the amplification of the Monroe Doctrine
already outlined might well be known as the Roosevelt Doctrine.

A naval commander in Dominican waters was instructed to see that no
revolutionary fighting was permitted to endanger the custom houses.
These instructions were carried out explicitly but without any actual
use of force or shedding of blood. On one occasion two rival forces had
planned a battle in a custom-house town. The American commander informed
them courteously but firmly that they would not be permitted to
fight there, for a battle might endanger the custom house. He had no
objection, however, to their fighting. In fact he had picked out a
nice spot for them outside the town where they might have their battle
undisturbed. The winner could have the town. Would they kindly step
outside for their fight. They would; they did. The American commander
gravely welcomed the victorious faction as the rightful rulers of the
town. So much for keeping the custom houses intact. But the Roosevelt
Plan went much further. An agreement was entered into with those
governmental authorities "who for the moment seemed best able to speak
for the country" by means of which the custom houses were placed under
American control. United States forces were to keep order and to protect
the custom houses; United States officials were to collect the customs
dues; forty-five per cent of the revenue was to be turned over to the
Dominican Government, and fifty-five per cent put into a sinking fund in
New York for the benefit of the creditors. The plan succeeded famously.
The Dominicans got more out of their forty-five per cent than they had
been wont to get when presumably the entire revenue was theirs. The
creditors thoroughly approved, and their Governments had no possible
pretext left for interference. Although the plan concerned itself not
at all with the internal affairs of the Republic, its indirect influence
was strong for good and the island enjoyed a degree of peace and
prosperity such as it had not known before for at least a century.
There was, however, strong opposition in the United States Senate to the
ratification of the treaty with the Dominican Republic. The Democrats,
with one or two exceptions, voted against ratification. A number of the
more reactionary Republican Senators, also, who were violently
hostile to President Roosevelt because of his attitude toward great
corporations, lent their opposition. The Roosevelt Plan was fu