Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-10
HAITI, THE MAGIC
ISLE Of THE INDIES
Land Where Ruthless Ex'
plotting Blasted the Prom
Use of PROGRESS.

dowed by nature even than the tabled
isles that medieval mariners loved to
dream about: country of pleasant
peaks, charming wales and fertile
plains; an idyllic land set in sum
mer sea.
Picture then a land where the
avarice of conquerors. ruthlessly ex-
plotting. has blasted promises of
progress: where the passions of men
have run riot: where tyrant after
: tyrant, some great, some petty, have
waded to power through pools of
blood: land from which the gods
of peace and industry seem to have
turned away"
Both" says the National Geo
graphic Society. in bulletin issued
from its Washington. ID. c.. headquar-
tiers. ARE pictures of Haiti, the rela-
tons between which country and the
United States are now under discus
sion.
Island With Four Names.
ITO avoid confusion. it must be ex-
planned at the outset" continues the
bulletin. that the name Haiti is used
sometimes to denote the entire island
which is the second largest land mass
in the West Indies: sometimes to de-
note merely the republic of Haiti,
which occupies the western third of
its area. The possibilities of con-
fusion are increased by the fact that
the island is also known as Santo
Domingo and San Domingo. names
/. applied to the Dominican republic
which occupies the eastern two
thirds of the land unit.
The name Haiti is much used be-
cause it was the descriptive term.
meaning high land given to the
the favorite of the West Indies to
Columbus. who reserved for it the
most complimentary name bestowed
on the lands which he discovered
Hispaniola. Little SPAIN Something
of the impression which this beautiful
. and promising island made on the
great discoverer can be glanced from
his reference to it as Garden of
Eden and form the fact that he
named the point at which he first set
foot on Haiti. December s, 1892. the
Vale of Paradise
Scene OF an Historic Shipwreck.
History has been prodigal to the
Island of Haiti and has crowded one
interesting and tragic event after
another into the relatively short span
of years since the eyes of white men
first beheld its towering peaks On
Cape Haitien. the Santa Maria, which
bore Columbus to the New World.
was wrecked on Christmas eve. 1892.
and from it's broken. historic boards
was set up by the crew the first
structure erected by Europeans in
the western hemisphere. This was
the Fort of Navidad in which the
men Of the Santa Maria We're killed
while Columbus was on his return
voyage to Spain to report his epoch
making discovery of the Indies
Farther to the east. on the north
ern coast of the island, Columbus
built on his return the first white
settlement in the New World. naming
the little town Isabella for the
queen who had made his voyage of
discovery possible. On this second
trip Columbus brought with him to
his magic isle a great fleet bearing
a large force of soldiers and adven-
turers. After defeating the natives
south coast and there laid the foun- |
dations of the city of Santo Do
mingo-first permanent city estab-
lished by Europeans in America. for
many years the most important out
post of western civilization. and fore
runner of the countless cities and
villages that are the seats today of
the industry, commerce and culture
OF the three Americas.
Prospect Ruined by Avnrice.
'It was wonderful future that
seemed to open before Columbus and
his fellow-voyagers as they took pos
session of the most favored of the
Antilles. Those of vision among them
saw 1t in the future, no doubt, as a
mighty island treasure house yield
ing up its riches of mine and forest
and field: harboring a great and pros
porous population. But the avarice of
man stepped in and botted out the
promising picture. The Spanish ad-
venturers. unwilling to work. en-
shaved the native Indians and drove
them so cruelty that they died off
by thousands. When death threatened
TO rob them of their laborers. the ex-
ploiters imported large numbers of
African slaves who We're better able
to bear up under the heavy tasks and
who multiplied rapidly. Soon the ma
tives were exterminated and the ne
gro slaves and free mulattoes far out
numbered the white land owners.
brief golden age, in so far as the
exploiters were concerned; the arous-
ing OF envy on the part of English
and French buccaneers: wars which
divided the sovereignty between Spain
and France and finally left the latter
in complete control-these were chap
tsrs that followed one another rap
idl in the history of Haiti. BY the
time of the birth of the United States
the blacks and mulattoes in the west
ern part of the island. that part first
dominated by France and now the re-
public of Haiti. outnumbered the
whites fifteen to one: while those in
the part of the island now under the
Dominican republic outnumbered the
whites four to one.
Seeds of Oppression Bear Fruit.
The seeds of oppression bore fruit
under stimulation of the French rev.
olution. and in 1871 the slaves rose.
ushering in a decade of bloodshed and
revolving cruelties on both sides.
Finally III 1904 independence was OBJ
tanned. slavery was abolished. and the
negro republic of Haiti was born. The
country passed through the stages of
negro empire and kingdom before
republic became the accepted form
of government. Haiti at one time con-
quered and annexed the Spanish part
Of the island, but in 1874 the latter
separated from the negro republic and
established the Dominican republic
The history of the republic of Haiti,
as well as the empire and kingdom
has been a series of revolutions. as
sasSinations of rulers. and general
strife between factions in control of
the government and those desiring
forcibly to gain control. OF the
twenty-eight rulers of Haiti since it's
first, Emperor Dessalines. only four
have completed their terms of Office.
Five were assassinated and most of
the others were driven from office
and even from the country.
United States Takes Control.
After particularly bloody incident
In 1915, when President Giullaume
. Sam was taken from the French en-
oassy and drawn and quartered in the
streets OF the capital by an Infatuated
mob, the United States occupied the
island.
"A treaty was entered into similar
TO one with the Dominican republic
but going further in that it provides
for an American Differed constabu-
larry, regulation of matters pertaining
n he