Immediately on receiving it I called upon the minister of foreign
affairs, who referred the matter to President Morales. They appreciated
the value of the proposed proclamation by President Roosevelt, and were
desirous that it be put into force as soon as possible, only asking for
definite assurances that in case their government wishes to import, or
permit the importation of, arms and ammunition from the United States in
especial cases our government would honor its request to that effect.
Your telegram authorized me to give such assurances, and I gave them
verbally, promising to confirm them in writing. On this feature there
only remains to be determined the most convenient form in which the
Dominican Government shall make its requests for the issuance by our
government of the special permits. I shall be glad to have the
instructions of the Department on this point, for I know that this
government will appreciate the indication of a channel which will insure
the prompt and unembarrassed shipment of arms intended for its own
use.
The same afternoon I sent a formal note to the minister of foreign
affairs, to which he replied, saying that the issuance of such a
proclamation would be agreeable to his government and expressing its
gratitude at this new evidence of the American Government’s wish to aid
in the maintenance of peace in this Republic. A copy of my note and a
copy and translation of his reply are herewith inclosed.
Washington, October 17, 1905.
American Legation, Santo Domingo:
President, on 14th instant, issued following proclamation:
“Whereas by a joint resolution, approved April 22, 1898 entitled
‘joint resolution to prohibit the export of coal or other
material used in war from any seaport of the United States, the
President ‘is authorized in his discretion, and with such
limitation and exceptions as shall seem to him expedient, to
prohibit the export of coal or other material used in war from
any seaport of the United States until otherwise ordered by the
President or by Congress.’
“Now, therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United
States of America, for good and sufficient reasons unto me
appearing, and by virtue of the authority conferred upon me by
the said joint resolution, do hereby declare and proclaim that
the export of arms, ammunition, and munitions of war of every
kind, from any port in the United States or in Porto Rico to any
port in the Dominican Republic, is prohibited, without
limitation or exception, from and after the date of this my
proclamation until otherwise ordered by the President or by
Congress.
“And I do hereby enjoin all good citizens of the United States
and of Porto Rico and all persons residing or being within the
territory or jurisdiction thereof to be governed
accordingly.”
Inform Dominican Government any exception desired by that
government will be made by special order.
Root.
I thereupon sent a copy of said proclamation to the minister of foreign
affairs and informed him that my government stood ready to make by
special order any exception desired by his government. A copy of my note
is herewith inclosed.
Not only will the issuance of the proclamation by President Roosevelt
assist in lawfully preventing the exportation of arms and ammunition
from the United States and Porto Rico into Santo Domingo, but it will
greatly simplify the procedure of our officials on this island. Two
matters mentioned in my No. 167 may possibly give rise to further
correspondence—first, the disposition to be made of the articles already
seized, and, second, the question whether our naval officers in making
searches shall respect Dominican sanitary laws and regulations. The
first matter is now pending on the request of the Dominican Government
for the delivery to it of the articles seized from the Cherokee and Seminole; the second
offers more difficulty.
[Inclosure 1.]
Minister Dawson
to Admiral Bradford.
Sir: I inclose herewith for your
information an official request by the Dominican Government that the
percussion caps seized from the Seminole at
Monte Christi on or about September 20 by a ship under your orders
be delivered to it here at Santo Domingo City. To this I have so far
returned no written answer and will await your advices or those of
our government before doing so. I have, however, verbally said to
the minister of foreign affairs that these percussion caps would
probably not be delivered by you until you had received certain
instructions you are now waiting for from the Navy Department.
I have also to inform you that shortly after my arrival on September
10 Mr. George R. Colton, general receiver of customs under the modus
vivendi, was asked by the Dominican Government to procure from you
the delivery to it here at Santo Domingo City of the cartridges
seized by the U. S. S. Yankee from the Cherokee on September 5, as appears by the
following correspondence:
“Monte Christi, September 13, 1905.
“Colton, Santo Domingo:
Yankee holding cartridges Arias. I
have not received instructions.
“Phillips.”
[Page 400]
“Santo Domingo, September 13, 1905.
“Phillips, Monte Christi:
“Receive; hold pending advice. Advisé number, kind,
circumstances.
“Colton.”
“Santo Domingo, September 13, 1905.
“Honorable Federico
Velasquez,
“Minister of
Finance and Commerce, City.
