The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-26
BLAINE AND HAYTI.
The RumOrs About a Commission
Positively Denied.
A THRILLING ADVENTURE AT SEA
Overheard and Is Chased By a shark
He Barely Escapes
Especial to THE acknowledgements Dispatch.

| Especial to THE MISUNDERSTANDING Dispatch I
WASHINGTON, May 25.-The report that
Secretary Blaine had determined to appoint
a commission to go to Hayti and interfere
between the factions which now dispute
each others right to govern the island, is
denied as positively as the officials con-
cerned could be expected to deny it. That
the Boston and Ossippee are both going to
| Hayti is true, but there is nothing remark
able about that. The Ossippee, which is
now at Norfolk, will return to Hayti, as it
has been understood she would ever since
she came north. The Boston, now at the
Brooklyn navy yard, has been ordered to
proceed to Haytito relieve the Galena in
accordance with the rules of practice of the
navy department.
Secretary Tracey told a World CORES
pendent last night that no passage had been
secured on either the Boston or Ossippee for
any commissioner or agent of the state de
partment, and the orders under which
these vessels will sail are entirely indepen-
dent of the state department. What
Blaine's intention with regard to Hayti
may be nobody knows but himself. None
of his brother cabinet officers know of any
intention on his part to send commissioners
down there. Not a word on the subject
had been said to any cabinet meeting that
such move was contemplated and it would
| certainly be discussed in the cabinet.
Such commissioners could not be appointed
by the secretary of state. The President
| alone has power to appoint commissioners
for such purposes. At the White House,
state department and navy department, the
report is fatty denied and there is no
reason to doubt the good faith OF such
denials
QThere is nothing for such commission
to do. 1t could not arbitrate without the
consent of the principals. The President
of the United States certainly would not
interfere in the affairs of Hayti without
being invited by the parties concerned, and
no such invitation has been received. Even
in case of an invitation, the President
alone would have power to act. A COM
mission such as is mentioned could do
nothing but make observations and report
to this government. There is no particular
dearth of knowledge about the affairs of
Hayti, nor any great thirst at the state de-
partment formore knowledge. The state de-
partment has its minister at Port au Prince
and its cJnsuls at Cape Haytien. One is
in communication with HyppOlite. the other
with Legitime. While under the law of
nations and the practice of our own gov
eminent, our regular minister and consulS
are not permitted to recognize any one at
Guc UGdu VI lll6 SON Oh f1dLIl. LII IS
difficult to see how set of fresh commits
sioners could step in ana put an end 70 the
revolutionary struggle in favor of either
one party or the other. Possibly Blaine
would like to have his own minister at Port
au Prince instead of Minister Thompson.
who was appointed by Cleveland in May
1885, and it is to be expected that a new
minister will be appointed soon, but a
change of ministers cannot change the atti-
tude of this government toward the bel
ligerents. Certainly the orders given to
the Boston and the Ossippee do not mean the
invasion of Hayti by the state department.
There is no reason to believe that either
Harrison or Blaine contemplates any inter
ference with or without invitation by a
special commission or otherwise.
IN view of the fact that there is at present
no Haytien government in existence to
which to accredit a new minister, Blaine
may think it better to postpone the ap-
poinhnent of a regular minister and to send
to Hayti instead man who will not bear
the title of minister, and who will keep the
state department informed of happenings
in Hayti. Such an agent might go by the
Boston or Ossippee, or any other vessel.
Alexander Carter Morse has been men
toned in the press report as one of the
commissioners whom Blaine has chosen for
this Haytien expedition. Morse, whose
Office is next door to the department of
justice was recently the referee in a case
between Hayti and citizen of the United
States who had been unjustly imprisoned
in the island of Hayti. Morse gave iudg-
ment for the American in large sum. His
well known familiarity with Haytien affairs
seems, however, to be the only foundation
for the report that Blaine has any inten-
ton of sending him to Hayti.
I can say to you very frankly, very pos
itlvely," said he to the WOrld correspOn-
dent last night, II have not even been
spoken to by Blaine or any one else on the
subject. | have not been requested to act as
commissioner to Hayti and l have no ex-
pectation of being asked"
Congressman Hit, of Illinois, whose
name was also mentioned as having been
invited to be minister at this alleged COM
mission extraordinary, but who had de-
clined the honor, said last night that the
first intimation he had received of the
affair was through the published report.
1t is perhaps of interest to know that
Legitime's government has been recognized
by the following governments: England,
France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Sweden,
Russia, Spain, Belgium and the Neither
lands; San Domingo, Costa RIGA and Ven
zuela. so far as alleged offers of territorial
cessions by Hayti to France or Germany
are concerned, the first article of the Hay
tien constitution says: "Haytien territory
and the adjacent islands depending thereon
cannot be alienated by treaty or conyen.
tom
The same provision exists in the constitu-
ton of San Domingo. Hayti and San
Domingo are bound by treaty with each
othernot to ALLEVIATE part of the territory OF
either without the consent of the other. II
is rumored here that the SANTANA Bay com
pany of General Grants time has an i'm
piled understanding with San Domingo
that the old lease can be renewed and made
available for the benefit of the United
States.
New YORK, May 25-The Herald still
claims that a commission is to be sent &c
Hayti.
Saved from Shark.
| Especial to THE HERALD Examiner Dispatch