The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-07
Anarchy in Hsyti.

! Preston, the Haytien minister, that this gov
! eminent does not recognize the seizure OF
/ the American steamer Haytien Republic as
| being legal, and that she must be released,
/ it is probable that Gen. Legitime, the alleged
/ President of Hayti, viii lose no time in act
| ing upon the hint thus conveyed to him.
The steamer attempted to run into the har
Dor of st. Marc after Gen Lagitime had de-
clared that port blockaded, having, it is I'M
derstood, a cargo of arms for Gen. Hippo
lite, who is trying to GUST Gen. Legitime
| from the head of the government at Port
au Prince.
The fact that sufficient notice had not
been given Of the blockade. and that the
captain of the Haytien Republic did not
know that blockade had been ordered,
was, perhaps, the basis of Secretary Bay
ards decision. This government, however,
does not admit that there is any legitimate
government in Hayti The island is in the
possession of contending factions, one of
which is led by Gen. Legitime and the other
by Gen. Hippolite. The former is entrenched
at the capital, Port-au- Prince, and has the
support of two of the five provinces. The
| latter is threatening the capital with quite
! n stro1g force. and claims to have the en-
thusiastic support of three of the provinces.
President Cleveland, in his message read
before congress on Monday, said that no
properly constituted government existed in
Hayti but that there were two warning
factions there, neither of which legally
represented the Haytian nation. The cor
rectness of this statement will be admitted
by all who have kept track of events in
Hayti.
On Aug last, Gen. Thelemaque raised
the standard of revolt at Cape Haytien
against President Salomon's government.
1t was successful, and Solomon was driven
out of his capital, and finally left the coun-
try. He was one Of the ablest men who
ever figured prominently in Haytian affairs.
he was well educated and was a shrewd
politician. AS soon as he had left Port au
Prince the people Of that place elected Gen.
Lesitime president, Notwithstanding the
fact that he was not acceptable to the rest
of the republic. Gen. Thelemaque was put
forward as q candidate for president by the
people outside of Port au Prince.
1t was decided to call a constitutional as
sembly, having power to adopt new con-
stitutlon and to elect president of the re-
public. The assembly was to have eighty
four members, and the election was fixed
for Aug 25 The election was held and
it was quickly discovered that a ma
jority of the members of the assembly
favored Thelernaque for president. He was
not popular with the people of Port au
Prince, and it was decided to get rid of him.
He was killed Sept. 2S, during discharge
of shells from the national palace. the ma
tional fort and the Haytian men of war in
the harbor of Port au Prince. There is no
doubt that he was the victim of Gen
Legitime and his followers.
Gen. Legitime continued for awhile at
the head of affairs in Port au Prince but
an indignant protest against him was made
by nearly all the rest of the republic In
order to allay popular feeling he resigned,
| but, as the result showed, he did not doso
without having in view plan to regain
power. His resignation left the republic in
a state of anarchy. Thirty-two Of the
members of the recently elected constitu-
tional assembly met and elected Gen. Legi-
time president. OF course they had no au-
thority to do this, as they were not a ma
jority. Gen. Legitime, however, resumed
the Office of president, and three of the
five provinces Immediately declared
their determination not to recognize
his authority. Gen. Hippolite, who is at
the head Of these three provinces, declares
that he is trying to restore constitutional
authority in Hayti. The probabilities are,
however, that he is as dangerous and as un-
scrupulous a man as Gen. Legitine, and
that the republic is certain to suffer if
either succeeds
Hayti has had almost continual trouble
since she became republic. Her history
| is thickly dotted with revolutions and insur-
| rections. Now and then a man, like the
late President Solomon, has given the re-
| public peace for time. but the periods of
| law, order and good government have
| never been long Corruption and disorder
have been the rule, and the conclusion is
almost inevitable that the negro is not
capable of self-government May not the
northern politicians, who are seeking to
force the negro to the front in the south.
learn lesson from Hayti? Do they want
! to bring about the same condition of affairs
| in the southern states as exist in that I'M
happy republic?