“Sir: I have the honor to inform
you that it has come to the attention of this office,
through unofficial sources, that the U. S. S. Yankee seized from on board the
American steamer Cherokee, while in
the vicinity of Monte Christi, one case of ammunition; that
said case was manifested to a local firm in Monte Christi,
but that said ammunition was being imported under a permit
issued to Governor Arias authorizing him to import 1,500
revolver cartridges. It is said that the case contained
other ammunition than that described in the permit. I am now
in receipt of the following telegram from the United States
naval officer in charge of customs at Monte Christi, to wit:
‘Yankee holding cartridges Arias.
I have not received instructions.’ Information is therefore
respectfully requested as to whether or not a permit was
issued to Governor Arias authorizing him to import
ammunition, and, if so, how much and what kind? If a permit
was issued, a copy thereof is also respectfully
requested.
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
“Geo. R.
Colton,
“Controller and
General Receiver.”
“Santo Domingo, September 14, 1905.
“Mr. Geo. R.
Colton, General Receiver,
City.
“Sir: I am in receipt of your
letter dated the 13th instant, referring to cartridges
imported at Monte Christi by Governor Arias. I beg to reply
that said governor was allowed by the government to import
1,500 cartridges for rifles, and a superior quantity having
been imported without permission the said cartridges should
be sent to this city, according to order issued by the
government. From here the quantity authorized by the
government will be sent to said governor.
“I salute you attentively,
“Federico
Velasquez,
“Minister of
Finance and Commerce.”
Accordingly, Mr. Colton requested for the Dominican Government the
delivery of the cartridges here, and said request was refused by the
commanding officer of the Yankee, as appears
by the following correspondence:
“Santo Domingo, September 14, 1905.
“Phillips, Monte Christi:
“Send Arias’s cartridges here.
“Colton.”
“Monte Christi, September 16, 1905.
“Colton, Santo Domingo:
“Yankee refuses deliver without order
Navy admiral.
“Phillips.”
Prior to this the President, the minister of foreign affairs, the
minister of finance, and the general receiver had verbally informed
me of the general terms of the Dominican laws and regulations in
regard to the importation of arms and ammunition and to the boarding
of ships entering at Dominican ports of entry.
Under Dominican practice there are two classes of arms and
ammunition—that suitable for warlike purposes, such as rifles and
revolvers and rifle and revolver cartridges; and, second, that
intended for sporting use, such as shotguns, shotgun cartridges,
percussion caps, and sporting powder. To obtain permission to import
the first class, application must be made by a governor or military
commander to the minister of war, and, if approved, then the
minister of foreign affairs authorizes the consul at the shipping
port to issue a permit. For sporting munitions the procedure is the
same except that an application may be made by a merchant, and it
must be directed to the minister of interior.
The Cherokee seizure was of ammunition
belonging to the first class; the Seminole
the seizure of the second.
President Morales expressed his unqualified approval of the Cherokee seizure, on the ground that the
shipment did not correspond with the permit either in quantity or
consignee. He also agreed that no further permits to import the
first class of munitions should be issued except for shipment
directly to the central government at this city.
[Page 401]
Subsequently, the minister of foreign affairs called my attention to
the distinction between the two classes of munitions, and said he
thought the second class, or sporting material, should be allowed to
come into any port, proper permit having been obtained. I told him
that this might give rise to confusion, hamper the efficiency of
your operations, and leave the door open for evasions. He replied
that his government desired above everything else that the United
States naval authorities be not obstructed in their efforts to
prevent the introduction of warlike material, but that he felt sure
that the searching officers could easily distinguish between the
dangerous and innocuous kinds of ammunition. I told him that this
was a matter about which your opinion would be of vital importance,
and expressed the hope that it be not decided until I had had an
opportunity for a full conference with you. After such a conference
I could perhaps indicate to him exactly the extent to which the
present regulations should be modified to avoid interfering with the
efficiency of your operations.
You will observe from the contents of his note hereinbefore inclosed
that this government does not seem disposed to insist upon this
point, and probably will, if you deem it necessary, refuse hereafter
to issue permits for the importation of any kind of arms and
ammunition except to this port.
The minister of finance was at first inclined to resent the Yankee’s refusal to intrust to his government
the cartridges already seized, and anticipated that they would have
difficulty with the merchants to whom permits had already been
issued for the importation of sporting material. The President,
however, did not appear to share his feeling, and saw the
inadvisability of risking a good understanding with you over a
matter of such trifling importance. He said that he felt sure that
the Washington Government would order the delivery as requested, or
make some other satisfactory disposition of the articles seized.
