Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-30

ALI, OF a sudden Haiti has lost another
"A President. Quiet seems to have settled
down on the capital, but you never can tell
in Haiti. Haiti in some respects too closely
resembles Mexico Nobody knows when
revolution is going to begin or when 1t IS
really over. Like Mexico, Haiti is Infected
with generals. These generals are ambitious
TO become a general is the first step toward
becoming President And no President can
avoid being a dictator or, at least, trying
to be-
According to the usual course when one
President gets out or Is put out the new
man makes a clean sweep Of those who, have
been unwise enough to linger in loyalty
around the steps Of the deserted throne
presidential throne2 oh, yes-Haiti. 1t is
readily to be seen, however, that there is no
continuity in Haitien politics, except con-
tinuity of change. In this regard Mexico has
perhaps a slight advantage over Haiti; but
a more serious aspect Of the comparison lies
in the problem which confronts the United
States. There seems to have been a close
parallel between our Mexican policy and our
Haltien policy up to the point where a
definite date was affixed to "watchful wait
ing in the case OF the country below the
Rio Grande. 1t may be that the Administra-
favorable one for intervention of some kind
in the affairs of revoution-rdden Haiti
The name Haiti means "a land of noun
tains" An experienced traveller in the West
Indies declares that "these islands are politi-
cally turbulent in exact proportion to the
rugosty of their physical contour" Appar-
emily then, Haiti has a natural-born right
to be the most revolutionary of them all.
Mighty mountains, spouting flashing rivers
from their heights, rise from It's shores But
the Haitien Republic has a better record
than the neighbor with which It shares the
island which was the scene of Columbus
greatest activity in the New World. Since
the final separation of Haiti and San Do
mingo, 80 years ago, Haiti has gone through
only 10 general revolutions to San Domingo's
60. These were the big revolutions, not the
little ones.
1t is not surprising, in view Of the shaky
political conditions in the Black Republic
that foreign capital has Stunned Haiti, ex-
cept as eXploiters have taken advantage Of
the Haitien's passion for office holding and
fondness for graft. The instability of gov
ernment cannot be the only reason for this
avoidance of Haitien investments for the
natural resources of San Domingo, Vene-
zuela and other turbulent countries have
been wonderfully developed by outside
money. Perhaps race prejudice has good
deal to do with It.
Within little more than so years after
the Spanish settlement of Haiti the native
inhabitants had been virtually extermi-
mated. BY the treaty of Ryswick in 1897
Spain ceded the country (that is, the western
part of Hispaniola) to France. The extermi-
nation of tn natives had already led to
the importation of blacks from Africa,
and during the 18th and 18th centuries
Haiti became country of large plantations
owned by rich French landholders and
worked by slaves. At the beginning of the
French Revolution the population was over
whelmingly black In 1893 the English in
vaded Haiti. The French authorities offered
freedom to all slaves who would enrol them
selves as soldiers in the army of defense.
In the next year decree abolishing slavery
was published. 1t was largely due to the
black soldiers that the English were driven
out:
A Fine Place to Live, If
Haiti would be. as enthusiast describes
It, zone of the most desirable places of abode
in the world" If the elements of desirability
consisted solely in 1.-The wonderful fertility
of the SOIL the healthful climate, the equi-
table distribution of rainfall, the numerous
rivers, the vast plains and valleys, the gor-