South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-03-31
CRAFT CAUSE Of
REVOLUTIONS IN
SOUTH AMERICA
Bumper Crop of Coffee Starts
Fifth Rebellion in Three
Years in Republic OF haiti.
BY VICTOR ELLIOTT.

WASHINGTON, March 3i.--Revo-
lutions in South American countries
are not a mere haDlt: they are a dis
ease, and the name Of the disease is
graft" The graft would be
laughed at by a BOSS" Tweed, but
to present-day politicians in some
South American countries ten thOus-
and dollars looks bigger than a mil
lion looked to corrupt Tammanyites
in the '70's.
Haiti furnishes a ready example.
The wholesale shin dig in fashion
in that country just now is the result
of too much coffee. The natives are
not over-indulging in it IS beve-
rage, but they did produce too much
of il for their own good.
A bumper crop of coffee started
the present revolution, which is the
fifth within three years. Haiti col
lects an almost negligible Internal
tax. Her revenues come from i'm
port and export duties. Coffee-sacks
pay three cents each when they come
in and two cents when they go out.
The coffee itself pays three cents a
pound. Ordinary about $500
pounds OF coffee go out each season.
Years Crop Abundant.
This years crop gave early signs
OF reaching 100000 pounds. or $780,
600 more than the average produc-
ton. That made the tax we'll worth
while, and since only a small part of
the revenue ever gets beyond official
hands, il was decided that some one
other than President Oreste should
have this rich picking. Hence the
revolution"
These social upheavals give our
national government officials no end
OF trouble and often cause heavy
financial losses to many of our bust
ness men, yet they are not lacking in
humorous features.
White men, for instance. have lit
tie fear from internal disturbances in
the negro republic except by mis-
chance. Haitian soldiers have pecu-
liar ideas about sharpshooting. The
favorite method OF discharging a gun
is to hold it at an arms length, turn
the head away as far as possible. and
then pull the trigger. There is oc-
casiOnally real danger from spent bull
lets in this method, however. That
reckless firing is really the favorite
pastime of the soldiers is indicated
by the fact that in one skirmish 2.7OO
rounds of ammunition were expended
and only three men hit.
They have a military standard in
the tropic. and the Haitian "volun-
teers" measure up TO the standard.
Most of the men are drafted under
Enthusiastically because they have
coffee crops that they refuse to di-
vide with the generals and that
are, therefore, taken in their en-
tirety by the simple eXpedient of
making the owner join the army,
whether ii be federal or rebel
Forage Their Living.
Few of the mon wear moro tban q
single garment: sometimes a shirt,
sometimes a pair Of trousers. They
forage their own living as they go
along, and they are armed with any
weapon that can be provided. On the
average there is one commissioned Of
ficer to every 8 privates.
President Oreste had a reform"
army that must have been overlooked
by our comic opera magnates. The
army" embraced 275 men and they
wore uniforms of vociferous red
trousers, loud blue coats and caps
beyond description. Though few of
them were mounted. all wore huge
Spanish spurs. They were equipped
with rifles of a bygone period
They have BLACK mans burden"
in Haiti, as many be inferred from
THIS paragraph regarding a proposed
constitutional amendment:
A bill TO amend the constitution so
that white men may own real prop
erty in Haiti was recently presented
TO the president and the deputies. 1t
was killed on first reading, and the
law still maintains that no white per-
son can hold immOvab1e property in
this black republic.
Most OF the better class in Haiti.
some OF our consular representatives
believe. would like to see the United
States lyn icfn
customs. as is done in Santo Domingo
With Uncle Sam collecting revenue
taxes and supervision disbursements.