New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-09-03
The Harlan Question.


fore the next Congress in one form or an
other. it is important that information re-
soectipg it should be disseminated, IN order
that the people, as well as their representa-
tiyes, may understand it as thoroughly as
nossible We now propose to do something TO
that end and we shall do what we can 70
preyent wrong from being done to either.
First. let Us very succinctly review the his
torical aspects Of the dispute.
In what we have to say on this question,
we shall speak with perfect impartiali;y'
and shall state the facts according to the
hest authorities We have no prediction
for either side in the quarrel, but we have
decided prediction for justice, and for
letting one be heard as well as the other.
The Island Of Hayti was among the earliest
discoveries of Columbus, and was settled on
the eastern side by the Spaniards. In their
creed for gold they neglected all regular
colonization, enslaved the natives and soon
killed them off by hard work and disease.
Their place was supplied by negroes from
Africa. Still the colony never thrived, and
the mass Of its inhabitants were miserable.
Even when the annual Weld of the mines
was SiG0,000, the money IN circulation
among the common people was of leather.
In III the entire population, slave and
free, was only 1910, Of whlch not 5000
were whites Twenty years after the en-
tire population had fallen to 5000. 1t was
replenshed from Spain, but more from
Africa. Agriculture was always neglected;
mining. raising cattle, and in latter times
mahogany cutting, being the principle pur-
suits of the people. In 1900 the population
was 1875 1000 in 1922 it had fallento $4,000
At the present day it is yariously estimated
bv intelligent writer's at about 10000 Little
is produced from the land. Mahogany and
tobacco are the principal articles of export;
a great proportion of the people are herds
men: the revenue is less than the expenses,
and the finances are desperate. The State
religion is Catholicism of a very formal and
now there, are allowed, as an act of grace
on the part of the rulers, to practice their
religion, the inhabitants are generally lntol-
Grant: indeed, when the present Constltu-
ton of the Republic was formed, majority
of those who made it, including the clergy,
wished expressly to prohibit every other
worship than the Roman Catholic, but did
not, for fear of driving off these Protestants,
who are American blacks and the most use
full citizens Of the country; and since then
cmiprants have been excluded on the
ground chat they were not Catholics. Nor
ais are at low cbb, and, as is almost neces-
sary the case among sparsely settled
pastoral people, the life and property OF the
traveller are unsafe among them, except he
be well armed,
The western part of The island now known
as the Empire of iiayu, was settled ny the
French some two centuries after the Span
iards began on the other side In 1900,
when the colony declared itself independent
the population was some some 100000. 1t
is now from 100000 to 100000, possess
ing one third of the island, while the Spanish
part includes two-thlrds The people live
ON their own little patches OF land, and get
their living without much work. Since
Slavery was extingushed, production and
exports have declined very considerably.
Still, a great deal of coffee Is exported, and
there is much more industry than among the
negroes of Jamaica. who vet had the bene-
fit of forty years more bondage than the
Haytians. The liaytiaas are much better
of than the Domincans IN point OF produc-
ton, comfort and wealth, while IN personal
qualities as people they are far their
superiors All the authorities we have been
able to consult, speak in high terms of their
honesty and dociity. \ French gentle
man, long resident In the island, and occu-
pyng a high official position there, lately
said to us that they were the best people IN
the world, and the easiest to govern any
thing could be made of them. respect
able American, captain of a merchant vessel
for wears trading thither, told us that he
might take the first laborcf on the wharf
and send HIM TO the other end of Hayti with
ten thousand dollars in specie without
danger of his stealing it, or having 1t stolen
from him; and travellers may 60 any where
in perfect security without being armed.
Religious federation is perfect.
The two divisions were united in 1922
BOYER having combined under his govern
ment the hitherto suudered provinces Of the