The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-09-24

ABOUT tneSe TWO
which are managed by the negro race with
the absolute exclusion of the white man,
who is not even allowed to acquire prop
erty in the Island.
Although Santo- Domingo represents the
Spanish element of the Island, while |
Hayti claims to be essentially French, the |
line being drawn on the language spoken
in each Republic, the fact remains that
both peoples may be considered as Il unit. |
In fact, since the French Convention IN
1893 granted freedom to the negro slaves
of the Colonies of France, the history OF
Santo- Domingo and Haiti has been init
mately connected, the final session occur
ring only i'll 1913, when the two Republcs
separated by an imaginary frontier, SHIFT
ed for themselves, one retaining the French
language when the other officially adopt
ed Spanish.
1t may be in order to recall that the
planters of the Island of Haiti were OPP
posed to the measure granting freedom TO
their negro slaves; and Napoleon himself,
at the suggestion of Josephine (lierself
Creole from La Martinique attempted
when he was First Consul to repeal the de-
cree of emancipation. He sent an army
corps to Haiti in charge of Gen. Lecierc.
his brother-in-law. This army corps was
composed of troops which had formerly
served under MOreau, of whom Napoleon
was Jealous, and it has been claimed by
some that the future Emperor of France
| took advantage of the opportunity to get
| rid of soldiers whom he could not trust on
| the eve of the coup detat which he Their
contemplated. Whatever may have been
Napoleons motives, the campaign under
taken by Gen. Leclerc proved very disas-
| trous. He met defeat after defeat at the
hands of Toussaint- LOuverture, whom he
could only subdue through treachery; yell,
| low fever did the rest. From that time
the negroes have enjoyed full sway, and
therefore they are strictly responsible for
their present political, social and econom-
ical condition.
| A most remarkable thing about Hal
tians and DOminicans alike is that their
rulers (all of them more or less tyranni-
cab have always repeatedly tried to usurp
the power intrusted to them, either in pro-
claiming themselves Emperors or in re-
manning in office through a dictatorship.
There was, for instance, Gen. Dessalines,
who made of himself an Emperor under
the name of Jacques l. The most motor
ious one, however, proved to be Soulouque,
or Faustin L., as he chose to cali him
self. Soulouque's ideal was to be another
Napoleon the Great. To accomplish his
purpose, lie had to organize an army; and
this he did after a fashion which prevails
to-day to a large extent. Any one who
has visited Sant0- Domingo or Haiti may
vouch for the fact that the armies of the
two Republics have an unlimited number
of Generals, but very few Corporals or
privates; hence, the gorgeOusness of the
uniforms, which are almost as deliberately
ridiculous to-day as they were IN Sou
louque's time. Just think of the aston
ishment of a French officer who inspected
the troops of Faustin l. at Port-au-Prince,
when he read the inscription on the tin
plates Ornamenting the shakos of the Sren-
adiers The shakOs had been made in
Marseilles France), and the manufacturer
having an extra lot of sardine boxes, util-
lied them to beautify the headgear of the
Haitian soldiers. The inscription proudly
displayed by each grenadier read: Sardines
Phuile Berton & Gle, LOrient, France
(Sardines in Oil. 4erton & Co., Lorient,
France).
As matter of course, Soulouque had to
have a Court like Napoleon. For this rea-
. son he created a nobility of his own, and
the titles he bestowed upon the faithful
are suggestive enough to make Gbrettist
of comic opera dream. From the official
records it appears that there was DUO
de Irou Bon-Bon Duke of Goody-Goody
Hole), a Monseigneur lie Due de Ia Linz
onade (NIy Lord the Duke of the Lemon
ade), a Marquis de Sale irou tMarquis OF
Dirty Hole), Baron de la Marmalade
Baron of the Apple Sauce. and many
others, who, by the way, were lavlshly
! decorated by their sovereign.
1t is useless to state that Soulouque
) used to issue proclamations to his troops,
often using the very words pronounced by
Napoleon on some memorable occasion
, The Haitians and Dominican Generals in
that matter follow in the footsteps OF
Soulouque. 1t is an actual fact that they
: study tactics in the Memorial of st. He
lena, in the hope of becoming great Gen,
, erals like Napoleon. Accurate statistics
concerning the whole Island of Haiti are
not available. Speaking of Santo-Do.
mingo alone, it is even impossible to give
fair estimate of the population, which
, according to some authorities, amounts to
10000 inhabitants, while others claim
, that it does not exceed 100000. One thing
is positive, however, the mortality among
the negroes is quite large, on account OF
defective hygiene, and without the immi'
, grafton from Porto-Rico, Jamaica, Cuba
, and the Lesser Antilles the population
) would remain stationary and possibly de-
3 crease.
The condition of affairs which prevails
5 in the Dominican Republic may be OBJ
served in Haiti. AS already stated. revo
E luton seems to be a regular institution
. of the self-governing negroes. Whether il
is due to the climate or to a faulty knowl
, edge of governmental principles is rather
e hard to decide The fact is that the Do
: minican and Haitian are always devlsini
$ some means to capture power and rule
like Soulouque did.
e The laws of the two countries are
largely framed after the Code Napoleon
In Santo-D Domingo there is President
who appoints the Governors Of the Prov
4 inces. He is entitled to serve four years
and may be reelected. He is kept busy
watching the conspirators who are always
at work trying to GUST him. He rules with
a single House composed of % Deputies
!. In Haiti the Government is run very muct
on the same principles.
When slavery existed many negroes
were freemen, either having bought thell
: freedom or having received it as a gift
: from generous masters. They formed 6
privileged class, and called themselve:
"persons of color" To-day the descen
{ dants of these people form kind Of
q aristocracy; for that matter. the mulattoe:
a look upon the plain blacks with scorn
J considering themselves very superior II
g every respect.
The Roman Catholic religion FREEDOM
mates in Haiti and SantO-Domingo; ye
s the priests have never succeeded IN eradl
: eating the cutie of the VOudoux (Woodoos
i imported from Africa. The VOudou
n properly speaking, is sacred snake fec
/ ON milk and chicken, and intrusted to thu
e care of the ''papalois' corruption of thu
i two French words papa roi-father King
e or of the "mamalois' (mama roi-mothel
, | 90, ,,o No biuh nriaSt and hiOl