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The National Geographic Magazine 



are one hundred feet high and twenty 

 feet thick, many of the three hundred 

 guns which were mounted on its parapets 

 remain to show the skill and endurance 

 which enabled them to be brought up the 

 steep mountain sides. 



THE EASTERN END OF THE ISLAND ASKED 

 FOR ANNEXATION TO UNITED STATES 



In 1844 the people of the eastern end 

 of the island again separated themselves 

 from Haiti and established the Republic 

 of Santo Domingo, or the Dominican Re- 

 public, as it is officially designated, and 

 from that date to the present time the 

 two divisions have been maintained. 



Under the directions of a resolution 

 passed in the United States Congress 

 January 12, 1871, a commission was dis- 

 patched by President Grant to investigate 

 the conditions in Santo Domingo, This 

 country has always, more or less, been a 

 source of solicitude to us lest some Euro- 

 pean power should again attempt aggres- 

 sions against the Monroe Doctrine. The 

 commission was the result of an almost 

 unanimous vote by the inhabitants of the 

 Republic in favor of annexation of their 

 country to the United States. The report 

 of the commission was favorable to its 

 annexation, and being approved by Presi- 

 dent Grant, it was submitted to the Sen- 

 ate, which, however, took no action upon 

 it. On January 10, 1873, the Bay and 

 Peninsula of Samana were ceded to a 

 company formed in the United States, 

 and through the means this company 

 afforded us it was thought a coaling sta- 

 tion might be established here for the use 

 of the navy, but it is probably fortunate 

 for us, at least, that this was not done, 

 and as the contract with the company was 

 withdrawn in March, 1874, the matter 

 was eliminated from our diplomacy. 



As will always be the case, the offi- 

 cers of the United States Navy have been 

 interested spectators in the progress of 

 this island. The navy is now engaged in 

 an extensive hydrographic survey along 

 its coasts, which is much needed, not only 

 for ourselves, but for the commerce of the 

 world in general. 



Many naval officers who have been sent 

 to guard American interests on the island 

 have frequently been called upon to 

 handle matters of international policy, 

 and the responsibility resting upon them 

 at such times is rarely conveyed by the 

 brief accounts given of such transactions 

 in the daily press. Almost always during 

 the many local disturbances which occur 

 here an American war vessel is present, 

 and sometimes her captain is called upon 

 to settle, upon the spur of the moment, 

 questions that might affect the very peace 

 of the nation, and the officer must stand 

 or fall as his course meets with approval 

 or disapproval by his superiors. A long 

 list of such cases might be made, but I 

 will briefly refer to only one. 



PRESENT CONDITIONS IN SANTO DOMINGO 



As stated by the President in his an- 

 nual message to Congress for the year 

 1905, "The conditions in Santo Domingo 

 have, for a number of years, grown from 

 bad to worse, until a year ago all society 

 was on the verge of dissolution. For- 

 tunately just at this time a ruler sprang 

 up in Santo Domingo who, with his. col- 

 leagues, saw the dangers threatening the 

 country and appealed to the friendship 

 of the great and powerful neighbor who 

 possessed the power and, as they hoped, 

 also the will to help them. Accordingly 

 the executive department of our gov- 

 ernment negotiated a treaty under which 

 we are to try to help the Dominican peo- 

 ple to straighten out their finances." 



For this purpose Commander A. C. 

 Dillingham, owing to his exceptional 

 knowledge of the conditions in the Do- 

 minican Republic, due to an extended 

 tour of duty in that country, was ap- 

 pointed by the President a special com- 

 missioner and sent to the capital city Jan- 

 uary 5, 1905, to prepare, in connection 

 with the minister resident Mr T. C. Dam- 

 son, a memorandum of the treaty. 



The treaty is still held in abeyance 

 by the Senate, but the principal feat- 

 ures are being carried out by American 

 citizens appointed by the Dominican Gov- 

 ernment with greater marked success 



