THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE : APRIL 8, 1917.
6 D
Uncle Sam in the Caribbean v
. 15-How We Rule Santo Domingo
By Frederic J. Haskin j
Santo Domingo City, Santo Do
mingo, March 21 The political situa
tion in thia would-be republic it both
complicated and peculiar. No less than
:our distinct agencies of the United
nates government are here represent
ed and co-operating toward aome end
which ia neither atated nor apparent
The chief executive and the cabinet
members are officers of the United
States navy; the finances of the repub
lic are being administered by our cus
oms receivership; the country is being
loliced and subdued- by the United
States marine corps, and -public im
provements are being supervised by
director of public works appointed
y our State department.
These varied civil and military min
strations the Dominican people are
receiving with patience and even
?race. Nearly all of them admit that
it was necessary for the United
States government to intervene here
Some of them say that if we had
not intervened, certain other powers
would toon have done so. A few of
them are beginning to ask what we
are going to do now that we are here,
ind when we are going to do it.
Our aituation in Santo Domingo is
to typical of the whole Caribbean
problem that it seems worth while to
describe it in detail It is safe to
say that no one in the United States,
outside of official circles, really under
stands it and only a few people down
here do. , ,
Our relations with this republic be
gan in 1907, when by request we at
tempted to straighten out its tangled
finances through the appointment of
a customs receivership. This com
mendable institution hat been func
tioning ever since, systematically and
efficiently, - despite revolution and
political turmoil. The republic has
changed governments, fought civil
wars, and gotten into debt, but
through it all the receivership has
gone on patiently collecting the ex
tortionate customs duties and paying
the long and mysterious salary list
of the Dominican government
Until last spring. Another revolution
came off. Our official patience was ex
hausted. Admiral Caperton and Gen
eral Pendleton broke up the rebel
force, and reinstated President Jime
nez and his cabinet Likewise our gov
ernment made certain demands upon
the Jimenez administration. One of
them was that the United States gov
ernment be allowed to organize and
officer a constabulary so that it could
keep order in the republic. This the
president of the Dominican republic
patriotically refused to countenance.
That another nation should have to
administer the finances of his country
was bad enough, but that Santo
Domingon should be policed per
manently by the armed force of an
other power was intolerable. Further
more it was unconstitutional. Presi
dent Jimenez was firm. So- was the
United' States government Likewise,
it had all the money. Heroic meas
ures were now applied to the patriotic
officials of Santo Domingo their
salaries were cut off.
Home without mother is happy and
complete compared to a political job
in Latin America without a salary.
There had been many political salar
ies in Santo Domingo without jobs,
but never before a political job with
out a salary. In this land of sensa
tional politics, the United States gov
ernment had sprung a new political
sensation, and withal a most painful
one. The newspaper dispatches re
port that this amputation of the sal
ary list has caused much hard feeling
than anything else the United States
has done in and to Santo Domingo.
It is indubitably true.
Tust exactly what happened to the
Jimenez government after this is hard
to state in otticial language, Dut is
sufficiently clear; Its political jugu
lar vein has been severed, its golden
life blood chained. It did not re
sign, it did not revolt; simply faded
and died. To the cabinet officers was
tendered the high and chaste honor
of serving on without pay, but they
unaccountably failed to respond. Pres
ident Jimenez sent a messenger to
Admiral Knapp to explain that his ex
excellency was in a state of financial
need and to request that his salary
for one month be paid. This wat re
fused. President Jimenez then sailed
away and is said to have taken the
lecture platform in other Latin Amer
ican countries and devoted his abili
ties to an exposition of the greedy
and underhand methods by which the
eagle of the north is sinking the
talons of despotism into the vitals ot
free and democratic government in
Santo Domingo.
The present government in Santo
Domingo is based upon a proclama
tion issued by Admiral (then Captain)
Knapp at that time. The essential
statements of this document were
that the United States navy had as
sumed governmental power in the re
public for the good thereof, and, aa a
temporary expedient, with an accent
on the temporary; that neither mu
nicipal nor provincial govefnmentt
would be interfered with; and that
the Dominican judiciary would con
tinue to function. The naval govern
ment also decreed a censorship of the
press, certain portions of which were
entertaining the populace with blood
thirsty tirades against American high
handedness. Several little newspapers
were put out ot business, and several
others compelled to adopt a more
moderate policy.
