AS COMMISSIONER TO SANTO DOMINGO-1871 491 



We discussed at various times the condition of his coun- 

 try and the relations which he desired to establish with 

 the United States, and I became more and more convinced 

 that his dominant motives were those of a patriot. As a 

 matter of fact, the country under the prevailing system 

 was a ruin. West of it was the republic of Haiti, more 

 than twice as populous, which from time to time en- 

 croached upon its weaker sister. In Santo Domingo itself, 

 under one revolutionist after another, war had raged over 

 the entire territory of the republic year after year for 

 generations. Traveling through the republic, it is a sim- 

 ple fact that I never, in its entire domain, saw a bridge, a 

 plow, a spade, a shovel, or a hoe ; the only implement we 

 saw was the machete a heavy, rude instrument which 

 served as a sword in war and a spade in peace. Every- 

 where among the mountains I found magnificent squared 

 logs of the beautiful mahogany of the country left just 

 where the teams which had been drawing them had been 

 seized by revolutionists. 



In one of the large interior towns there had been, in- 

 deed, one evidence of civilization to which the people of 

 that region had pointed with pride a steam-engine for 

 sawing timber; but sometime before my arrival one of 

 the innumerable petty revolutions had left it a mere mass 

 of rusty scraps. 



Under the natural law of increase the population of the 

 republic should have been numbered in millions ; but close 

 examination, in all parts of its territory, showed us that 

 there were not two hundred thousand inhabitants left, and 

 that of these about one half were mulattos, the other half 

 being about equally divided between blacks and whites. 



Since my visit business men from the United States 

 have developed the country to some extent; but revolu- 

 tions have continued, each chieftain getting into place by 

 orating loudly about liberty, and then holding power by 

 murdering not only his enemies, but those whom he 

 thought likely to become his enemies. 



The late president, Heureaux, was one of the most mon- 



