Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-06-27
WORK OF NEGRO OFFICIALS.


merce. was present at the meeting.
Previously to attending the session NJ.
de Medeuil spoke freely of the methods
of distributing the provisions sent to the
islands by the United States government
and the chambers of commerce.
NJ. deS.sMcdeuil bitterly attacked the
authorities of Martinique for their ad-
ministration of public affairs in general
and their system or lack of system in
distributing the supplies sent for the re-
lief of the stricken people of the island.
He has just returned from Martinique,
where he went as the envoy OF the
French Chamber of Commerce Of New
York, taking with him %, 600 francs in
gold for the relief Of the Mont Pelee
sufferers.
"Tha French government" said he.
'is partly to blame for the wretched
conditions which followed the catastro-
phe of May s. The island is practically
under negro government, the great ma
lority of officials being negroes. While
political factions subdivide themselves
into whites and blacks, the blacks are in
so much greater numbers that they prac-
tically control all public offices.
"Almost all of the blacks are unedu-
Gated and unscrupulous, and the events
which followed the destruction Of St
Pierre proved it conclusively. The au-
thorities were so busy insuring the res
election Of all the negro officials that
they would not bother about sending re-
lieftO St. Pierre.
est. Pierre, it must be explained, was
the stronghold of the anti-negro party.
The elections were to be held on May
10. The governor was too busy cleo
tioneering for the defeat of Clerc, the
anti-negrO candidate Of the northern de-
partment of the island, to send help to
st. Pierre.
"Contrary to all that has been pu =
lished on the subject, the inhabitants OF
st. Pierre were not stricken dead instan-
taneously. ortwo days the half-choked
and half-burned survivors were left
writhing in the streets in agony and cry
ing for help that came not.
'The governor is a negro, and it was
under his supervision that the work OF
distributing supplies was begun.
eff the French government had sent
at once a commission of men vested with
supreme authority to direct the method
of distributing the supplies and provi.
sionS the trouble which followed would
not have happened. The central COM
mittee of Fort de France which re-
ceived requests from the mayors of the
various towns for provisions divided
those requests in two classes, those
coming from townships which had polled
strong negro majorities and those where
the vote cast had been to the credit OF
the candidate of the whites. These last
townships were blacklisted and where the
negro towns were supplied with flour ant
bread ad libitum the white towns wert
succored grudgingly, and after long anC
terrible periods of waiting.
"In Fort de France the white people
in line for a distribution of food were
made to wait hours, while the blacks re
ceived rations over and over, In many
instances the articles given to the Whit
sufferers were a superb irony of the dis
tributions. Shoes were given where
bread was asked, and the discretionar!
powers of the distributing officers wer'
utilized for the humiliating Of the white
and the fattening of the blacks.
"The white planters and mill owner
of the island protested to the governor
They suggested that they were in neeC
of labOrers and that, instead of feedin!
he idle population, it might be better Il
end the hungry to them to hav
them earn the supplies gwen for thei
relief. The distribution of supplies ha
demoralized them all. In many in
stances they have quit work, finding
easier to 90 to the distributing offices t
be fed. The negro distributors were 5
arrogant that a number of white sufferer
! have refused to present themselves q
the stations / tried to help all Of thi
class that could.
"The apathy Of the authorities aftC
the catastrophe of st. Pierre is the mo:
: abominabe phase of the entire situation
Those who had entered the town thrC
days after the eruption have told me th'
the cries of the dying were even the
heard in the streets. How many of ii
St. Pierre inhabitants died this horrib
slow death is impossible to ascertain.
1.-TWO soldiers from Balata have pc
sonally told me of their entering the cit
on Nav 10, and of hearing the groal
and shrieks of those entombed alive