The naval government has in fact
had to go somewhat beyond its stated
purposes. .Troops of marines have
been stationed in the more important
provinces, and, although the native
governors remain as figureheads, the
commanding officers of these detach
ments are the real authorities. It be
comes increasingly evident that the
naval government will also have a
hand in the government of the princi
pal cities oetore tnecountry can be
made truly orderly. Already one city
council has been placed under arrest
Meanwhile the customs receiver
ship, the one stable institution in Santo
Domingo, continues to function and
will continue till about 1958, at least
It is at present administered by Clar
ence H. Baxter, a New Jersey news
paper man. Mr. Baxter and his as
sistants are about the only Americans
in the island, with the exception of a
few business men, who have an ex
haustive knowledge of local condi
tions, but their activities are limited
to the collection and disbursal of
money. 1
A tew harbor and road improve
ments are going forward under Aus
tin Collett, the director of public
works. This official was appointed
by the secretary of state to super
vise the expenditure of appropriations
made by the Dominican congress.
The congress being no more, he can
do nothing but carry out projects al
ready provided for, although there
are $4,000,000 of Dominican funds
available for public improvements.
I he tuture ot Santo uomingo is
largely dependent upon the use of
this S4.UU0,uW. it properly adminis
tered this fund can provide the
Dominicans with those fundamentals
of a civilized state, such as roads,
schools and an orderly system, of land
tenture, which they at present lack.
Santo Domingo is a land with a fu
ture of splendid possibilities, and
this future is now largely within our
control
Descending to statistics. Santo
Domingo is about as large as Massa
chusetts and contains about as many
people as Boston. The natural wealth
and productive power ot this bit of
soil nave evoked superlatives from
all observers, interested and disin
terested, expert and amateur. The
4 ;:.-i-r"'
vft lis ' --l t . Tp. ,rnT43
J 1 Til KiifiS:.
if
mm am m m a m m m w .taw
llTonTruck
Which Is the
Best of the Big Ten
This 1-ton Service Motor Truck is fre
quently mistaken for, a 2-ton truck. For
throughout it is constructed with new stand- .
ards or strength exceptional margins of safety.
Though but one of six Service models each
of which has established its superiority it is
constructed with the sole idea of making the
best 1 Hi-ton truck that can be built. All the
ingenuity of the best engineers we know has
been concentrateion this model.
It will give yon I new idea of how sturdy, how powerful
and how durable a l&ton truck can be made. And you '
will realize why it has established such remarkable records
of economy such consecutive records of service. Never
yet have we heard of Service Motor Truck outliving its
usefulness, .,
You can realize, therefore, why 60 of the Service sales
of 1915 were re-orders from satisfied customers why
67$ of 1916 production wat required to fill re-salea.
Buda Motor, 4-inch bore, 5-inch stroke Stromberg
Carburetor E'nemsnu Ignition Brown, Lipe Selective
Transmission Timken-David Brown Worm Drive Axle
Timkea Bearings throughout Timken Front Alxe.
Price, $2100 lest than is asked for any l&ton truck
; made by tny other of the dominant ten.
Choose From the Big Ten
There are 260 Motor Truck manufacturers in the United
States today. Yet only ten have achieved such a marked
success that their products are recognized at leaders.
These ten, including Service, agree on standard specifications.
