Address of Mr. Knox to the President of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, March 27, 1912.
Mr. President and Gentlemen: In fulfillment of the wish of the President of the United States that I should personally meet the eminent men to whom the people of the neighboring Caribbean countries have confided the reins of government and that I should enjoy the privilege of becoming better acquainted with the peoples of those countries, it is my good fortune to come among you bearing a cordial message of good will from the Government and people of the United States to their comrades in the community of American republics. I feel especial gratification in being enabled for the first time to breathe the air of the oldest city in all the Americas, identified for all time with the undying fame of Columbus, founded by the great Admiral’s brother; the spot where first were planted the fertile seeds of civic order and of Christianity in the great western empire of the peoples; the scene of the untiring efforts of the discoverer to found an enduring civilization; and the home of Las Casas, that great and good man who, in the sixteenth century, stood forth as the advocate of the rights of man and who is justly revered by all liberty-loving Americans as one of the earliest apostles of democracy and freedom.
I stand, as it were, in the passing shadow of the bereavement your country has suffered in the loss of that humble, unselfish, and sincere patriot, Ramón Cáceres, slain at his post of duty; but I rejoice to see the passing of that dark cloud without disturbing the normal march of your people in the broad path of orderly self-control. It is an especial satisfaction to me that I can say this to you, men of Santo Domingo, who are in a position to bear witness to the unfeigned interest the United States takes in the welfare and stable progress of the peoples of the great American brotherhood; to the earnest sympathy we feel for all the younger commonwealths that, like your own, have passed through the fires of tribulation toward a higher and better national life; and to the unselfish spirit that prompts my countrymen and the Government of which I am a part to extend a ready helpfulness to all who are prepared and willing to help themselves to win stability and good order for themselves and for their posterity.
Santo Domingo stands to-day a bright example to all the Americas and to the world, teaching the lesson that all free peoples are fit for good self-government if they set about it in a way to do justice to themselves. That is what you Dominicans have done, and it is precisely because of this that my country was enabled to lend you a helping hand in order to strengthen and make durable the rehabilitation for which you strove. The rapid growth of national revenue and agricultural resources in the last five years is far beyond the most fervent expectations. I am convinced that this is but the beginning, and that your Republic is but on the threshold of still greater progress. Your position among the countries of the western seas is singularly advantageous. Lying on the avenues of approach to the Isthmian Canal, now on the eve of completion, your island can not fail to share in the prosperity that will attend the opening of a highway destined to change the old currents of international commerce.
[Page 390]I have had recent occasion to emphasize, in public addresses, the new and enlarged responsibilities to be assumed by the United States as the patron of the Isthmian Canal, and as the upholder of the time-honored doctrine which bears the name of Monroe. The maintenance of that doctrine and the effective carrying out of the policies that flow therefrom demand a peculiarly intimate coordination on the part of all the nations which are to reap far-reaching benefits of the canal. It behooves them to be cooperative, not obstructive. Each is concerned in uplifting itself; each is benefited by the uplifting of its neighbor. No more signal obstruction could be interposed in the path of general progress than for any of the affected countries to fall into disrepute through subversive disturbances or failure to discharge its international obligations. No greater aid can be given toward realizing that general welfare for which we all strive than the solid establishment of peaceful prosperity. You, men of Santo Domingo, have led the way toward realizing this high end through means whereby your country may continue to be prosperous, independent, self-respecting, and entitled to the respect of all.
The relations of friendship and cordial intercourse which have always existed between the United States and Santo Domingo are singularly close and have worked for the mutual advantage of both countries, thus fulfilling one of the highest duties of neighborliness. Flowing through natural channels, their reciprocal commerce has thriven and has kept afloat one of the few lines of steamers that have survived the competition of foreign shipping.
It is the earnest prayer of my country and of my countrymen that peace and freedom may be the abiding heritage of the people of Santo Domingo; that internal perturbations and external conflicts may be averted by wise and just counsels at home and in your foreign relations.
In conclusion, permit me to express how deeply I am touched by your cordial welcome; and, feeling that it is rather the people of the United States that you greet than my individual self, I thank you in the name of my fellow citizens.