Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-07

pe tne lault OF Hayti. Our papers have
been making faces at her, which should
not be. She has $4,000 square miles
and two governments, both republican
in form burt military in fact. There are
two classes, the educated and the I'M
educated. Tho former speak French
and the latter Creole. Tt is beautiful
country. 1t has high mountains and
deep valleys, diversified with lakes,
plains and rivers. 1t is fertile,
and in some parts the climate
Is tropical. Its climate took the
nerve out of him. We stigmatize the
Haytiens as lazy. AS class they are
not. They do much hard work, both
mental and physical. Although frost
has never been seen there Hayti is liter
ally land of pine and palms. 1t is a
country in which grows any desirable
thing grown anywhere. 1t is a country
friendly not only to vegetable but to
animal life. In Liberia horses and
mules cannot live. He would not want
to live whore mule cannot. Hayti is
comparatively poor. Her debt is
$20,O0O,000. Her population is esti-
mated at from 100000 to a million,
which figures, he considered, overesti-
mated.
Mixed marriages, he stated, are popu-
lar in Hayti. Some of the richest white
merchants there have colored wives.
They live honorably and excite no sus-
picion. Some one had asked friend of
his If he had not done wrong in marry
ing a white woman and he replied by
asking ibid my father not do wrong by
not marrying my motherpn The pros
perity Of the island is due largely to the
women. They impressed him more
favorably than tho men did. The men
have to spend much of their lives as
soldiers. Every third man met in
Port-au-P Prince is soldier. The soldiers
spend most of their time gambling and
drinking. No other land has brighter
skies, purer water and natural conditions
essential to prosperity but it is the worst,
being rent by revolutions. Port-au-
Prince is destroyed by fire once in every
% years. There are splendid ruins in
all parts of the city. Revolutions
are the source of all the peo-
Piles woes. The common people
are peaceful, the educated and ambi-
tious are revolutionary. Ills impression
is that the colorcd men OF the United
States are too anxious to become promi-
nent in politics. He believed they would
have made more progress if they had let
politics alone. What they want, he said,
is honesty, industry, punctuality and
devotion to home. They say, Douglass,
you've been in politics. lie admitted
this but disclaimed having turned over
his hand to get there.
He thought there would be less reyo-
buttons in lIayti if less impunity was
shown to the leaders. While this evil
prevails the country will sink lower and
lower. Until the factional strife is
crushed out uayti will be like the man
among the tombs, cutting himself 10
pieces; her hopes and those of her
friends will be blasted Port-au- Prince
seemed to him more Of city of funerals
than anything else. III She had less re-
volts Hayti would lead the ncighboring
islands in civilization.
He knew no man in Hayti more
humane and patriotic than the presi-
dent, Hyppolite. Instead of receiving
sympathy in his capital and ours the
president had been unjustly condemned
by our press. Hyppolite is fine -look-
ing man. When treason and rebellion
broke out in Hayti, Hyppolite struck at
the treason and the rebellion. He had
been charged with being a friend Of
Hyppolite and he was not ashamed of
it. How could he not be friend to
him when he (the lecturer) was partly
at least colored man. He was d
negro before he became a citizen and
that was not long ago either. lie once
knew when the American eagle laid
bad eggs. He was a negro and slave
before he became citizen. He sympa-
thizes with his race and is interested in
he neglected his duty to the United
States in making an effort to benefit
Hayti, and asserted that he does not
take greater interest in Hayti than in
the United States. Harrison's message,
he said, was splendid and Harrison is
his candidate.
The speaker, again mentioning his
duty, declared he was as true to his
duty as was the weli-known statesman
of this State, who was secretary of the
United States some time ago. The latter
was too honorable man to allow the
naval forces of the United States to be
used to enforce the wrong desire of
some Americans to possess the Mole
St. Nicholas. He had done some things
which the speaker did not approve Of,
but he should be given his due.
The finest harbor of Hayti, he ex-
planned, is Mole st. Nicholas and it is
not strange our statesmen should want it
and Hayti wont give it up, She might
have leased it to us. She did not mean
to offend us, but to defend herself. II
is absurd to say she intended to insult
us. Much ignorance and superstition
exist in Hayti. There is superstition
elsewhere. He is little superstitious
himself. He would rather see the moon
over his right shoulder than over his
left and he would rather be at table
with 10 persons than 10. In the streets
of Port-au-Prince there are hundreds
of well-dresscd children to one not
dressed. Few naked children are seen
ON the streets. He never saw serpent
worship there. Hayti should be viewed
in the broad light of her history. Her
liberty was born in blood, Graded in
misfortune and she has since lived in
revolution. Despite her vicissitudes she
is ever true to herself and it is unlikely
she will ever yield herself to the yoke Of
any protector. In one respect she is the
greatest of our modern teachers. She is
the original emancipation Of the 18th
century. Previous to its adjustment
by Hayti, slavery was considered
a divine institution. Until Hayti
spoke the church was silent and
the pulpit dumb. Hayti fought for
freedom and got it. Nobody can stand
up SO proudly as one who fought for
freedom. She has had organized gov
eminent for 81 years. He did not think
she will degenerate to barbarism. She
has three branches Of government like
ours. Her order is good. In Port-au-
Prince now there is more domestic hap