Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-09
FRIENDLY
so MINISTER LEaER INFORMS
THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
he Declares Anti-Forsign Feeling is
Limited to Individual Gases
and is Not aef.eral.

Mr.. Leger, the Haitien minister, was at
the State Department today and entered an
indignant denial of the frequent newspaper
reports of the wide extent of the anti
foreign feeling among the Haitien people,
He said that number of resident foreign
ers in Haiti were invplved in the Haitien
National Bank scandal, which would nat
urally cause some feeling among the people
who suffered from the frauds, but there
was nothing like general feeling of dis
like entertained toward foreigners. OF
course this statement Gid not apply to the
Syrians, but these pebble were obnoxious,
he said not because of their race, but be-
cause they had practically driven the Hal
ten laboreTs and merchants out of their
work and business by competitive methods
resembling those practiced by the Chinese
in the United States, Naturally there were
occasional collisions Between the sufferers
and the Syrians, as there were between the
Chinese and white labor element in the
United States. But on the. whole General
Nord seemed able to control the situation
and protect these people.
Frauds Caused Trouble.
The two things hat are of local i'm
portance at home said the minister in a
recent interview. are the bond frauds and
the Syrian question. Against the Syrians,
whom the warm-heaued Haitiens at first
welcomed with open arms. when they came
to escape Turkish oppression, there has de-
vcloped much bitterness. They are ex-
uemely unclean in their habits, to degree
that the public health is menaced, and
they also oppress the simple country in
habitants by 'harging them outrageous
prices for COOS sold on credit. No more
of them are going to be allowed in Haiti,
and those now there will be forced to leave
inside of six months or become citizens.
The bond frauds were largely brought
about through the rascality of band OF
foreign banking offlcials-French and Ger
mans. They robbed the public of about
$1,0O0000 before their thefts were discov-
cred The principal ascals are in Jail, and
viii undoubtedly be convicted when they
come TO trial. Meanwhile they are moving
heaven and earth to invoke the interfer-
ence of their governments and causing to
be sent broadcast unnumbered untruths,
helping to create an impressian unfriendly
to Haiti.
The Hatiens are NOT at all the bad peo-
Ile they have been pictured, nor are they
hostile to foreigners. Any man who goes
there and acts decently will be given the
Eindest reception. but those who try to live
by plunder may expect punishment. Ths
only reason of the comparatively SLOW
prcgress OF the country IS that by nature 1t
Is 50 rich and the conditions OF existence
are so easy that the incentive TO hard toll
IS lacking, and the country improves very
gradually But the peo9le are open-hearted
and hospitable- to an extent hardly seen
anywhere else. A stranger can travel from
one end of the land to fhe sgther and never
be called on to eXpend a cent. The poor
est native. moreover. II ambitious to have
his children educated and the government
itself sends students ofspromise abroad to
be instructed"
Extraditien with Haiti.
Secretary Hay and the Hattien minister
today signed treaty sef extradition be-
tween the United States and Haiti. The
convention is in acc0rd with the latest
IDEAS SO far as it speeches. the extraditabie
crimes.