The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-31
a " II Il.
a Succession of Revolutions-Thei
Instigators- The Lamentable
Condition of the
Country.


terest:-
PoRT-AU-PRNCE, Jan. 9.-Now that the
Government of Salnave has been overthrown
after q struggle lasting for nearly three years,
o brief review of the revolutions through
which Hayti has passed since her independ-
ence was gained may not be regarded as in
opportune. The subject is full of peculiar
interest, and the short history now propose
to pen may, perhaps, be found not the least
interesting chapter in the annals of the New
World. Hayti, the first spot in America
where the European discoverer set foot-the
first soil in the Western Hemisphere watered
by the sweat of African slaves-the first COM
munity in the world that witnessed the aboli-
ton of African slavery and the political en-
franchisement of the blacks in modern
times-Hayti, 30 full of thrilling historic
recolections, is still the theatre where the
great problem of the capacity of the negro
race for self-government and civilized pro-
gress is being most laboriousy, and, l may
add, impatiently worked out.
1t is from such a commanding point of
view that one must study the civil wars and
internal connections that have not ceased to
agitate the bosom of society in this island
since 1890, in order to obtain just appreca-
tion of the late desperate struggle which has
threatened the overthrow, if possible, of the
national existence of Hayti itself, by seriously
menacipg the destruction of its sovereign in
dependence. For eighty years-that is, since
1790-when the men of color of San Do ningo
demanded equal political rights at the bar of
the National Assembly of France, society in
this island has carried on one long and pro-
tracted revolt against the unjust proscrip-
tions and unreasonable distinctions of CASTE
From 1890 to 1904 the Haytiens were en-
gagged in terrible hand-to-hand struggle
against patriarchal slavery; and had the salts
faction of seeing their desperate efforts
crowned with success, in the branding of
African slavery as q crime, long before the
Bo-called Christion and civilized nations of
Europe and America had legislated against
the African slave trade as piracy: The United
States, the first to legislate on the subject,
only provided in their Constitution that this
abominable traffic should be deemed piracy
from and after 1S0S-that is, four years after
the independence of Hayti had been esta-
blished. From 1906 to 1920, or thereabouts,
Haytien society entered upon its second revo-
lutionary phase, in a struggle against the
brute force of an ignorant military feudalsm
that trampled on the rights of it's citizens.
After the war of independence, the
military chieftains who had conducted
that struggle to successful issue
were, by q sentiment of national gratitude,
deservedly given the first place in the affec-
tions of their countrymen AS there were a
great many of those leaders who had distin-
guished themselves in that trouble, they were
arrayed in hierarchial order, according to the
amount of energy they had shown in triumph
ing over their inhuman oppressors. Accord
ingly the most ferocious and ignorant gene
rails were placed in the first rank, and at the
head of them the sanguinary Dessalpes. He
was accordingly, made the first ruler of
Hayti, under the title of Governor-G General,
but he afterwards usurped the title of En-
peror. The nation, in naming such a chief
tain, behaved exactly like every other race of
men in the infancy of society; and this ruler,
in usurping mole ambitious title, acted pre-
cisely like the First Consul of France at the
beginning of this century, and like the first
President of the same great nation at the
middle of the same century.
But the savage infancy of Haytien society
was of short duration. After bearing the
yoke for two years it revolted. Through a
struggle beginning with the assassination of
the Emperor Dessalines in 1906, and ending
with the suicide of King Christophe in 1920
(the next General ranking after Dessalines
in point of brute force) the Haytien people
succeeded in delivering their country from a
reign of ignorance, though not entirely in
riddipg it of the reign of q military feudal-
ism, now somewhat modified by intelligence.
When Christophe would not accept the
Presidency offered to him by the Senate
under written constitution, after the tyrant
Dessalines had been despatched, Petion, the
third revolutionary general in rank, was
elected and accepted. Christophe resisted
both him and the Senate, and succeeded in
dividing the island into distinct governments,
making himself king in the northern part,
while Petion remained President of thesputh
and west. Petion was an educated man, and
laid the basis of civil institutions in Hsyti
At his death, in 1918, the fourth revolution
ary general in rank, also man of intelli-
gence, was elected to succeed him in the
Presidency. At this moment the yoke of
Christophe became intolerable to his
subjects; and a general uprising against
him, which he vainly resisted, caxsed
him, in fit of desperation, to
by Petion in the West and South not only
Spanish quarter in the East, and the govern
ment of Boyer was eventually consolidated
over the whole island. The country entered
upon the reign of law, The six codes of Hayti
were promulgated under Boyer, and the courts
of law began to exercise their functions freely
But the social regime of aristocracy was now
inaugurated by coalition between the sur
viving military heroes of the revolution and
the civilians who had resisted Dessalines and
co-operated with Petion in founding the
republic. These, with Boyer at their head
were unwilling to make any concessions
to the party of progress, headed by the
representatives of the people in the legisla-
tive body. The Progressists memorialized
in vain for reform from 1888 to 1S43
The President, his Secretary of State, and
the Senate, whose members he had
the right to nominate remained deaf to the