Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. III.djvu/105

 ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT 77 He claimed, among other things, that its admission into the Union as a territory would open up a large trade between the two lands, furnish desirable har bors for naval stations, and a place of refuge for negroes in the south who found themselves perse cuted in their old homes ; would favor the abolition of slavery in the West Indies, would be in harmony with the Monroe doctrine, and would redound to the great benefit of both countries and to civiliza tion, and that there was danger, if we failed to receive it, that it would be taken by some European power, and add another to the list of islands off our coast controlled by European powers, and likely to give us trouble in case we became engaged in war. The measure was debated for a long time, but the senate did not act favorably upon it. In 1871 a commission of distinguished citizens was sent to investigate and report upon all matters relating to Santo Domingo and the proposed treaty. They visited that country, and made an exhaustive report, which was highly favorable to the plan of annexation; but the treaty was consti tutionally rejected, having failed to receive the necessary two-thirds vote, and was never brought up again. The president declared that he had no policy to enforce against the will of the people. He referred to the subject in his last annual message to congress, and reviewed the grounds of his action, not in order to renew the project, but, as