Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Keren Vergon, Michael Lockey
and PG Distributed Proofreaders
1918
It is remarkable how little has been written about the DominicanRepublic, a country so near to our shores, which has for years hadintimate commercial and political relations with our country, which isat present under the provisional administration of the AmericanGovernment, and which is destined to develop under the protection andguidance of the United States. The only comprehensive publications onthe Dominican Republic, in the English language, are the Report of theUnited States Commission of Inquiry to Santo Domingo, published in1871, Hazard's "Santo Domingo, Past and Present," written about thesame time, and Professor Hollander's notable Report on the Debt ofSanto Domingo, published in 1905. The first and the last of thesepublications are no longer obtainable; hence, Hazard's book, writtenalmost half a century ago, is still the chief source of information.
These considerations prompted me to indite the following pages, inwhich I have essayed to give a bird's-eye view of the history andpresent condition of Santo Domingo. The task has been complicated bytwo circumstances. One is the extraordinary difficulty of obtainingaccurate data. The other is the fact that the country has arrived at aturning point in its history. Any description of political, financialand economic conditions can refer only, or almost only, to the past;the American occupation has already introduced fundamental innovationswhich will shortly be further developed, and a rapid and radicaltransformation is in progress. Santo Domingo at this moment is acountry which has no present, only a past and a future.
My personal acquaintance with Santo Domingo and Dominican affairs isderived from observations on several trips to the Dominican Republicand Haiti, from friendships formed with prominent Dominican familiesduring a residence of many years in Latin America, and from experienceas secretary to the special United States commissioner to investigatethe financial condition of Santo Domingo in 1905, and as secretary tothe Dominican minister of finance during the 1906 loan negotiations.
In compiling this work I have endeavored to read all books of anyconsequence which have been published with reference to Santo Domingoand Haiti and have especially consulted the following:
José Ramón Abad,
"La República Dominicana";
Santo Domingo, 1886.
Rudolf Cronau,
"Amerika, die Geschichte seiner Entdeckung";
Leipzig, 1892.
Enrique Deschamps,
"La República Dominicana, Directorio y Guía General";
Barcelona, 1906.
José Gabriel García,
"Compendio de la Historia de Santo Domingo";
Santo Domingo, 1896.
H. Harrisse,
"Christophe Colomb";
Paris, 1884.
Samuel Hazard,
"Santo Domingo, Past and Present, with a Glance at Haiti";
New York, 1873.
Jacob H. Hollander,
"Report on the Debt of Santo Domingo";
59th Congress, 1st Session, Senate Executive Document;
Washington, 1905.
Antonio López Prieto,
"Informe sobre los Restos de Colón";
Habana, 1878.
Fernando A. de Meriño,
"Elementos