The Washington herald., 1921-05-09
HAITI In TERROR
OF US. MARINES,
Delegates of Patriotic
Union Here to Pre-
sent Grievance.
SAY NAVAL COURT
EXCLUDED PROOF
Demand Withdrawal of
Forces and Repara-
tions.


lean forces occupying Haiti. the
three delegates Of the Patriotic
Union oil HAITI have arrived In
Washington to present today to
President Harding, the State De-
partment and Congress a report In
which the American Marines and
Haitian gepdarmes are accused OF
committing numerous atrocities not
investigated by the Daniels court
of inquiry.
The report calls the American
occupation the most terrible regime
OF military autocracy which has ever
been carried on in this great Amer
lean democracy" The three dele
gates are H. Pauleus Sannon, for
mer Haitian secretary Of foreign
affairs and former Haitian Minister
to the United States: stenio Ven
cent, former president Of the Hal
tan senate, and H. Percival Thoby.
former charge d'affaires Of the Hal
tian Legation in Washington
what They Demand.
The Haitian people, according to
the report, in addition to repara-
tions for the wrongs and Injuries
done them. desire:
1. Immediate abolition of martial
law and courts-martial.
2. Immediate reorganization Of
the Haitian police and military
forces, and withdrawal within a
short period OF the United States
military occupation.
2. Abrogation OF the convention
of 1915.
4. convocation within a short
period of a constituent assembly
with all the guarantees Of electoral
liberty.
Charge Funds Conhseated.
Among the acts charged against
the American occupation of Haiti
Confscation of $500, 900 Of Haitian
government funds. which American
Marines carried of in broad day
light and took on board the gun
boat Machias. the funds being de-
posted in a New York bank to
force the Haitian government to
accept control OF the custom houses
by systematically depriving it of a.
nancial resources
Death of 4.0Oe prisoners in the
prisons of Cape Haitien and of
5.475 prisoners at Chabert. an
American camp, in the three years
lslS-l9-2O.
Administration of water cure and
other tortures by American officers
and Marines, and the commission of
"numberless abominable crimes" of
which 25 cases, with names and
dates, are given in the report.
Assembly ForcibIy Dissolved.
Entrance by Gen. Smedley D. But
Ter on June 10, 1917, revolver in
hand, followed by American officers
armed with revolvers. into the Hal
tian legislative chamber and disso-
luton by force Of the assembly.
Enforced ratification on June IL.
1918, of a new Haitian constitution,
with Marines presiding at the ballot
boxes, only ballots, bearing the WORD
yes" being issued.
Exclusion from the naval court
of inquiry of all Haitians who had
anything to say regarding the nu-
merous cases of murder. brutality.
rape, arson, etc, that is, of HaitIaus
who wished to convince the court OF
inquiry of the way in which the
forces Of occupation had carried out
their duty to Haiti"
The report is supplementary to
two resolutions calling for Con-
gressional investigation of Haitian
affairs, one introduced by Senator
Hiram johnson, of California, the
other by Representative Bland. of
Indiana
Blame Gendarmes for Disorders-
The disorders in Haiti are attrib-
uted to the gendarmerie, which,
aided and encouraged by the
American occupation" is charged
with having imposed their corvee or
slave road labor and of having
caused the revolt known as the
revolt of the Cacos, for the repres-
sion Of which many useless atroc-
ities were committed by the ma
rines." Men were admitted to the
Haitian gendarmerie, says the re-
port. who were 'watned" by the
Haitian courts on charges of rob-
berry, murder. etc.
The report then gives in detail
the charges of atrocities alleged to
have been committed by marines
and sendarnierie which were not
investigated by the naval court. II
also lists additional Haitians al
legged to have been executed by