Evening star., 1924-07-05

With the withdrawal OF American
marines now In progress, Santo Do
| mingo resumes control Of its own
| Affairs. After eight years Of Amer.
fcan occupation, the country appears
to be firmly united under the leader
| ship OF President-elect Gen. Horatio
Vasquez and is, 1t declares, no longer
| In need OF assistance in running its
| ship of state. The presidential cleo
| ton, held a couple of months ago,
was one OF the most peaceful in
Caribbean history; the finances Of the
republic are now on a stable basis,
and with a strong, well trained ma
tional guard to protect the govern
ments interests.
Gen. Vasquez, who has been in
washington comforting with Presi-
dent Coolidge, Secretary of State
Hughes and Sumner Welles, retiring
United States high commissioner to
Santo Domingo. has given his prom
| the American occupation will be car
ried out by his administration. These
include the maintenance OF order
without outside aid, the scrupulous
administration of Justice and the con-
ttnuance OF internal improvements,
ture. good roads and irrigation.
Whether or not Vasquez will be
able to keep his promise depends
largely, of course, upon the Coop
Grafton he receives from the people
or Santo Domingo. Will they continue
10 support his government, or will 1t
be undermined and hampered by DO
!itical conspiracies and insurrections
like those OF the past? There are
some familiar with the West Indies
of
this question. But all agree that
Santo Domingo should have it's trial
at domestic tranquillity--its chance
10 make good as an independent, re-
sponsible nation
When United States marines were
landed on the island in 1915 1t was
to restore order out of a political and
economic chaos that had lasted for
many long years. AS early as 1905
repeated revolutions had left the ar
fairs of the Dominican government
IN such a hopeless state that the
United States was compelled to come
to Its assistance in order to preserve
the Monroe doctrine. A large group
or foreign creditors, each ready to
present his bill with A gunboat,
clouded the horizon. Another large
group of native creditors, each plan
ming to enforce his claims against
the government by insurrection, agi-
tated the country's interior. Clearly
establish Dominican credit and the
United States did IT..
Through its Offices the republic
was enabled to secure loan OF
s20.Oo0.000 with which to refund it's
foreign debts. This was arranged by
a bond issue, with the understand
ing that the bonds were to be paid
on in monthly installments from the
customs revenues In an agreement
between the two governments the
prnd ~ r. koI
pointed general receiver of the
Dominican customs. who was au-
thorized to collect all the customs
duties in the custom houses OF Santo
Domingo until the 100000, 008 should
he repaid. The amount to be de-
Quoted from the customs receipts for
the repayment OF the loan was $780,
600 a month, In addition to the ex-
penseS of the general receivershfp
All remaining funds were turned
into the treasury of the Dominican
government.
Dominican PromLseA
In this agreement, moreover, the
Dominicans promised wise and
efficient administration of their
trea sury. They were to pay the
salaries of civil employees regularly
in addition to back pay and any
surplus was to be used for the build
ing Of public works. They were not
to increase the public debt without
consulting the United States. But
the continued outbreak of revolutions
made it impossible to keep this
promise. Great sums were expended
for military preparations instead of
public improvements, and other sums
disappeared without any explanation
as one faction after another came
into control of the treasury. In
order to make up deficits stamps.
stamped paper and other government
securities were recklessIy issued.
Thus within a few years the republic
was again burdened with an enor-
nous interior debt, which made the
position of the custom houses ex-
tIemely unsafe. Once more inter-
vention became necessary and this