Year: 1871

greatly. The exigencies of the central
civil and military authority seem to have
prevented the growth on any large scale
of that system of local self government
which forms the ground work of freedom
in the United States. Still the germs OF
local liberty are by no means wholly de-
stroyed.


Town councils are still retained. These
are elected by the people, holding regu-
lar sessions, keeping a record of their pro-
ceedings, and exercising considerable care
in the registration of vital statistics. II
appears to the Commissioners that under
a government guaranteeing liberty and
order, thesoR municipal bodies scattered
through the country, might become cen
ters of better system than the Domini.
can Republic has ever yet known. The
conetant succession of insurrectionary
leaders, and the long series of disturbance
to which it has been the fate of the Do
minioan people to- be subjected, led the
people to agree to the Spanish occupation
but the harshness of the rulers of Spain
the folly of many measures adopted, and
the fear of an enslavement, led to with
drawing the Spaniards from the island
The people revolted in all parts of the in.
terror, and aided by greater knowledge
of the country, and greater familiarity
of guerrilla warfare resisted all attempts
to put them down.


They finally drove the Spaniards into
strong holds on the coast, where their sol
diers died by wholesale of the malignant
fevers engendered in the close and filthy
barracks, devoid of all sanitary appli-
ances. Of the Spanish losses no exact
data could be obtained. The best opinion
seemed to be that the Spaniards sent in all
about $4,000 troops. among whom be-
tween 5000 and 5000 men were lost by
desertion and the causes above alluded to.
To the surprise of the commissioners in
almost all parts of the country, even in
the remotest, the people were found to be
familiar with the question of annexation
to the United States, and to have discuss
ed it among themselves with intelligence.
Everywhere there was a general agree
ment in the declaration that their only
hope of permanent peace and prosperity is
in annexation to, and becoming part of
the people of the United States.


The Commissioners say that the greater
friendship for the United States than for
other powers is due largely to colonies
which went out to the island years ago.
The people seem more unanimous for an
nexation than the Commission has known
any people to be upon any great political
question. An exceedingly small portion
is opposed to annexation. and these are
chiefly traders and agents of foreign
houses, whose business would suffer by the
change. The Commission, and all con-
neoted with it, travelled in all parts of the
island without guard or weapon, and in
perfect safety. It was d1omod necessary
to accumulate the written testim 1ny OF
witnesses, which was everywhere uni
form. The Commission did not have to
search after evidence of the disposition of
the people. Individual citizens. bodies of
men, delegations from Masonic, industrial
and Mutual Aid societies, representatives.
of Ecclesiastical associations, people of all
kinds, came TO Inem In such NUMBERS q 1d
with such frequency that their visits be-
came almost burden, all declaring their
desire for annexation. Soon after the
treaty of annexation was negotiated, a
popular vote was taken in the manner
usual in that republic, as required by the
treaty, which resulted in an almost uuaui-
nous expression in favor of annexation to
the United States. Whatever may be in
dividual preferences or opinions as to the
best form for taking the vote of an entire
nation on a subject of that magnitude, the
great mass of the evidence before the
Commission goes to show that this was a
truthful expression of the will of the peo-
pie, and in all expeditions, either of mem
bers of their own body or their agents,
ample corroboration of this opinion met
them at every point. The physical, men
tai and moral condition was found much
better than was anticipated.


The population is almost wholly of
mixed blood in every conceivable degree.
The cultivated and educated, such as the
officials, compare well with the same class
in other countries, and the uuedueated
appear as we'll as the same class elsewhere.
There is an entire absence of all prejudice
of race or color. They appear respectful
and polite, kind and hospitable. No
pauper class exists and beggary is almost
unknown. They are a temperate class
and drunken men are rarely seen. Among
the population the vice is that of petty
gambling, which is INDUCED in openly
and extensively, especially by the Span
ish portion of the people. High crimes,
according to the statements of their
Judges, are nearly unknown. All are
Roman Catholics, except the American
emigrants sent out by the colonization
society in 1924, and they live among the
Catholics in peace and harmony.


The mass of the people are uneducated.
The commissioners estimate that the ac-
tual population of the republic does not
exceed 10000. The commissioners re-
port that the resources are vast and varI-
GUS, and capable of great increase. Iron
ore is abundant, and possibly available
for the manufacture of iron. Copper ores
are of fine degree, but the mines have
not been extensively opened. The reports
of coal at Samana is only Ignite and of
little value as fuel. Little is known of
the gold regions, though they are extern
sive. Take it as a whole, the republic is
one of the most fertile regions on the face
of the earth. The evidence of men well
acquainted with the other West lndia
Islands declare this to be, naturally, the
richest Of them all. AS evidence of the
present undeveloped condition of Domini-
can agriculture may be cited the fact that
the commissioners during their expedl-
tions through the interior often met with
beet sugar, raised and refined in France,
butter and cheese imported from Den
mark, and milk condensed ia the United
States, but seldom with similar articles
manufactured on the island. The COM
missioners refer to the thousands of cattle
that roam the island, and the great num-
bers of horses raised, and the diversity of
natural growths arising from the differ
ences of soil and temperature. Special
investigation shows that it is generally a
healthy country. The popular idea that
the Dominican territory is particularly
unhealthy, and that persons visiting it are
peculiarly liable to yellow fever, is entire.
ly erroneous. The average health and
longevity is quite equal to, and probably
greater, than that of the United States.
As whole, earthquakes are of yearly oc-
currence, but so light as to cause little or
no attention. Hurricanes are not unfre-
quent, and are sometimes attended with
danger and cause much disturbance.
THE PUBLIC DEBT.