New-York tribune., 1920-12-04
Congress Held
Able to Prove
Haytian Iaxity
American Business Men on
Island Say Investigation
Would Bring Out Negli-
gence of u. S. Officials
Exonerate the Marines
Report on 1neficiencv
Would Create Euror,
Republics Traders Assert

Congressional Investigation Of af-
fairs IN Hayti would be welcomed by
all American and French citizens resid
ing on the island, was the belief of a
trio o. American business men who
arrived on the Panama Railroad steam
ship Advance yesterday. These three
men, who represent 80 per cent of the
commercial activity on the island be-
ieve such an inquiry would bring out
the alleged negligence end ineficiency
of the American officials who are admin
isistering the Haytian-American treaty
of 1915.
II. P. Davis, president Of the
United West Indies Corporation, while
o@onerating the United States Marines
in Haytl, said he welcomed the inquiry
which had been made at Port-au- Prince.
Wants Congressional Inquiry
Owe ali agree he said, that a Con-
gresslonal inquiry is needed Further
than that. it will straighien out mat
enlng, and it viii do much to promote
constructive work in the future. The
people here must realize that the
United States made solemn promises to
help Haytl In her development. What
the people here are going to find out
is that these promises have never been
lived UP to, and that everything has
retarded on the island with the cxccp-
tion Of checking the 'cacos' or bandits
that formerly overran the whole island.
They have been considerably checked,
thanks to the Marines"
c. Edgar Eliot, president Of the
Haytiar American Corporation, said:
The treaty officials nominated by
the President and appointed by Hayti
(and do not mean to east any re-
Elections on their personal honcsty)
are utterly inefficient and completely
inefficient. Simply because the gen
tlemen came from Louisiana, officials
at Washing. ton believed that they we've
competent to run a tropical island with
all its petty intrigues, race and color
pre judices and It's peculiar political
probe
Says Probe Would Cause Furor
L. P. Pawley of the West Indies
Tracing Company, corrobatcd what his
companions had said. He declared that
If the killing Of lIaytians had stirred
Americans at home. a Congressional
the island would cause nothing short Of
a furor.
Freeman Lang, formerly corporal
in the Marine Corps, accused, during
the hearings in Nayti of the murder
of three Haytians and the torturing of
others with the use Of radio appar-
atua, also returned on the Advance
He smiiingly denied all the charges
made against him, declaring that he
ha. never been engaged in a hand to
hand conflict with q native, and that
while it was true he had fought them
and probably killed than in the bush,
that this had always followed attacks
on Marine outposts lie insisted that
sucn encounters were simply in pun
suit of his duty He SAID the testi-
mony which had been given the Port
au-Prince committee was made by two
ex-gendarmcs who had been in Jail on
charges of treason and were formerly
men under his command.
The American business men substan-
tiated Lang +. p. Davis, who how is
lang's employer, characterized the cx-
corporal as one Of the finest young men
on the island and an expert master
mechanic.