Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-09-03
GRANTS DESIRE TO ANNEX
sANTo DOMINGO BROUGHT
ON A SIMILAR CONTEST.
SUMNER LEADS OPPOSITION
Bitter Struggle in the Senate Commit
tee on Foreign Relations Was
Brought to an End by Sort of Com
promise.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

ton today one frequently hears that
nothing like the present conflict be-
tween the administration and the SEN
ate on the subject of treaty ever oc-
Curved before in the history Of the
country.
However there is nothing new under
the sun, as the wise one said. When
one chooses to dig a little into the
records, or even into the history of
events with which men are supposed
to be familiar, he generally finds par
allel to present case, no matter what
that case may be.
The people for some time have been
witnessing conflict of opinion and of
effort between the president and the
senate committee on foreign relations
on the subject of treaty, a conflict
which has had a good many dramatic
features. Has anything of this kind
happened before? Yes, and not so long
ago but that men still living remember
the circumstances. In fact, there have
been several such controversies, one or
TWO of them in recent years, but the
most marked case probably is one
which had it's scene and setting in the
first administration of President Ulys-
ses S. Grant.
General Grant desired to annex
Santo Domingo to the United States.
He believed that treaty of annexa-
ton readily could be entered into with
that country which has been known as
the Black Republic. He preached his
plans and the matter, of course, went
to the senate committee on foreign
relations, of which Charles Sumner of
Massachusetts, Republican, as Grant
was Republican, was chairman. At
that time there was no question of diff
ference of party or of party feeling
between the chairman of the senate
foreign relations committee and the
president of the United States. More
over, the senate itself substantially
was Republican In its majority.
Sumner Fought the Treaty.
There was an internal row on in
San Domingo, as frequently has been
the case in that land. The American
administration was sympathetic with
the ruling aspirations of one Baez who
claimed to be the rightful president of
the San Domingo Republic. The treaty
was drawn up with Baez and with an
nexation as its object, and it went be-
fore the committee on foreign relations
Vt the senate for consideration and for
action.
Charles Sumner, chairman of the
committee, was Just as antagonistic to
the treaty looking to the annexation of
San Domingo as Senator Lodge, chair
man of the committee today, is to some
Of the features of the treaty of peace
and covenant of the League of Nations.
The interchanges between Sumner
and the administration were sharper
than some of those which are passing
back and forth today. The Republican
party in the senate was split on the
matter on which the administrations
heart was set. Sumner reported adj
versely on behalf of the committee on
treaty. and then the trouble in the
senate broke loose.
Carl Schurz at that time was a sem
ator of the United States and mem
her of the foreign relations committee.
With several other Republican senators
he backed Sumner. while Roscoe Conk-
ling and other Republican senators
stood by the administration.
San Domingo Fight Bitter
Unlike proceedings of the present
time, the San Domingo treaty matter
was discussed in executive session. To-
day the League of Nations is under
discussion in the open senate. From
reports. supposedly truthful of what
ing the Grant-Sumner controversy. it
seems likely that there was more bit
terness displayed in that elder day
than is the case at present.
The controversy resulted in q sort of
a compromise. Congress appointed a
commission to look into the San Do
mingo matter, and to make a report
thereon, but Sumner carried his point
when he secured an amendment to the
resolution authorizing the appointment
of a committee, to the effect that moth
ing in the resolution should be con-
strued even in spirit. as committing
the United States to a favorable posi-
ton on the treaty.
OF course it is not necessary to say
that the treaty did not go through, for
people know that San Domingo never
was annexed to the United States. The
antagonism between Grant and Sumner
aroused by the treaty matter. added to
others which came later. led to COM
plete breach.
Uncertain on Program.
There is no use attempting to dis
guise the fact that there has been I'M
certainty in the Republican majority
of the house as to what form certain
legislative endeavors should take. 1t