Page 287 - Conflitti Militari e Popolazioni Civili - Tomo II

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of plantation owners (who were the ones funding the guerrilla war in the east)—the gradual
adoption of exceptions to the rule of arming Dominicans were put into place. Not until
51
1922 were municipal police in most areas in place and able to cope with civil prisoners. 52
In the years leading up to the reforms that came with plans for withdrawal of U.S. troops,
the only possible solution to the many discrepancies in theory vs. practice was generally for
Marine leaders to create separate systems, especially in the chaos of the occupation during its
first years. One unfortunate result of the frustrations over prisons and guards in many regions
was the use of violence and torture by individual Marines and Guardia members who were
dealing with the situation—such as seen in the Higuey incident. To combat such frustrations
and often violent clashes, and to combat boredom among troops that led to further problems,
individual and regional initiatives were generally encouraged. They were promoted much
more by the GND commandants than by the central military government (under the Navy)—
which was more isolated in the capital city and had less information than did the GND
and Marines about the various situations and problems throughout the provinces. Within the
GND, a succession of commandants and regional commanders placed much emphasis on
trying to “befriend” the citizens, and rewarding those Marine leaders and Guardia members
who developed initiatives to this end.
53
Regional variants of methods to improve the relationships between Marines and Do-
minican citizens varied greatly, as did their levels of success. One type of major initiative
undertaken by regional Marine commanders, for example, was that of providing civil infra-
structural improvements or general aid to areas under their command. Often these attempts
were successful in that they aided Marine communications even while improving the general
social order that lessened violence and GND corruption, but frequently, Dominicans resented
them as imperial impositions. Dominican intellectuals and community leaders in the northern
region, for example, began a campaign against Marine vaccinations that were introduced to
combat disease and aid the local populations, especially when the vaccinations against small-
pox became compulsory in 1921. Many resisted attempts by the Marine-officered GND to
54
change standards of cleanliness and public health, and even used such efforts as rallying cries
against foreign attempts to restructure Dominican society.
55
Other Marine efforts to develop aid differed greatly by region: in more arid regions,
commanders focused on bringing water and the development over time of infrastructure to
maintain improvements and agriculture; in more urban areas, such as Santiago and Santo
56

51 This continued to be a large controversy, and was only gradually implemented as the need for protection of
plantations became increasingly clear with the disarmament of the population. “Gobierno Militar, Oficina
Gob. Militar, Correspondencia Varios Años , 1917-1918,” “Gobierno Militar,” Legajo 59, AGN; “Gobierno
Militar,” Legajo 106, AGN.
th
52 Monthly reports from GND companies in the provinces; A.M. Norris Jr., “January 1922 report for 6 Com-
pany,” Ejército Nacional, Legajo 2, AGN.
53 See, for example, GND General Order number 22, “Ejército Nacional,” Legajo 1, AGN.
54 I.S.K. Reeves, “Statement Regarding smallpox in Dominican Republic, and Expenditures for Vaccine,”
“Gobierno Militar años 1916-1922,” Legajo 43, AGN.
55 Throughout “Gobierno Militar Americano,” AGN; some of these resistance initiatives were formed by local
governments, and others by intellectuals or the general population.
56 1919 proposals from local officers to distribute water to arid regions, “Gobierno Militar,” Legajo 69, AGN.