File No. 839.00/481.]

The Secretary of State to the American Minister to the Dominican Republic .

[Telegrams.—Paraphrases.]

The attention of the Haitian Government has been called to the report regarding Desiderio Arias conveyed by your telegram of January 19. Press dispatches state that the revolution is gaining [Page 342] ground, under Arias near Monte Cristi and under Zenón Toribio near the Haitian frontier. If the report and dispatches are confirmed, the Secretary of Legation or other reliable messenger should be sent at once to Arias and Toribio1 to urge upon them the necessity of ceasing revolutionary activity and of abiding the result of the coming elections; to point out that the United States, due to its treaty relations, has a vital interest in the peace of the Dominican Republic; and further that it is the practice of the Government of the United States to refuse to recognize any Government resulting from a revolution unless it appears to represent the will of the people and to be able and willing to respond to its international obligations.

Knox.
  1. Zenón Toribio (or Torribio), one of the Morales group of insurrectionists; see For. Rel. 1911, pp. 171 and 174.