636 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



tons and about seventy thousand men, to aid in the 

 suppression of the rebellion. 



This statement demonstrates the value of the mer- 

 chant marine as a means of national defence in time 

 of need. 



The Committee on the Causes of the Reduction of 

 American Tonnage, after tracing the causes of its 

 decline, submit two bills, which, if adopted, they 

 believe will restore to the nation its maritime power. 

 Their report shows with great minuteness the actual 

 and comparative American tonnage at tbe time of 

 its greatest prosperity ; the actual and comparative 

 decline since, together with the causes ; and exhib- 

 its all other statistics of material interest in reference 

 to the subject. As the report is before Congress, I 

 will not recapitulate any of its statistics, but refer 

 only to the methods recommended by the committee 

 to give back to us our lost commerce. 



As a general rule, when it can be adopted, I be- 

 lieve a direct money subsidy is less liable to abuse 

 than an indirect aid given to the same enterprise. 

 In this case, however, my opinion is that subsidies, 

 while they may be given to specified lines of steam- 

 ers or other vessels, should not be exclusively adopt- 

 ed ; but, in addition to subsidizing very desirable 

 lines of ocean traffic, a general assistance should be 

 given in an effective way. I therefore commend to 

 your favorable consideration the two bills proposed 

 bv the committee, and referred to in this message. 



U. S. GRANT. 



Message urging the Ratification of the Treaty 

 with San Domingo. 

 EXECUTIVE MANSION, May 31, 1870. 

 To the Senate of tin United States : 



I transmit to the Senate for consideration, with a 

 view to its ratification, an additional article to the 

 treaty of the 29th of November last for the annex- 

 ation of the Dominican Republic to the United States, 

 stipulating for an extension of the time for exchang- 

 ing the ratifications thereof, signed in this city on the 

 14th instant, by the plenipotentiaries of the parties. 

 It was my intention to have also negotiated, with.the 

 plenipotentiary of San Domingo, amendments to the 

 treaty of annexation, to obviate objections which may 

 be urged against the treaty as it is now worded ; but, 

 on reflection, I deem it better to submit to the Sen- 

 ate the propriety of their amending the treaty as fol- 

 lows : first, to specify that the obligations of this 

 Government shall not exceed the $1,500,000 stipu- 

 lated in the treaty ; secondly, to determine the man- 

 ner *of appointing the agents to receive and disburse 

 the same ; thirdly, to determine the class of cred- 

 itors who shall take precedence in the settlement ot 

 their claims ; and, finally, to insert such amendments 

 as may suggest themselves to the minds of Senators 

 to carry out in good faith the conditions of the treaty 

 submitted to the Senate of the United States in Jan- 

 uary last, according to the spirit and intent of that 

 treaty. From the most reliable information I can ob- 

 tain, the sum specified in the treaty will pay every 

 just claim against the republic of San Domingo, and 

 leave a balance sufficient to carry on a territorial 

 government until such time as new laws for provid- 

 ing a territorial revenue can be enacted and put in force. 



I feel an unusual anxiety for the ratification of this 

 treaty, because I believe it will redound greatly to 

 the glory of the two countries interested, to civiliza- 

 tion, and to the extirpation of the institution of 

 slavery. The doctrine promulgated by President 

 Monroe has been adhered to by all political parties, 

 and I now deem it proper to assert the equally im- 

 portant principle, that hereafter no territory on this 

 continent shall be regarded as subject to transfer to 

 a European power. The government of San Domin- 

 go has voluntarily sought this annexation. It is a 

 weak power, numbering probably less than one hun- 

 dred and twenty thousand souls, and yet possessing 

 one of the richest territories under the sun, capable 



of supporting a population of ten million of people 

 in luxury. The people of San Domingo are not 

 capable of maintaining themselves in their present 

 condition, and must look for outside support. They 

 yearn for the protection of our free institutions and 

 laws, our progress, and civilization. Shall we refuse 

 them ? I have information, which I believe reliable, 

 that a European power stands ready now to offer 

 $2,000,000 for the possession of Samana Bay alone 

 if refused by us. With what grace can we prevent a 

 foreign power from attempting to secure the prize ? 



The acquisition of San Domingo is desirable be- 

 cause of its geographical position. It commands the 

 entrance to th.e Caribbean Sea and the isthmus transit 

 of commerce. It possesses the richest soil, best and 

 most capacious harbors, most salubrious climate, and 

 the most valuable products of the forest, mine, and 

 soil, of any of the West India islands. Its posses- 

 sion by us will, in a few years, build up a coastwise 

 commerce of immense magnitude, which will go far 

 toward restoring to us our lost merchant marine. 

 It will give to us those articles which we consume so 

 largely and do not produce, thus equalizing our ex- 

 ports and imports. In case of foreign war it will 

 give us command of all the islands referred to, and 

 thus prevent an enemy from ever again possessing 

 himself of a rendezvous upon our very coast. At 

 present our coast-trade between the States bordering 

 on the Atlantic and those bordering on the Gulf pi 

 Mexico is cut in two by the Bahamas and the Antil- 

 les. Since we must, as it were, pass through foreign 

 countries to get by sea from Georgia to the west 

 coast of Florida, San Domingo, with a stable govern- 

 ment, under which her immense resources can be 

 developed, will give remunerative wages to tens of 

 thousands of laborers not now upon the island. This 

 labor will take advantage of every available means 

 of transportation to abandon the adjacent islands and 

 seek the blessings of freedom and its sequence, each 

 inhabitant receiving the reward of his own labor. 

 Porto Rico and Cuba will have to abolish slavery as 

 a measure of self-preservation to retain their labor- 

 ers. San Domingo will become a large consumer of 

 the products of northern farms and manufactories. 

 The cheap rate at which her citizens can be furnished 

 with food, tools, and machinery, will make it neces- 

 sary that the contiguous islands should have the 

 same advantages in order to compete in the produc- 

 tion of sugar, coffee, tobacco, tropical fruits, etc. 

 This will open to us a still wider market for our prod- 

 ucts. The production of our own supply of these 

 articles will cut off more than $100,000,000 of our an- 

 nual imports, besides largely increasing our exports. 

 With such a picture it is easy to see how our large 

 debt abroad is ultimately to be extinguished. With 

 a balance of trade against us, including interest on 

 bonds held by 

 citizens travel! 

 yield of the precious metal 

 so easy to see how this result is to be otherwise ac- 

 complished. 



The acquisition of San Domingo is an adherence 

 to the Monroe doctrine. It is a measure of national 

 protection ; it is asserting our just claim to a control- 

 ling influence over the great commercial traffic soon 

 to flow from east to west by way of the Isthmus of 

 Darien ; it is to build up our merchant marine ; it is 

 to furnish new markets for the products of our farms, 

 shops, and manufactories ; it is to make slavery in- 

 supportable in Cuba and Porto Rico at once, and ul- 

 timately so in Brazil; it is to settle the unhappy 

 condition of Cuba and end an exterminating conflict ; 

 it is to provide honest means of paying our honest 

 debts without overtaxing the people ; it is to furnish 

 our citizens with the necessaries of every-day lite at 

 cheaper rates than ever before, and it is, in fine, a 

 rapid stride toward that greatness which the intelli- 

 gence, industry, and enterprise of the citizens of the 

 United States entitle this country to assume among 

 nations. U. S. GRANT. 



