The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-29
classed by his countrymen as no worse
than the rest.
Foreigners Secure.

Foreigners Secure.
All this Notwithstanding. the property
of foreigners resident In Haiti remains Sc
cure, and a foreigner. always provided
that he knows how to handle and to for
tify his own interests, may even enjoy a
steady protection from successive govern
ments that are steady in nothing else save
thievery
The terror of the FIaytian, whether
president. senator or man In the street. Is
a foreign &warship in the harhor- Display
your flag, be it American or European,
and the most threatening mob will take to
its heels. 1t is to the foreign minister's
or consuls, and by no means to his own
magistrates, that the Haytian turns when
he believes his life In danger. Let a riot
be feared in the town. and you shall see
some foreign flag af1oat from every sec
ond window. ~-.5. ..s
With the fear of violation and retribu-
ton in the s,ir,each qual<ing citizen tries
to recall that he is not really a Haytian
at all, and that his great-aunt or his
wife's cousin came from st. Thomas or
Martinique. Of If he cannot establish
that plea then he runs to some consulate,
begging protection on the ground Of
humanity This plea,sit may be added,
Is always heard. Every consul or minis
ter in troubled times has brood of
refugees under his wing; indeed. Ii it were
shed In the revolutions Of Haiti
If, as foreigner, you have at any time
to complain Of damage done to your prop
erty, your price will be paid with dispatch
and foreigner must be very much in
the wrong before government Will take
action against him. His country's guns
are always thrusting shadowy muzzles
over his shoulder, and, lest the shadows
become solid, government will alacritously
recognize claims of a size truly amazing,
fact occasionally played upon by the un-
scrupulous.
How the Trick Is Done.
| No small factor in the unquestioning
| acceptance of such claims lies in the Op-
their payment affords. The cabinet min
lister through whom a demand Is presented
merely doubles the sum named by the
! claimant, enters the senate with request
I for "closed DOORS" represents to the sen.
ators assembled that the claimants gov
| ernment requires instant satisfaction or
pain of shot and shell, and that only by
his own mingled prayers and statesman
ship was the sum reduced to It's present
| size. ...-.
| The legislators recognize the force OF
| the argument and appropriate the money
required, half Of which more than salts.
fies the claimant, while the rest goes tt
news quickly becomes public, perhaps
even gets into print, the successful claim
ant laughs over the story in the streets
| every one makes a mental note for flu
ture use, and things progress as before
y Meantime the foreign business mer
here. most Of whom. are Germans make
fortunes quickly, and that chiefly in deals
with the government. Government, al
ways in need Of ready money, must bor-
| row at rates exorbitantly high. AnG
for whatever dubious end a sum may be
required, resident foreign capitalists IA
miliar with the tricks of the trade will
always lend willingly and eagerly on the
1 security of the customs receipts
Haiti taxes both her imports and hel
| exports. and all customs moneys must
pass through the national bank, a, French
institution, before being available by the
government itself. The bank pays of
all secured claims before recognizing the
governments right to use the fund, and
| therefore loans and contracts made or
security Of customs are held to be as SAFE
1 as they are profitable. So easy means
| of obtaining money Is well calcula ted tt
appeal to the negro's short-sighted reck
lessness, and the customs already il
pawn to SO per cent of their volume.
| Not the least striking of the conclu
sions induced by consideration of thes.
facts and Of others equally patent is tina
I of the wonderful richness Of the country
Here is q population of only 1900, 900
idle, poor, and almost savage. Here ar,
no organized industries. no thrift, ne
progress, no development of the coun
Itry's$ natural wealth. u But scattered OF
the hillsides by patches are small field
of coffee, and spreading over the noun
tains great forests of 1ogwood. An,
the profits brought into the governmen
by the ignorant negro's ftful handling
of these two resources have been enoug
not only to support the wholesale drain
Of a long succession Of thieves In office
but also to make possible the waste an,
the extravagances that their existenc
has implied. :. = =, ! 80 -