benefit them
lhcr" Is scarcely any tax on hand
because they "wr II. but there are two
or three thN"s on everything else 10
utica! salaries arc large and numcro,,r
AND many OF the political hcrtna n
Glide no duties at all In addition =,
ihis. graft IN political office was uniiI
the Americans came. tho customary
and accepted thing.
No Indurcmcnf for Reform,
So the upper class might be described
as Sclhsh ana corrnpt-and necessarily
so. There is not much inducement for
DominicsSI administration to initiate
reforms when ut any time some o,hcr
political faction. by paying IL few pcous
40 cents day, may start a revolution
ana seize the government. II Gomez
back to the proposition that the gov
crnmcnt cannot possibly be any better
than the people. The wholesale ora
ing which has characterized an r,o.
minican administrations is explained in
til" same way. Graft I'm the Injtcd
states is kept within bounds because
II Is condemned by public opinion In
Santo Domingo II is supported by p,h-
He opinion. The government has nj.
ways been regarded aH a source OF
wealth to he seized and exploited bv
the strongest faction. The Domincanp
ar" by no means dishonest Men who
have made their fortunes by graft I'm
~
failing 10 meet personal obligation
Tho force Of our rcccivcrship hero liz
made up almost entirely OF Domini.
cans. There has never been but one
east Of pcculation. and then the guilty
man was no; e Dominican. Tho Do
minicans understand that graft has no
place In tho American administration
and they are willing to play the game
according IN the rules.
MI that can be fairly said against
1. H..
Is that they have not been strong
enough 10 establish an orderly covcra-
mcut In a roadicss wilderness in
habitcd by an ilitcrate and almost
barbaric people. Nor can II be said
that they do not care for and believe
in tho future Of their country. They
ar" like ali otter Latin peoples pm
triots and dcalists. They Aave simply
lacked The wiadom and thesrnoral and
material strength to realize their
ideals
Formed by Environment.
The mass Of the Dominican people
are also what their physical and po-
litical environment has made them.
They have never. until tho Americans
came. h""n able to plant "A crop with
any ccrtainty,that some one would not
appropriate the harvest They may
squat upon the land. but they cannot
acquire ownership. There arc no in
dustrics for them TO work at. except
aETiCu!turc. ana trade Is taxed TO
death
The Dominican peon. by reason Of
the wealth Of his country, can live
easily and as he plcascs. but Il Is very
dfhrult :or him 10 acquire property
a sense OF security. a place and status
IN the scheme Of life. or any OF IN,
other things that develop In men
social and national consciousnc.s
Furthermore. az he gets no education
ana cannot travel he has no conccp.
raises a littlc patch OF sugar cane no,
glance ot any bandit or revolutionary
general He sets on. n few banana
and rlantain sprouts. and has papava
tree IN his yard. Squashes and melons
grow half Wild. and manEocs and CO.
coanuts wholly SO. lbs goats and
cattle take care OF themselves There
are plenty of fsh to be had for tho
catching. SO II ia easy to 1.-Two In
S"nio Domingo. and very difficult to
do much more.
TINS Dominican pcon viii probably
DISPLAY his Intelligence and skill In
ialSinS high grad" game chickens: his
daring and enterprise by betting every
'hlnG b." owns ON tho prowcss OF his
h"Ft cocks. The dominican game
'hl"k"Us ar" among tho best. and al
most every man owns a few.
" is no casicr TO raise good gam.
chickcuS than to do anything clse
Vel and It takes "a much nerve 10
StaE" Your Mi ON rooster as on
bethlehem steel or a new city addition
VINO shall say that the Dominican 4,
not man OF possibilities?