Mr. Hay to Mr. Powell.
Washington, January 5, 1900.
Sir: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your No. 171, Santo Domingo series, dated December 15, 1899, in reference to the recognition of the present Government of Santo Domingo. You state that up to the present time you have received no information from that Government of its existence, and that you do not care to assume the responsibility of recognizing it without full instructions from the Department.
It is the policy of the Government of the United States to acknowledge any Government to be rightful which is established and accepted as such by the nation over which it exercises all the functions of government.
The recognition of the newly established Government may properly be accomplished by the mere resumption or continuation of diplomatic relations.
You may adopt this course, if you have not already done so, by the renewal of official relations between the two Governments by proceeding in the usual manner to carry out and obey all instructions of this Government to you which you have not already complied with.
You were instructed last October to recognize the Government administered by President Jimenez whenever it was firmly established, and in an instruction to you last December the Department presumed that you had already done so.
[Page 254]It is rumored that the French consul is pressing the Dominican Government for the payment of a claim for 280,000 francs, and in the meantime it is not shown that the overdue balance on the award in the Ozama River Bridge case has been paid.
The Department expects you to take that matter up and urge the payment of it without more delay. You already have full information as to all the details of the case, and you have been amply instructed that the claim must be paid, and the Department having knowledge of your zeal and activity in the discharge of official duty confidently expects a prompt report showing its payment.
I am, etc.,