The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-12-23

1886.
lii 1876 Lieutenant [now Vice Ad-
miraD David ID. Porter made an eX-
tended tour to St. Domingo and Hay
ii, under directions of the then Secre-
tary of the Navy, George Bancroft,
with q view to obtaining reliable in
formation regarding the political'c con-
dition, manners of the people and re-
sources of the country, which, COM
paratively speaking, were at that time
almost unknown in the United States.
Porter kept a highly Interesting jour
nal OF his travels and doings, which,
no doubt, would be Invaluable at this
time, when there is such desire to
learn all about the people and re-
sources of that country; but, unfor-
tunately, the Porter journal was alb
stracted by some of the rebel conspi-
rators from the State Department,
whese.it had been deposited and has
never since been restored. The object
Of the rebels iii thus taking away with
them the Porter journal is explained
by the theory that they contemplated
selling some OF the West India ISL
ands,-and rightly calculated that the
information gathered by Porter would
be Of the greatest utility. Lieuten-
ant Porter, however, during the
course OF his travels in Domingo and
Hayti sent several long dispatches to
Secretary Bancroft, describing at con-
siderable length those countries and
their peoples. These dispatches have
been preserved, and the following ex-
tract, just published in the. New York
Herald, is of interest at this time
Commodore Porter says:
We arrived at Port au Prince at an
unfavorable time to draw a compari-
son between the Haytiens and Domin-
leans, for the most hardened mind
must be shocked at the cruelties COM
mittei by the blacks on the mulattoes
who have the misfortune to live in
the Haytien dominions. President
Richie (memorable for having put TO
death his wife and children with his
own hands, in Christophe's time, be-
cause they were mulattoes) ha !
marched with an army OF 10000 men
to the south to put down rebellion,
and had succeeded in doing so before
we. left, but not before the negroes
had committed the most horrid cru
elites upon the nnlattoes. All the
tortpres that the human ingenuity
could devise were applied to their vic
tins. Men were roasted before slow
fires; women had their breasts cut
off and their children cut in pieces be-
fore their eyes, and those far advanced
in. pregnancy were ripped open by
these barbarians merely for their
amusement. But the ringleaders were
all pardoned, and the severest punish
ment inflicted was a sentence to serve
in the army. BY this means this
bloodthirsty President augnents his
power with people ready at any mo-
ment to carry out his sanguinary
wishes. -... .---....
md me morals aud intellect of
fhe people Numerically opposite to
those of the Dominicans. Religion
is only known from tradition, and in
dusti'y word scarcely known at all.
The beautiful valley OF the Cul de Sac,
which yielded in the time of the
French 25,000,000 pounds of sugar,
now is almost perfect waste, and
does not yield 10000; exports are
decreasing from year to year, and in a
short time no more will be produced
than is actually necessary for the
smallest wants of the negroes. Prop
erty has no security, and learning
meets with no encouragement; and
the people will eventually Gf they
have not already sink into the same
state of barbarity that exists among
the native Africans.
At present the United States have
most of the commerce at the west end.
Supply.tfem with all their provisions,
and they will be able to compete with
all other nations, notwithstanding the
extra ten per cent. duties which Amer
leans have to pay for not acknowledg-
ing their independence. Our cheap
cotton goods are, however, driven out
matter to compete with the English
on the same terms. In the Domini-
can territory, on the contrary, our
cotton goods are in extensive use-in
act all over the country. In q com
parison between the two nations the
Haytiens must show to great disad.
vantage, as much so as any other
horde of unciviized barbarians com.
pare with any other nation Of civi.
lized people.
In Dominica the integrity of the
country is st the head of affairs, and
though they may not show any great
ability in the administration of gov
| ernment, they show proper respect
for the rights and property of citizens
and strangers, end if acts of injustice
| are sometimes committed it frequent.
~ arises from an error of judgment
NOT from any bad designs. In Hay
| ii, on the contrary, the country is in
| the hands of the worst men-the head
of it man stained with every crime
and the security to property and
persons only exists as long as it suits
| their capricious chief magistrate.
To suppose that negroes are capable
of self-goyernment is a most absurd
notion, for even admitting them to
have the Intelligence required, the en-
ervating influence Of climate would
soon indispose them to labor, and We
all know the general character of the
negro for lazy habits, and that the
most intelligent have never arrived
at more than meliocrity. To suppose
that half civilized savages, under a
burning sun and without the wants OF
Europeans, would labor to improve
the mind or cultivate the soil, is more
than unreasonable.
In five years Dominica will be far
in advance of where she is now in
commerce, industry and learning; in
the same time Hayti viii be ten years
more behind than she is now, and will
eventually be cut up by civil dissen-
sions. Fifty small chiefs will govern
the country, for any one who can raise
an army can be President, and almost
all are ambitious to serve in that CO.
pacity. The Dominican part of the
country is closed against them; they
cannot possibly invade it on account
of the impossible barriers that nature
and wise Providence has thrown