408 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



In 1861, Pedro San tana, a party leader and prominent revo- 

 lutionary general, proposed the retrocession of the island to 

 Spain, hoping thereby to secure for its inhabitants freedom 

 from the vexations of continual war. 



The United States was just then too busily occupied with 

 home affairs to take very serious notice of Santo Domingo. 

 Nevertheless, hearing of Santana's action, Secretary Seward 

 announced to Spain that u the Government of the United 

 States would regard with grave concern and dissatis- 

 faction, movements in Cuba to introduce Spanish authority 

 within the territory of Dominica." Spain was also much 

 occupied with internal difficulties, yet not wishing to lose 

 so excellent an opportunity to recoup her lost fortunes in 

 the West Indies, she disregarded Mr. Se ward's warning 

 and sent a body of troops to Santana's aid. Spain's wel- 

 come in Santo Domingo was less cordial than she had been 

 led to expect. The Dominicans waged a relentless guerilla 

 warfare upon the Spanish troops. In 1865, the governor 

 general and his military captain, Maximo Gomez (later of 

 Cuban fame), were obliged to withdraw, with a parting 

 farewell thrust from the Dominicans, to the effect that, 

 " The united Dominican people, without regard to rank or 

 color, have planted the white cross of the Republic upon the 

 principles enunciated by the great mother of free nations* 

 that America belongs to Americans, and we will endure all 

 our trials over again, sooner than desert it." 



At the time of President Grant's message, therefore, the 

 Spaniards had abandoned all intention of subjugating the 

 island, and no actual negotiations upon the part of any foreign 

 power had been made, nor were likely to be made, to secure 

 a port within the Bay of Samana. It is difficult, then, to 

 see just how the doctrine applied to the case. 



This, as has been already intimated, was not the first per- 

 version of the Monroe Doctrine ; President Polk had em- 

 ployed much the same tactics in furthering the annexation of 

 Texas. A stuffed bird in both cases had to be substituted 

 for a living one at which to shoot. 



The real merits of the question respecting the annexation 



