The mirror., 1922-05-18
THE AMERICAN EMPIRE
Continued from page II

had been the nearest customhouse; now
Americans held all customhouses and gave
would-be revolutionists sharply to under
stand that American marines would deal
with any interference there in summary
fashion. The warning was great check
on revolutions; Santo Domingo became
quieter than it had ever been in its his
tory; the natives began to develop the re-
markable resources of the republic, and
prosperity increased by leaps and bounds.
Not only was the republic able to pay its
debts, but-unheard-of event there was
large cash balance in the treasury!
Meanwhile in the neighboring Republic
of Haiti things continued to go from bad
to worse, and in the spring OF 1914 it
looked as if crisis had arrived similar to
that in the Dominican Republic nine years
before. AT the very moment when our
hands were full with what seemed like
ly to be war with Mexico the British
government presented an ultimatum to
Haiti over unsatisfed claims for damage;
and a few days later German financial in
terests concluded the preliminaries of a
loan to the Haitian customhouses and the
right to build a commercial coaing sta
ton at the best harbor of Haiti, Mole
Saint Nicholas. The second event was
only the last of a number of moves that
had made Germany paramount in the
financial and business life of Haiti, and it
might have been the cause of serious fric-
ton between America and Germany if the
Great War had not broken out when it
did and entirely changed the situation.
The lesson was not lost upon our govern
ment, which saw that conditions in Haiti
had reached such a pass that Intervention
was inevitable. Accordingly in 1915 after
particularly atrocious outburst of revolu-
tionary anarchy American marines landed
on the island, and American control was
established over the republic. In Novem-
ber of that year the Haitian government
ratified a treaty with the United States
that established a virtual American pro-
tectorate over the country. To be sure, the
served, but all real power lay in the
hands of the American "advisers" who
controlled the various branches of the ad-
ministration. The presence of strong
force of marines assured American con-
troll, and presently the marines were sup
plemented with "gendarmery," recruited
among the natives and officered by Ameri-
cans. Then the Americans proceeded to
pacify the country, which they did not
without considerable fighting. The num-
erous generals" bandits and "bad men"
who had so long terrorized Haiti naturally
would not allow their careers to be cut
short without protest. Taking to the bush,
known as cacos, began guerrilla warfare,
those rebelious gentlemen, who were
and the fine fighting qualities of our
marines were never better displayed than
in the way they hunted the cacos through
tangled forest and over trackless mountains
until they had captured or exterminated
them.
Long before Haiti was pacifed we had
undertaken a similar task in the Domini-
can Republic. We have already mentioned
the agreement of 1905, which gave the
United States certain degree of financial
control, and the improvement that fol-
lowed. For time things ran smoothly;
but presently the very prosperity of the
country melted fresh political troubles.
The lure of the tempting cash balances in
the treasury was too much for the ap-
petites of hungry generals" revolutionary
disturbances broke out, and the Dominican
government was soon unable to live up to
obligations According to the terms of
the 1905 agreement, which was virtually
limited to control of custom receipts, the