The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-11-12
Why the United States Had to
Enter the Negro Republic With
Force-The Financial Control
For Ten Years Now Vested In
us-How Superstitions Of the
Natives Were Played Upon by
an American Doctor.

ministration Of the republic
Of Haiti, the Black Republic
recently zone Of those who have fol.
lowed events in this land of intrigue
was surprised. A year ago 1nterven-
ton was considered to be only a ques.
ton Of time. In fact, intervention in
one form or another in the twin repub-
lies, Haiti and Santo Domingo, which
occupy that wonderfully rich island has
been considered ever since President
Grant sat in the White House. Santo
Domingo actually has been under a
mild financial supervision for several
years, with beneficial results to its peo-
pie. Now n treaty with Haiti has been
executed by which the United States
will exercise supervision not only over
the fiscal but over the ordinary inter
nal affairs Of the country for a term of
ten years.
The modification of the treaty that
resulted IN its acceptance and sigma
ture by President Dartiguenave takes
all the power from the proposed flnan-
cha adviser to the Haitian government
to be appointed by the United States
and the vesting Of his proposed pow
ers In the National Bank of Haiti.
n portions Of the proposed treaty
to which the Haitians objected would,
they held. give the financial adviser
greater powers than their president
and practically make him the ruler Of
their country.
Only Scattered Opposition.
So far no serious opposition has been
developed among the population to the
treaty assigned, and it Is held to be
unlikely that the few agitators who are
trying to rouse the people against the
Americans will succeed in their object.
II they should succeed the United
States would be obliged to throw a
sufficient force Of troops into the is
land In addition to the marines and
b~luejackets at present holding the coast
towns and undertake a campaign on
the lines drawn up by Major Charles
Young, Ninth cavalry, n of the color
ed officers of our army, who spent three
years as military attache to our lega-
ton in Port au Prince, In the course Of
which time he mapped the island with
q thoroughness never known before.
In consequence Of this the war depart
ment at Washington is equipped with
splendid Typographical maps of the viz
tually unknown interior Of the island,
and troops would never be at a loss on
the rugged mountain trails.
That a period Of supervised self GOV
eminent under American officials will
be Of great benefit to the Haitians even
the friends of the negro race agree.
In recent years Haiti has seemed to
be slipping back from such civilization
as she had gained. Her government
became a kind of savage military die
tatorship. Mlsrule bankrupted the
treasury; commerce was at a stand
still; the peaceable rural peasantry
were bag ridden by fear of the petty
local tyrants, who abused them; mas
sacre was the order Of the day even in
the capital. 1t is impossible for the
United States to tolerate longer such a
condition at Its very doorstep. If 1t
had done so probably France and Eng
land would have interviewed.
Therefore the United States finds it.
self saddled with responsibility for the
well being Of another alien race, add
Ing to the Filipinos and Porto Ricans,
the ~Nicaraguans and Santo Domingans.
the turbulent Haitians.
We Do Not Know the Haitians.
The situation is complicated by the
fact that We do not know the Hal
ttans any more than they know US. AL
though the island is only three days.
steaming from this coast, Haiti or Santo
Domingo, as it is %variously called, is
probably more strange and mysterious
to Americans than Albania.