U.S. imperialism has directly intervened in the Dominican Republic many times. From 1916-1924 the country was under formal control of a military governor and engaging in a brutal anti-insurgency campaign. A marine private, disgusted with the occupation, deserts.

‘Soldiering in Santo Domingo’ by Edward J. Irvine from Debs’ Magazine. Vol. 1 No. 12. August, 1922.

(Ex-private 32nd Co. 4th Reg. U.S.M.C.)

WHEN I landed at Sanchez, D.R., with the 32nd Co., 4th Regiment, like the rest of the marines I thought that we were “saving the natives from themselves.” So we beat and robbed them, and for one of our wounded they usually lost ten. We thought that God himself smiled down from the heavens in approval, for we were reared in the atmosphere of capitalism. Our government could do no wrong.

At the battle of La Saba we are reputed to have killed and wounded 169 natives, while we ourselves suffered but one casualty. We were far better equipped than the Dominicans, who had only old, rusty French Mausers while we had the modern Springfields, Colts and Benet Mercier machine-guns. Major Hughes threatened to burn the city of La Saba on his return, but was severely wounded and could not carry out his threat.

At Sanchez, a sergeant of a patrol knocked a native clear across a street (the streets are narrow there) for asking a marine private for some money which was owing to him. The same sergeant prevented me from saving a native-boy (who was being beaten by a man with a chair), saying, “Let him knock his brains out, he’ll only grow up to be a damned spick.”

We compelled store-keepers to give us merchandise while we in return signed fictitious names. Thus the merchants were always swindled out of their just dues.

A mutiny took place at Monte Christi. Kuhar (an Austrian Socialist) led the revolt, and forced “non-coms” and officers to wait upon privates and shine their shoes. The mutiny was quelled and Kuhar imprisoned, accused of being a socialist agitator.

I deserted, in company with 3 other marines. We led the life of bandits, lived on wild-hog in the jungles, stole horses, and were captured by General Cha Cha’s rebel army and later on we were taken prisoners by the marines and sent to Portsmouth Prison with a 3-year sentence hanging over our heads.

A Dominican accused of being a spy was taken aboard the U.S.S. New Hampshire, and hung up by his feet, while sailors threw loaves of bread at his head.

We were a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. Imperialistic whites owned everything,–the railroads, the dye-woods, and the sugar plants, and Dominican money became practically worthless, yet after robbing the West Indians, the U.S. government states that the Dominicans owe it millions of dollars.

Goodness grant that the time may soon come when the “Devil-Dogs ” will be recalled from the Dominican Republic.

Debs Freedom Monthly was published in Chicago to highlight Debs imprisonment, the curtailment of civil rights and free speech, political prisoners, and demand his and others freedom after his jailing in 1919 for sedition. Beginning in August, 1921 and edited by Irwin St. John Tucker, the Monthly carried an eight-point program. After Debs’ early 1922 release the journal was renamed ‘Debs Magazine’ and continued as a vehicle for his writings until 1923, when illness and a contracting Socialist Party closed the magazine.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/debs-magazine/v01n12-aug-1922_Debs.pdf