Yet Service offers features of extra value which, combined,
are not found elewhere. And Service Motor Trucks ate
told at a lower price than any other of the dominant ten.
e , - -
C. W. Francis Motor Truck Co.
A. E. Kerr, Manager
OMAHA
sugar fields of Santo Domingo, for
example, produce a great deal more
to the acre than those of Porto Rico,
and some of them have been cut sev
eral times a year for thirty years,
without ever being replanted and
without suffering the slightest dimi
nution of their productivity. To
bacco, coffee and cacao grow in simi
lar abundance. The soil of the two
principal valleys seems to be almost
inexhaustible, for it must be remem
bered that some of this land has been
under cultivation for over three cen
turies. But only a relatively small part of
the republic is cultivated. There are
extensive forests of native hardwoods
that sell by the pound, the great up
lands wooded with a sort of native
pine. There is gold in many of the
streams, iron, silver and oil in known
quantities. It is an island of the yery
richest endowment
For three centuries a great part of
this endowment has lain untouched.
The mines have never been worked
nor the forests cut because there Is
no highway more than a few miles
from the coast, and because whatever
one might produce in this land would
almost certainly be appropriated by
some revolutionary army or bandit
chieftain.
Now the people of Santo Domingo
have been generally blamed for this
unfortunate condition of affairs, which
has made it impossible for Americans
and Europeans successfully to come
and carry away this wealth. But upon
acquaintance the Dominican people
are found Ho be on the whole a very
docile people and of good natural in
telligence. They are already making
friends with the Americans who were
engaged only a short time ago in
shooting them. The common people
openly rejoice that they are able to
plant and reap a crop with some cer
tainty that the harvest will not be
taken to feed a revolutionary army
and the farmer impressed into the
ranks. These people are just as ap
preciative of the benefits of peace as
any other people.
Why, then, have they spent the last
four centuries in revolutions which
have left them beggars in a rich land?
For the reason that they have no con
ception of orderly government and no
chance to acquire one. Without roads
or other means of communication,
without schools, without some civil
ized system of land tenure, you cannot
have a civilization; and Santo Do
mingo has none of these things ex
cept in a few towns scattered along
the seaboard.
A benevolent despotism might have
brought order to Sonto Domingo.
But having democratic ideals of gov
ernment, the few educated people liv
ing down by the sea tried to set up
a republic in this land which had none
of the fundamentals of a civilized
state. The result was continuous and
unending chaos.
Individuals of a higher sort cannot
possibly lift the government any
higher than the intelligence of the
electorate. If these individuals enter
politics at alt,' they must become
demagogues and grafters to compete
with demagogues and grafters.
All of which goes to prove that you
can no more raise up a stable and
orderly government in Santo Do
mingo as it is today than you can
raise wheat on a tin roof. And you
cannot maintain a really democratic
government by placing troops here
to suppress disorder any more than
you can make wheat grow on the
tin roof by erecting thereon a scare
crow. These facts are fully appreciated by
all intelligent observers in Santo Do
mingo, whether American or Domini
can. All of the Dominicans are tired
of revolution except the professional
revolutionists. And these adventurous
gentlemen can keep the game going
just as long aa the people are kept in
their present state of barbaric-ignorance.
But give these people roads so
that they may travel and trade, give
them schools so that they may learn
to read, give them a system of land
tenure so that they may own prop
erty securely and acquire conserva
tism and self-respect, and you have
abolished the material of which revo
lutions are made.
Already the revolutionary spirit is
showing a tendency to weaken; al
ready these people are beginning to
comprehend the methods by which
men may secure the right to live in
peace. There is no doubt but what
if this naturally intelligent people
were given a chance to learn, they
would become orderly and civilized.
The question discussed here by ed
ucated Dominicans and American
residents is how these tools of civil
ization are to be given the Dominican
people. They hope tjiat the American
government will lend its aid; they
hope that is what it is here for.
The American government has fol
lowed a somewhat different policy in
Haiti, where k has reinstated the
Haitian government with a con
stabulary to keep order. Already both
of the principal Dominican factions
are making overtures in the expecta
tion that a similar course will be fol
lowed here. Either faction will allow
the United States to officer a con
stabulary and' establish a naval base.
provided that faction is placed ia
power.
But many, even of the Dominican!
politicians, admit that this would not
be for the best. It might keep order,
but it would leave the constructive
problem untouched, and the Domini
can government has shown itself in
capable of handling the constructive
problem. ' ,
It is well known that our policy in!
the Caribbean is molded with a view
to our future relations with all Latin
America. We are the defenders and,
preservers of small sovereignties.
