The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-04
A TRAGEDY OF POLITICS
Loss OF LIFE IN MARTINIQUE
CAUSED By POLITICAL EFFICIENCY.
Proximity of Election Caused In
structi0ns to BE Issued to Keep
Natives I'm Their Homes.
New York Herald.


such a sensation as is now being caused by
a work entitled 1.-The Catastrophe at Mar
Unique" which has just been published in
France, and the author of which is NJ Jean
Hess. a well-known journalist.
The author makes the strange charge that
the government was directly responsible for
the disaster, and claims that many, II not
all, of the 10000 victims would now be alive
IL the authorities, for their own purposes,
had not persuaded them to remain in their
homes, and had not wheedled them into be-
lieving that there was really no danger
In brief. NJ. Hess maintains that the vic
Tins of Martinique were driven to their
death for political purposes by Nj. Decrals,
who was then minister of naval affairs.
NJ. Hess went to Martinique a fortnight
after the tragedy and spent some weeks
making a thorough investigation as to its
causes and also as to the political condi-
ton of the island before 1t took place. He
was not there many days before horrible
rumor reached him. He was told by more
than one person that the government was
solely TO blame. not for the catastrophe it
self. but for the loss of life which resulted
from 1t, and that, If he searched diligently
he could obtain ample evidence of the truth
of this statement. He did search diligently
and he tells In his book what he claims to
have discovered.
The inhabitants of St Pierre he says,
became frightened several days before the
catastrophe, as stream of lava had al
ready destroyed large sugar factory; still,
no one supposed that on May s the volcano
on Mont Pelee would discharge volumes of
deadly gas instead of. as previously, lava,
hot water and ashes. Some of the negroes,
however, were afraid that an earthquake
was about to take place and were preparing
to leave the city.
There was, in a word, general feeling
or unrest, rather than of terror. There was
no certainty, however. that the people
would not become panic-stricken at any
moment and flee from the doomed city, and
as this was precisely what the government
wanted to avoid, immediate steps, says M
Hess, were taken to convince them that
their lives were in no peril
M. Decrais, he maintains, after learning
or the popular uneasiness sent positive in
structions to Governor Mouttet to keep the
people at their homes in order that they
might be able TO vote in body at the
elections which were to be held on Sunday,
May IL.
The government needed the votes in order
to strengthen it's position in ST. Pierre. and
1t knew well that If the people abandoned
their homes success at the polls was i'm
possible. Moreover, 1T relied for success on
the votes of the negroes and rulattos,
and from previous experience ii knew how
easily these persons were frightened and
how necessary IL was, therefore, to keep
them from getting into panic before cleo
ton day
Governor Mouttet, it is said, on receipt
of these instructions from the minister
took into his confidence Professor Landes,
the most distinguished scientist on the
island and one of the teachers in the lead
ing school at st. Pierre. The result was
that on May the Governor received from
the professor an official report in which
he used these emphatic words: "In my
opinion there is no more danger that Mont
Pelee will do any harm to St Pierre than
there Is that Vesuvius will do harm to
Naples"
This report was at once published and
helped greatly to calm the people. Some
may have wondered at its optimistic tone,
since Professor Landes had previously
stated that in his opinion there was one
danger, namely, that the great mass of
rock on the slope OF the volcano might
fall and shatter everything with which it
came in contact
The report, however, was generally ac-
cepted as correct, not only ON account of
the professors reputation, but also because
1t was known that the reason why he con-
sidered the danger slight was because the
town was not in the direction of the stream
or lava which had previously been flowing
from the volcano.
Mr.. Hess. on the contrary, maintains
tnat this report was the direct result of
the pressure which was brought to bear
on the professor by the Governor and that
II election day had not been near it would
nave been worded very differently.
book has aroused storm of criticism
which is not surprising, since the author
makes a very grave charge against three
men OF established Observation-Disclosures
Decrais, Governor Mouttet and Professor
Landes.
True, M. Hess has gathered his facts so
carefully that 1t is not easy to convict him
of making misstatements: but on the other
hand, while his book seems to contain evil
dence that Governor Mouttet received in
structions from Minister Decrais to keen
the people at their homes and that Pro-
lessor Landes wrote his report In compile
ance with the Governors wishes, there is
no evidence that any of these three men
acted through wrong motive or had any
Idea that catastrophe was approaching.
There is strong evidence that neither the
professor nor the Governor considered him
self in any peril, for the professor remained
In his usual home with his family and per-
ished with them, and the Governor took his
young wife with him to ST. Pierre when
he went there on May i'm order to encour-
age the people by his presence.
Those who attack the book most bitterly
say that the author has grudge against
the government because during his stav
at Martinique neither acting Governor
LHuerre nor M. Mauric Block, the govern
ment envoy. treated him with the courtesy
which he thought was his due, and also
because neither of these officials would
say word as to Minister Decrais's motive
tet.
Moreover. it is claimed that the author
while in Martinique spent much of his time
In the company of M. Fernand Clerc one
of the leading opponents of the govern
ment and the champion of the anti-negro
party and that in this way several stories
discreditable to the authorities, but all
more or less false, came to his ears
However this may be, il is likely that
the matter will be officially investigated
for though some maintain that the charge
was too absurd to be noticed others claim
that If it is unfounded it ought to be brand
ed as such and for the reason that until
ii is so branded those who have no means
of getting at the inside facts will suspect
that II may be at least partly true.
Another reason why it is probable that an
official investigation will be held is that the
book is in some respects the most author
itative work on Martinique and the recent
catastrophe which has yet been published
and hence will certainly be widely read