The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-06-25

sometimes they penetrate into the in
terror The educated Haitians send their
children to Europe III preference to the
United States. They resent bitterly dis
elimination on account of color
In its relations with the other West
India countries Haiti, if not anliable,
at least manages to be friendly. The
boundary dispute with Santo Domingo
apparently never will be settled, and at
times other acute disputes arise, but
somehow the two governments manage
to settle them without getting into war.
The Haitians themselves show little ten
dency to leave their mountains and their
valleys. The goat path is more to them
than the railway.
NOT GIVEN TO EMIGRATION.
The negroes from Jamaica and Santo
Domingo are to be found in Cuba, Porto
Rico and the other islands. There is
constant migratory and return move
ment But with the Haitian negroes it
is different. Not many of them are
found off the mainland. Few of them
even care to cross the imaginary bound
airy line into Santo Domingo, except
for the smuggling which arises from
the two governments having different
tariffs This going back and forth is not
very large, for the illicit trade is not
great.
The seacoast towns of Haiti seem a
little hotter than the other seaports in
the West Indies. This may be because
the mountains lie so close behind and by
their cool contrast make the heat seem
greater. Yet any one who has put into
Haitian seaport knows it is hot. Coast
ing along the islands [ heard an army
lieutenant give his ideas. He had been
stationed in Arizona, but private bust
ness had taken him to Port All Prince
in midsummer yuma" he said,
this side of Hades, but there is hotter
place on the other side. It's Port au
Prince"
AN UNDEVELOPED COUNTRY.
While all the other West India ISL
ands groan under the depression of the
sugar industry, little is heard of this
cause from Haiti even III times of peace.
The reason is that sugar cane never has
been fully developed. In spite of the
mountainous nature of the country there
is a large cane area which could be ut1l-
lied, but the failure to do this has left
the island free from the economic crisis
so common to its neighbors. Coffee
has received more encouragement, yet
as a whole Haiti is almost an undevelop
ed country The exploitation may come
or may begin in the next few years.
That will depend on the kind of govern
ment it has.
Whenever the present civil war is
ended, whatever administration is estab-
1ished will be likely to have irritating
disputes with European governments
II
in the past has been for them to take
individual claims and by gunboats or
other equally effective threats to force
a settlement on a basis which would be
an average for all the claims of their
citizens. Germany and France have
taken the lead in bullying Haiti. They |
have enforced. claims which had no
taken the lead in bullying Haiti. They |
have enforced claims which had no
standing in international law and which !
never would have been entertained by !
strong nations. Inc justification has
been that this was the only means by |
which they could strike a balance.
This policy hardly will go in the flu |
ture, yet if it is not to go the United |
States will have to stand between Haiti !
and European bulldOZers. Until the civil |
war is ended it IS not necessary to raise |
these questions but this civil war must |
be ended some time. Perhaps it will be |
in time for Haiti to have its centennial |
celebration or its declaration of indie
pendence But whether this happens or
not the responsibilities and the perpIex-
tiles of the United States are going to
be increased. Whenever peace IS es-
tablished it will occupy a new relation
to Haiti and to the world at large
CHARLES NJ. PEPPER.