The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-09
HAYTFS REVOLUTIONS.
They Have Made the Republic a
Subject Of Ridicule.
The Pride and Glory OF the Great CO.
lumbus Has Become q Gigantic
Farce-A Degenerated
Country.

Not the least interesting feature of
the place is the barracks, where is
quartered portion of Hippolyte's
valiant army, says a correspondent of
the Providence Journal The only at
tempt at uniform is suit of blue over
ais. generally in the last stage Of
dilapidation, and a cap. ornamented
with red, yellow or blue braid, accord
ing to the fancy of the wearer. Some
few have shoes or straw slippers. but
the majority are barefooted They are
armed, however, with fairly good mus
kets and many of them carry ugly
looking knives. L saw large numbers
Of these soldiers" on the plaza. or
public square, some playing at dice or
cards, some talking, others sleeping,
and all lazy, dirty and ragged. This
plaza, which was originally well laid
out and which actually boosted an
ancient fountain in the center, was lit
tered with refuse, rooted up by hogs
and filthy with house offal and dung.
The ancient paved walks which orig
inally traversed it were badly broken,
and the loose stones were widely scat
tered by the hogs. Outside the town.
as far as the eye can reach, extends a
billy country covered with forest.
In long tramp through this conn
try we saw no cultivated land.
And yet this land is said to be extreme
ly fertile and to yield largely any
tropical product that is planted upon
It, From an examina ton of ap out
Id
the soil was underlaid with limestone,
and such soil is nearly always rich.
But the richness of this island is
wasted For even the old plantations
which were well set with coffee,
oranges and cocoanuts are grown to
tropical forest and yield next to moth
ing. Right in the midst of jungle of
wild trees and bushes | found traces of
IN old orange and mango grove, indi-
Gated by the remains of straight rows
in which these trees were originally
planted. And with the decline and
ruin of the plantation has declined
everything in connection with them.
Even the old carriage roads which
originally traversed the island and
formed channel for conveying the
produce to the ports are now only bri-
dle paths, being completely overgrown
with forest and bushes
And this is Hayti, the Hispaniola of
Columbus the pride and glory of the
great admiral! For it will be remem-
bered that after examining the other
large islands of the West Indies. Column
bus decided that this one was the
richest and best. And later, when I'M
der French rule. it was one of the fair
est and wealthiest spots in the civilized
world. The whole republic, in fact. is
gigantic farce-and farce. too,
which may well make all enthusiastic
advocates of the colored race and its
possibilities pause and consider. For
no nation has ever considered itself
more utterly incapable of self-govern-
ment than the black republic. In some
eighty years of Haytian independence
there have been more than ninety rev.
olutions: the children, with a few ex- |
ceptions. grow up in absolute ignor- |
ance, and with deep, Unborn hatred !
of the white man; the rulers are blood |
thirsty tyrants, and the country has !
Oegenerated into tropical wilderness. |