PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



667 



limited .'extent and importance, to W. L. Cazeneau. 

 The commissioners were not unmindful of various 

 rumors which had been circulated on divers occa- 

 sions that concessions or grants of land were made 

 to officials of the Government of the United States 

 when the treaty of annexation was negotiated in 1869. 

 No pains were spared to ascertain the exact truth on 

 this subject. In addition to an examination of all 

 grants from the government of the republic, the Com- 

 mission further carried their researches to all muni- 

 cipal grants by the town of Samana, where rumor 

 had located the supposed grants. The officers of the 

 municipality and the records were carefully examined. 

 Inquiry was also made of the authorities of the city 

 of St. Domingo. After this investigation the Com- 

 mission can declare, without hesitation, that there 

 was no particle of evidence or color of evidence for 

 these charges. In order to be assured that the treaty 

 furnished to us was a true and full copy of the original 

 in the archives of the Dominican Government, they 

 thought it important to examine the original care- 

 fully, to determine whether either the treaty of an- 

 nexation or the Samana lease contained any conces- 

 sion, or grant, or secret clause favoring any United 

 States official. This they did in the presence of the 

 President and his Cabinet in the formal manner which 

 will be found set out at length in their journal of 

 date, February 18, 1871. It was ascertained that no 

 such clause was contained in the treaty or lease. 

 They read also the solemn assurance of the President 

 and his Cabinet, as will be found in their journal of 

 the same date, that no such grant or concession was 

 made in any way in connection with the negotiation 

 or preparation of the treaty. The terms of annexa- 

 tion desired, the terms and conditions on which the 

 Dominican Government and people desire to be an- 

 nexed, are expressed in the treaty negotiated in 1869, 

 which provided for the annexation of that republic 

 to the United States as a territory. In discussing 

 this subject the President and his Cabinet manifested 

 a liberal and accommodating spirit. He said : " Wo 

 are willing to stand by that treaty, but we do not 

 insist upon any particular provision in it. It was 

 drawn up by your own Government. By it we give 

 you every thing we have except the public lands. If 

 we were asked what change in the treaty we desired, 

 we would answer this : When that treaty was nego- 

 tiated we expected that this government would be 

 speedily turned over to the United States, and so we 

 provided that the annual rent of Samana Bay which, 

 we supposed, would only have to be paid for a short 

 time should be deducted from the million and a half 

 to be paid to the Dominican Eepublic. But a long 

 and harassing delay has compelled us to carry on 

 this government without pay, and through many dif- 

 ficulties, for nearly two years longer, and now would 

 it not be right and fair to allow that rent to be paid 

 for this period of delay without deducting it ? We 

 do not insist upon this as a condition precedent, but 

 refer it to the sense of justice and the magnanimity 

 of the American people." 



At the suggestion of the Commission the Dominican 

 Government was willing to modify the treaty so as 

 to devote one-fifth of the public lands to the estab- 

 lishment and maintenance of common schools in the 

 territory, provided the United States appropriate 

 300,000 acres of land to establish a college or colleges 

 for instruction in agriculture, mining, engineering, 

 and kindred subjects. The commissioners earnestly 

 believe that, if annexation is decided upon, nothing 

 could contribute, more than the establishment of the 

 institutions contemplated in this article in the treaty, 

 to insure the success of the great experiment by a 

 rapid development of the resources of the country, 

 and by making the coming generations in that coun- 

 try fully capable of discharging the duties of American 

 citizenship. 



Their attention having been called to certain dec- 

 larations regarding the independence of the Domini- 

 can Republic and the attachment of the people thereto, 



those points were especially dwelt upon by the com- 

 missioners. As already stated, the question was 

 promptly asked, " In case the independence of the 

 Dominican Kepublic were possible, would you prefer 

 it to annexation? The general answer was, "We 

 would prefer independence ; but independence is 

 impossible." That this latter declaration is the re- 

 sult of a true insight into the condition of the country 

 by those who know it best, that it is the only con- 

 clusion to which a thoughtful lover of that country 

 can come, is made manifest by the following recapitu- 

 lation of facts : Historically, the Dominican Eepublic 

 has never maintained any real independence, with 

 the exception of the very brief period after its first 

 separation from Spain. It has never seen a day 

 when its most bitter foe, the Haytian Eepublic, ha*s 

 not been in defiant possession of a valuable portion. 

 of its territory. Worse than this, it has rarely seen 

 the time when a number of semi-political, serni-rnili- 

 tarv leaders were not ready ? on the slightest provo- 

 cation, to league with this bitter enemy, and to bring 

 murder and pillage upon their country. Nor is that 

 portion of the Dominican Eepublic not under Haytian 

 control more than technically independent. It has 

 been dependent upon the forbearance of Spain, whose 

 strong islands lie near its northern and eastern coasts. 

 It has been dependent on the good-will of England, 

 whose main possession in the West Indies lies but a 

 short distance to the westward. It has been de- 

 pendent not upon the lack of will, but the lack of 

 means, of every nest of plotters in any of the neigh- 

 boring islands 'for immunity against constant piracies 

 and invasions. It is dependent on the jealousies, the 

 caprices, and the petty hates of chieftains who have 

 never hesitated to go through its territory with fire 

 and sword at the promptings of any whim or grudge. 

 Nor, without intervention from some source, can mat- 

 ters ever be better. All that the commissioners could 

 learn, showed that the succession of struggles has 

 utterly disheartened the people has made more and 

 more hopeless any attempt to rescue any portion of 

 its rightful territory from Hayti, and has rendered 

 impossible any organization of the people, itself strong 

 enough to protect society from armed leaders of fac- 

 tions. 



There is but one chance for that republic ever to 

 recover its independence to become, after a proper 

 period of probation, one of a union of States the 

 freedom and substantial independence of each being 

 guaranteed by the strength of all. It is beyond the 

 province of the commissioners, under the resolution 

 of Congress, to recommend that such a course be 

 adopted or abstained from. They simply state, as 

 their belief, founded upon all the observations they 

 could make and of the facts they could learn, that 

 this is the only way in which Dominican indepen- 

 dence can be secured, and that, if it be judged best not 

 to adopt that course, even the present shadow of in- 

 dependence will be taken away. The Dominican 

 territory is one of the fairest and richest on earth. 

 Unless some such means as above mentioned are re- 

 sorted to. it is to lie exhausted and helpless until 

 some strong nation shall seize it and hold it in colo- 

 nial subjection. The commercial relations of the 

 Dominican part of the island present one indication 

 not to be passed without mention. The most im- 

 portant commerce of the island by far, the tobacco- 

 trade, is carried on mainly by Germans, and is with 

 the principal seaport of the new German Empire ; to 

 such an extent has this tendency developed itself, 

 that this trade is rapidly becoming a German monop- 

 oly. The commissioners found the number of Ger- 

 man subjects in important business operations and 

 agencies on the north side of the island to exceed 

 those of any other foreign power, and their influence 

 is extending steadily up into the great central dis- 

 tricts. 



The influence which St. Domingo, under a stable 

 government, would exercise upon the institution of 

 slavery has not escaped attention. Geographically, 



