Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-23
A NEW HAITIAN MINISTER.
His Career Reads Like a Romance-Tbe In.
auguration Of q New Foreign Policy

His Career Reads Like q Romance-Tbe In
auguration of q New Foreign Policy.
The diplomatic circle has recently received
an addition in the person Of Mr.. Clement
Hsentjens, who succeeds Mr.. Hannibal Price.
deceased, a. envoy extraordinary and minister
plenipotentiary from the small neighboring re-
public of Hsyti. The new minister has been
here but few days and has not yet been re-
ceived by the President He has had several
conferences with Secretary OF State Foster,
however, in regard to the settlement Of the case
Of News. the American citizen for whose NAL
treatment BY the Kaytian government the
United States has demanded speedy reparation
TIE STORY OF HIS LIVE
The story of the life of the new minister, a.
recently told. reads like a romance. He was
born at Cape Haitien, in Hayti. and is about
forty-three years Of age Most of his early life
was spent IN Paris where he lived until he was
twenty-five years old; in New York, where he
was for q short time secretary Of the Hsytian
legation. and in Jamaica. where he was exiled
after the revolution Of 1888. He Is not of purely
white blood. IL is well known that the pulat-
toes and octoroOns of the South American re-
publics profess repulsiOn for their negro COM
patriots, and especially in Hayti the former
rs a means Of securing wealth rapidly, that will
enable them to go away to live In another
country. With this object in view Mr.. Haent-
jens has allowed his three children to learn the
English language only He has tried to pre-
vent them from acquiring French or from be-
coming familiar with the Haytian dialect, so as
TO make the temptation TO return to the island
the less when they shall have got away
HIS FATHER WAS SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.
The father of the new minister held the Of
fee Of secretary of the treasury during the
presidency Of Gen. Michael Dominique and
was animated BY this same spirit toward the
negro government. His great desire to enrich
himself however. led him TO put the treasury
of the nation to such pillsge that even In Hayti
the president and his colleagues In the cabi-
net were forced to order his arrest. He only
escaped punishment by poisoning himself in
the very presence of the general who had
been ordered to arrest him and while the
troops were surrounding his house to pre-
vent his fight But the monev was already
safe in France and his family soon sailed for
Paris. When his sons had grown to manhood
they returned to Hayti. The eldest son,
George, was seized with twenty eight OF his
friends and shot at st. Marc in 1888 after an
unsuccessful attempt at Instruction The
second son, wearied by several years OF revo-
lutionary plotting. died just as the revolution
which upset Lsgitime assured him a rich re-
ward at the hands of Hippolyte.
SEWN YEARS OF EXILE.
Mr.. Clement Haentjens escaped death at the
time Of his brothers execution by giving him
self up to seven years Of exile in Jamaica. At
the end of that time, however, Hippolvte was
made president and appointed him secretary
of agriculture and public works. As soon as
be had established himself in this Office he
conceived the idea that Haytian rivers ought
to be spanned by iron bridges, and it was not
long before the government had voted heavy
appropriations for bridges. No bridges were
ever built and only one ever reached Hayti.
and that was not mounted. The secretary 9
ambitions in this direction were the cause. in
September, 1895, of his being expelled from
the ministry Just as he was about to obtain q
contract for the laying Of several miles of
telegraph lines. When the revolution OF May
2s. 1891. broke out Hsentjens' nephew, Alex
ander Nadion, was the first victim Of the popu-
lar wrath, and the ex-secretary himself escaped
only by taking refuge in the house of his cousin,
ex-Minister Preston. At the time OF his ap-
pointment to his present mission he was chief
secretary of Hippolyte's private council.
NEW FoREIGS POLICY.
His present appointment seems to indicate
the Inauguration Of a new foreign policy on the
part Of the Haytian government, since Mr..
Haentjens is the recognized leader Of the an
nexationist party, which recognizes the fact
that it is impossible for the negro republic ever
TO rise above a state OF perennial revolution,
and would like to see the government of the
islands pass into the hands of one Of the great
foreign powers. The fact that Mr.. Haentjens il
accredited to this country looks, too, as though
the eyes Of the annexationists were no longer
turned toward Europe, but rather toward the
United States. So far as known, however, no
negotiations have vet been instituted looking to
the accomplishment of such q purpose.