Office of the Historian

File No. 839.00/1652a.

[Untitled]

Department of State,
Washington, December 14, 1914, 5 p.m.

Dr. Jiménez having been inaugurated President, it is, in the opinion of the Department, very desirable that certain vital reforms be instituted with the least possible delay. You are instructed therefore to inform President Jiménez that, having in view the peace and future prosperity of the Dominican Republic, he is respectfully urged to issue decrees putting into effect the following:

1.
A decree placing the collection of internal revenue under the Receivership.
2.
Official recognition of Charles M. Johnston as Comptroller of Finances of the Dominican Republic, whose duties shall be: (a), to prepare a budget for the Dominican Republic based upon his knowledge of income and probable expenditures, this budget to be rigidly adhered to; (b) to approve and countersign any payments made by [Page 261] the Dominican Government, it being understood that no payments shall be valid unless countersigned by the Comptroller.
3.
Refer to the Department’s unnumbered instruction dated January 27, 1914,8 regarding the status of Collet. Department desires that President Jiménez issue a decree amending clauses three and five of Collet’s contract as follows:
  • Clause 3. The Director General of Public Works shall be removed only for cause, satisfactory proof of which shall be first submitted by the Dominican Government to the Department.
  • Clause 5. The Director General shall be given authority to hire and discharge his subordinates.
4.
As the Dominican Republic is threatened by no external enemies, the presence of a Dominican army is regarded as an incentive to ambitious political leaders to start internal revolution, and that as the expenditures for the military establishment amount to at least fifty per cent of the total budget, you are instructed to urge that President Jiménez issue a decree largely reducing expenses, having in view the ultimate disbanding of all military forces in the Dominican Republic, so that education and public works may receive their just proportion of the public revenues. This Government will be pleased to give him any assistance he may desire and which may be found necessary in reorganizing the police forces of the Republic or the creation of a constabulary, to take the place of the army and rural guards as now constituted.

Bryan
.
  1. Transmitting contract of A. J. Collet with the Dominican Government as Director of Public Works. Not printed.↩