There was more difficulty with the question as to the time of
boarding ships in ports of entry. Dominican laws and regulations,
like those of most civilized countries, forbid anyone to go on board
an entering ship until the port authorities have visited her. The
Dominican President, ministers, and the general receiver regard it
as of vital importance at the present juncture that searches be made
of suspected vessels at points upon the coast other than entry
ports. Not only are such searches politic, but they do not involve
any breach of Dominican port and sanitary regulations. The President
and his advisérs are, however, of the impression that when a ship
anchors within the jurisdictional waters of a post of entry with the
evident intention to regularly enter, the United States naval
officers should, as far as possible, respect Dominican port
regulations, and should act in conjunction and harmony with the
customs authorities who are appointed by and responsible to the
general receiver under the modus vivendi and who therefore could not
fairly be presumed to be in alliance with intending revolutionists.
Further, the port commanders, whose duty it is to board incoming
steamers at the various ports, are all, with the exception of the
one at Monte Christi, appointed by the central government, and, so
far as the government is adviséd, are faithful to it.
In a word, this government not unnaturally dreaded the odium of
seeming to have requested the employment of force and the breach of
its own regulations in cases where the ordinary procedure would
suffice to prevent illegal importations. At the same time the
President and his advisérs, including Mr. Colton, were anxious not
to offend you and were unwilling to run the risk of interfering with
the efficiency of your operations by formulating any definite
requests which might be premature and which really could only be
made intelligently after learning from you the exact circumstances.
I therefore took no action at that time.
When the Seminole arrived here on the 23d of
September, Arias’s indignation at not having yet received his
cartridges, seized two weeks before, had seriously hampered Mr.
Worley’s efforts to organize, in accord with Arias, a frontier guard
to prevent smuggling by the land route from Haiti. This I regarded
as of the gravest importance, because upon the successful and prompt
organization of this guard depends not only a 10 per cent increase
of the revenues collected under the modus vivendi, but also the
assurance that there will be no revolutionary outbreak on the part
of Governor Arias for the next few months.
I therefore immediately telegraphed you as follows:
“Santo Domingo, September 23, 1905.
“Bradford, Olympia, Sanchez:
“Request personal consultation earliest opportunity. Can you
come here?
“Dawson.”
I confirm your reply, as follows:
“Sanchez, September 23, 1905.
“Dawson, Santo Domingo:
“Regret can not come to Santo Domingo at present.
“Bradford.”
[Page 402]
Having no information as to how long you intended remaining at
Sanchez, and there being no means of transportation at my disposal,
I was unable to go to you. Accordingly, the best I could do was to
telegraph, although I realized that it was impossible to say within
the limits of a telegram all that should be said.
I confirm my telegram to you, as follows:
“Santo Domingo, September 25, 1905.
“Bradford, Sanchez:
“Government would appreciate delivery box cartridges Phillips
for shipment here. President approves seizure, but holding
box hampers Colton’s plans. Government and Colton would
prefer searches in jurisdictional port waters simultaneously
with boarding by port officials and not before, unless in
judgment of commanding officer emergency exists. Think
advisable not break Dominican regulations: probably can be
modified where you think necessary. Impossible to telegraph
details related important matters.
“Dawson.”
and your reply:
“Sanchez, September 26, 1905.
“Newport (for Dawson), Santo
Domingo:
“In reply to your dispatch, cartridges per Cherokee held for order from Washington, D. C.
Must board incoming vessels first to carry out instructions
most effectively, as foreign port officials frequently
smuggle arms and ammunition.
“Bradford.”
I am now anxiously awaiting advices from Washington or you in regard
to the delivery of Arias’s cartridges. There is still a chance that
we can get him in line again on the frontier-guard matter if the
Dominican Government can give him his 1,500 cartridges, but in the
meantime smuggling is going on and news may come at any moment that
he has at last broken the slender thread that binds him to this
government, or has retaliated in some disagreeable way against the
ships under your command. Any revolution he might undertake would
probably be easily crushed, but President Morales justly thinks that
even a small and unsuccessful rebellion would seriously embarrass
him in procuring a ratification of the pending convention. I also am
earnestly desirous of preventing any outbreak at the present
juncture, and I believe that this is also the wish of the State
Department and President Roosevelt.
Yours, respectfully,
