Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 4 (of 7)Roosevelt, Theodore
History
Presidential addresses and state papers, Volume 4 (of 7)
Roosevelt, Theodore
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919; United States -- Politics and government -- 1901-1909
The particular small crisis of which I am thinking is that in Santo
Domingo last year. I had done everything that in me lay to prevent
that crisis coming. All I asked, on behalf of the people of the United
States, of Santo Domingo was that it should be good and happy. Without
entering into the ethical question, I shall merely say that it was not
happy. Finally affairs grew into such shape down there that it was
evident that the bonds of society were on the point of dissolution;
and the Government of Santo Domingo made an earnest appeal to the
Government of the United States and asked that this Nation, out of the
abundance of its strength, should strive to help a weaker brother. Now
do not forget that that was the appeal, and that it was because of
this appeal that we took action. There were of course two motives that
influenced us. One was the desire to help the people of Santo Domingo
for their own sakes, and the other, and a legitimate one, was to try
to fend off the possibility of trouble coming to Santo Domingo, which
might bring the United States itself into trouble. The debts of Santo
Domingo were so great and the impossibility of paying all those debts
so patent that there was a threat of imminent interference by foreign
nations to collect the debts due their own citizens. And as the only
way of guaranteeing the collection of those debts was to seize the
custom-houses, it inevitably meant the seizure nominally, temporarily,
of a certain amount of Santo Domingo territory, which would almost
inevitably produce a conflict between us and those foreign governments.
So, in the interest of the peace of the world, and in the interest of
justice to Santo Domingo, we yielded to Santo Domingo’s request and
have started to try to help her so to carry on her finances that she
may be able to pay all that she can of what she justly owes. In taking
that action the Government has proceeded upon the theory that you
can not formulate a right, individual or national, without impliedly
formulating a responsibility and obligation to go with that right.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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