That is why we emphasize the tempo
rary character of our occupation, and
get out as soon as we can assist the
tottering and breathless little sover
eignty back upon its somewhat un
steady pine. But surely a civil govern
ment would have less of the atmo
sphere of conquest about it than
military one, and a government set
up for a stated term of years would
cause less questioning than one with
no pnrpose, stated or apparent, except
to keep order for the moment. '
Whipped in Argument
. Over the War Balloons
"d O'Neill, whose address is any
place he hangs his hat, appeared be
fore Police Magistrate Madden with
a skillfully decorated optic It was a
beautiful blue black. 1
"I was looking at the war balloons,
he told the judge, "and I got into an
argument with a fellow. He said the
war balloons didn't carry any sand.
I said they did."
The black eye followed when the
other fellow swung a sandbag oft
O'Neill's lamp to make his argument
convincing.
' '' -
mi! : d9 f si 1
i he Morv or a u reat a
iiccess
THE STORY OF THE LIBERTY SUCCESS is a story of a square
deal to the American people. '
Before this car was even on paper, a group of prominent
and successful men who had made automobile history saw a definite
need not met by any car then being sold. - : "
. They knew the American people wanted to get away from the
hard work of driving and the discomfort of riding, more or less com
mon to all moderate sized cars. , ' . , '
So they built a car around one single ideal the owner's interest.
Feature after feature was included which they knew other cars lacked
until their car had every feature to make it satisfy owners in
actual use.
, - They included such definite owner "satisfaction points" as the
simple chassis design there is none simpler the heavy, sturdy, five-
. inch frame the correct balance, causing it to hold the road under
all conditions the easy steering the easily operated clutch the '
smooth and silent gear shift the easily operated but powerful
brakes the absolutely reliable emergency brake the elimination of
grease cups the seats made comfortable by properly shaped uphol
sterythe easily adjusted curtains the wide doors the handy tool
compartment the weather-tight- windshield the ventilated front
compartment the easy springs the detachable, robe rail the big ,
fenders the double lamps light weight making for greatlymcreased
tire and gasoline mileage; , . 7 ;
A car resulted which drove with the utmost ease.
A car resulted which rode easily with a long, easy, silent swing
over the roughest roads.
A car resulted. on which they founded a permanent, honorably
business and they themselves bought all the stock in this company
at $100 per share with' no promotion stock to any one. '
' Because this car was so sturdy, so strong, so dependable, so
American they called it the Liberty;
They told the Liberty story to the American people, simply andj
directly, without exaggeration. Liberty features of owner interest)
were so new that it was only necessary to mention them, and ask thai!
the car be tried out hard in comparison with every other car
The people heard about the Liberty. They tried it out.
bought it by thousands. A Florida owner who has owned and
23 cars says, "The Liberty is the best purchase I ever made."
I. J. Helborn of California says, 1 have owned ten other
Liberty is the best on the market." ."The easiest car I have
driven," says Mr. C. H. Shore of Nebraska. And so on by hundreda
come the endorsements of owners who know, whrJ at last have a eao
built for their interest. 1
That is the story of Liberty success a story of a square deal to!
the American people. ,
. This is the sort of car you want one designed from the first tot
i satisfy you by delivering miles in. comfort economically and wefl J
one including all features of owner interest.
: You want power and pep, pickup and snap a ear you will bet
proud to own and glad to drive then try the Liberty. You will sea,
the difference if you know other cars. On this basis alone the Liberty
has sold itself to thousands of motorists who know and on this basis
it will sell itself to you. "
naaew
The
hi veu
MrJ
Bare tM
eves
Five-Passenger Touring Car and Four-Passenger dose Coupled Roadster, $1195.
Detachable Sedan, $1395. Coupe (Springfield), $1795 Shopping Brougham, $2450.
W. M. Clement Motors Co.
2514FarnamSt
DISTRIBUTORS
Omaha, Neb.
Phone Douglas S218
r
Show Kmm
121S-IS Fvua SlrMt .
Swvte Station
aaia Him? stntt
