The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-16

her armament il excellent her guns being
OF me latest type, She has an entire COM
plement of rapid-fre ordnance. With only
one boiler, she Is said to make sixteen knots
an hour. She has triple expansion engine,
AL with a double boiler. which could be
put into her at short notice, could make,
her engineer declares, about twenty knots
an hour. Her officers would like to serve
in her under the American flag. Her second
officer is an American, who was in the fed
eral navy during the civil war.
Haitian deputy, who processes to be
yesterday that the government was certain
TO favor the elimine ton of Article from
the Constitution at the session of the Cham
bers, which will probably begin this week.
derived from Brutus st. Victor, the secfe-
tary of state for foreign relations, to-day,
categorically that the government contem-
plated any project for the removal of the
prohibition of alien owre rship of real prop
erty. Such STEP he said, if ever taken,
must be yet a very great way off. The
people" a continued, ARE not ready TO
gradual preparation of public sentiment be-
fore the government could even suggest IT.
There is, no doubt, such an opinion favora-
BILE to it. but 1t has as yet manifested only
chiefly in the cities. and it must be remem-
bered that the mass of the Haitian popula,
ton Is rural and that it is strongly welded
to national traditions"
Mr.. st. Victor would not speak definitely
as to the means which the government IN
tends to take to check the increase OF the
premium on paper money; butShe admitted
that this was. perhaps, the most urgent
business which would claim the attention of
the chambers. He mentioned the contract
already entered into by the government with
the Bank of Haiti to burn publicly every
month certain percentage of the paper
ties. This would reduce the volume of paper
currency quite rapidly. THE real chief
cause of the premium on gold, however,
coffee. 1t has begun to rise again, and 1t is
hoped will be restored in few months to
It's normal value"
The correspondent asked the foreign min
lister whether the stories which had been
printed about the distressed condition of
the people in the interior had been exagge-
rated. He replied that among the country
people there was some distress, but no &C
tual want Of the necessaries of life. Nobody
could starve in the interior of Haiti who
was industrious enough to scratch the soil
ever so little by way of cultivation 1t was
in the cities that the real misery existed.
and there was danger that the Hispano-
American war would render it worse. The
city folk could not live without money as
the country people could. They had been
dependent for many cheap articles of food
upon the American trade This supply had
been largely reduced, and with the premium
and prices generally going up. the small
need.
Mr.. ST. Victor also said that Haiti was
resolved to maintain the strictest neutrality
as between Spain and America, but, when
questioned as to the special privileges grant
ed to American ships of war in the treaty of
1864, he evaded a direct answer He con-
firmed Minister Poweirs statement of a few
days ago to the Associated Press CORE
spondent to the effect that Americans and
pc upon an equal commercial footing.
Whatever view critics may take on the
policy of the American government in per-
slsting in sending men of color to repre-
sent it in the island of Haiti they will not
be able to find fault with the present min
lister at Port-au-Prince, William F. Powell,
IF l0.aIx 81
seemingly very deliberate action and of ex-
tremely quiet manners, he yet seems to
nave made noteworthy impression on the
powers that rule at either end of the island.
These dispatches have already called at
tention to the steps which Mr.. Powell has
taken, in pursuance of instructions from
washington, to commit the Haitian govern
ment to the literal fulfillment of all the
provisions of the treaty of 1864 with the
/, Hnl TED states, which give to that country
IN time OF war special advantages which
cannot be enjoyed by other nations and also
the article which purports to place Ameri-
cans on an equal footing with Haitians as
TO the privileges of local trade The former
achievement was less difficult than the lat
ter, which follows Some twenty wears of
beginning at the time when Hamilton Fish
was secretary of state. 1t is easy to believe,
however, that the increased martial pres
tlge or America, consequent upon that coun-
Try going to war with Spain for the deliver
ance OF a west India people from oppres-
sion, has impressed Haitian statesmen and
IMAM any amount of forcible diplomacy
could have done. Mr.. Powell, nevertheless.
SO tar as one can discern at this moment,
deserves full credit for having risen to the
height of the occasion" His language to the
minister OF the exterior on the treaty obli-
cations has been of no uncertain meaning
He has several times strongly stated that
the fate of Haiti a nation depended in
a large degree upon the attitude of the gov
erHnent towards America during the pres
ent war. The Haitian administration ALREADY
realized this fact. but in an alternative
sense.
However virile and worthy of respect NAV
pc the present disposition of Brutus ST
victor, the foreign minister President Sam
nimset is inclined to choose the less de-
clslVe course whenever the other presents
a Chance of danger. 1t was not difficult
however, to convince the Haitian govern
ment that to provoke resentment on the
part OF the American people in the present
emergency would be to jeopardize the
benevolent friendship which they have ex-
hioIted towards the former since the days
or Dessalines. The Haitjans are rightly in
dlferent to the friendship of the Spaniards,
though they have some fear of reprisai
upon the part of the latter if the special
privileges accorded to Americans should be
SO freely used as to provoke a declaration
that they contravene the laws of neutrality
To cut short any possible period of vacilla-
ton on the part of the Haitian government
1t was necessary for the American minister
TO assume a tone which had been rarely If
ever, used by his predecessors. He caused
the government to understand that now
was the opportunity to assure forever the
substantial support of the United States or
to invite their lasting aversion and enmity
Another negotiation has been in progress
at Santo Domingo for some time It in
wolves the project of a treaty between the
United States and the Dominican republic
granting to the former even a broader
preference over other nations than accorded
in the Haitian treaty. One of it's articles
has a political significance which will as
tonish and may dismay some of the Euro
pean diplomats who are anxious to achieve
something OF consequence in this island.
The correspondent hopes soon to be at lib
erty to be more explicit on this subject.
Simon Sans Birthday.
Copyright, 1898, by the Associated Press.)
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, May 15-The
second anniversary of the election of Gen.
Tirosias Simon Sam as president of the re-