Good Sense On Santo Domingo

Prono tho Natiou. Tt a cunóos aüd intoresting to seo bow tbe Si'.n ; affair tends to a decisión on a collateral issue. The main tiou is and always has beeu whether tho anoexation woald or would not prove advantage(Ki3 to tho United Htates. Ü'i this poiut tuero s hardly any diffi O'.Hy in putting the authors of thoschome to opeo confusión Bat Mr. Sumner rf-.ised a fearñrf hullabaloo in tho Senato about tho Frightful wrong, fraud, outrage aud cruelty tlio aiincxatioa would prove to tho black man, nu J on this ground they are delightcd to close with bim and oH other oppouents. TLo interest of Americans in the matter has becu quiot]y pushcd asïde ss sometbing subordina'e, and tiie question which is novv being debated wit!) most interest is whether the DomiuicaDS would likc to bo aunexetl. It is to this tho oommissionors have been first uireeting their inquines nud they havo, of course, not the least d'tíFiculty o üutíing tbcusands of Dominicans who declaro thnt there is nothing thcy would like better ; and tho New York Tribune swears befoïa high heaven that if they don't want to be innexed, they shan't bsancexed. Mr, Wade saya tho same hing, and so do all the correspondents, ao that tbo public is being gradually worked into the belief that this is the only poitit on which its raind is to be satisfied, and that if the Doniinicans say they would as lief bo American citizens as not, tbero is nothing for it but to naturalice them. The point to which tho attention of most intelligent rr.eu, however, will still continuo to bo directe;!, is the probable effect on Amerioau polkics of the admisslon of such a State as Dominica must prove. On this poiot the correspondentg - raany of tliem unwittiugly- furnish toost usoful information. Their accounts agreo in makiug it plain as possible that rpublican govurninuut ín tho hands oí sucli a community as they describo, would be a wretched farce, aDd tbat the puhtieal maohinery would ioevitably be worked by white sharpers and ppeoula tors from tbe Norih. The population is grossly gnorant, poor, euperstitious, and indolent, and honïbly afraid of the Haytiens. Indeed, fear of the Ilaytiens eeems to bo their prinoipal rcason for wishing to bo adinittod to tho United States. If their account of the Ilaytiens bo truo, however, wesball either have to keep constan'ly fighting the Haytiens - anü wbat a feuríul expeuditure of life thia would entail Frencli and Spanish esporienoe shows - or elso annex Hayti a!so, and tben wj should have a cioe job od our hands. South and North Carolina aud Askunsas would be nothiug to t. Consideriug the couditioa of certain gravo probbuis novv buforo the country at houia oue can hardly help looking ou the enterprise as lit:le shert of mad. Thero is one touch iu the reprtsfrom the island which v;ould give tho wbole transaction a oom'd air, if anything so 6erious could be made to look comio. Part of tho bargnin ie to be the assuniption by tho United States of tho dobts of the repubüc. Now, those who best know what has been going on behind the scènes ever s'nco this project of anoexation was ñrst broached, have oonetantly muin'ained that it was in tbis that tho materials for the job wero to be found. It bas been allegüd for months by tho knowing tbat it was an essential feature in the plau that an opportunity should bo given to divers persons, as soon as annexation was res:lved on, to bring in "claims," "certificates of iadebtedness," and paper issues of the republio, to ba paid oíí by tho United States, and tbat it is the expectation ot thia which has gi?on tbo scbeme most of its etrength. Wo do not mean to insinúate that the President was or is cognizantof this, but the President is more utieuspocting tban is good for himself or. tbe country. Accordingly, wo find that now when the commissioners ask Baez for a state ment of thelpbilities 01' bis government ho caucot iuTuish it. Ile knows there is a debt and a respectablo one, but how much, or to waooi dttC, or iu what species of money, he cin not tall. Ho has no books of accouut or memoranda, or signs, or memürials - not aa much as notches on a stick, or chalk marks on a door-post. Now, there may be people who, on roaing this, did not percoive what a prospect t opeus up to us, but we suspect they are few in nurnber. We must not imagine, howover, that because ho does not know-how much the Dominican debt is, nobody knows. There are plenty of gentlemen, we may be sure, who know to a ceot for what sum the American people will render themselves liable when they take possession of the island, and who have their statements ol account already in their carpet bags. The last argument in favor of annexation comes from Dr. Vlijton, who says the American puoplo nood a sauitarium. Pcrhaps ihey do ; bat vhat about asanitariutu which coat two solditrh' lives for every cousuuíptive provided with a mild wiuter ? Besidos wbich, any eanitarium bougbt with government money ought to be open not alone to wealtliy consumptives - these can goanywhere they please - but to all consumptives. Ought the poor ones to be sent South every winter at the public expense 'i Is a mild winter oce of the "natural righta" of delicate citizens ?