The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-05-09
|RAITIENS Want
TROOPS MOVED
delegates in Washington to Pre-
sent Memorial to Presi-
dent and Congress.
CHARGE MARINES
WITH ATROCITIES
Declare Occupation as a Most
Terrible Regime of Mill
tary Autocracy.
tsy The Associated Press.)

WASHINGTON. May S.--Charging a
ling series of atrocities by American
marines and the native gendarmerie in
Haiti and demanding the withdrawal
Of the United States military forces
rom that republic three Haitian dele
gates are in Washington to present a
memorial TO President Harding, the
state department and congress.
The memorial was made public. to-
night by the delegates. 1t reviews the
five years of military occupation of
Haiti and declares it is "the most ter
rible regime of military autocracy.
which has ever been carried on in the
name of the great American democ-
| dcy".
The Haitian people feel, says the
memorial, that If the naval court Of
INQUIRY has not fulfilled in Haiti the
broad mandate conferred upon 1t by
Mr. Josephus Daniels, it is because it
was faced with charges of such hor-
rible nature that it thought best to
pass them over in silence.
Among the acts charged against the
american occupation of Haiti are:
Administration of the water cure"
and other tortures by American Off
Gers and marines and the commission
E numberless "abominable crimes of
which % cases, with names and dates,
sac given in the memorial.
Removal of $500, 600 of Haitian gov
c.nment funds which American ma :.
ICES carried off "and took on board
me gunboat Machias," and which were
dc, osited i'm a New York bank to
".orce the Haitian government to ac-
cept control of the custom houses by
Systematically depriving it of financial
resources"
Entrance by Brigadier General
Smedley y. Butler, June 10, 1917, re-
yolver in hand followed by American
Ulcers armed with their revolvers,
into the Haitian legislative chamber
and dissolution by force of the Haitian
legislative assembly.
Enforced ratification, June ~, 1918,
~ new Haitian constitution with
marines presiding at the ballot boxes,
only ballots bearing the word yes"
being issues.
Exclusion from the naval court of
inquiry of all Haitians who had any
thing TO say regarding the numerous
cases Of murder, brutality, rape, arson,
etc, that is. Of Haitians who wished
10 convince the court of the way in
which the forces of occupation had
carried out their duty in Haiti"
Furthermore 1t is charged that more
than 1000 prisoners died in 1918, 1919,
and 1920 in the prisons at Cap Haitien,
and that "at Chabert, an American
camp 5475 prisoners died during these
three years.
The CHASTITY morality in the prisons
continues the memorial" together with
confirmation of survivors, reveals n
record OF atrocities, of brutality. and
cruelty. which defies description 1t
Is record for which 1t would be diff
ficult TO find a parallel.
The memorial concludes by stating
that during the five years of American
occupation Haiti has passed through
such sacrifices, tortures, distinctions.
humiliations, and misery as have never
been before known in the course of it's
unhappy history.
For these wrongs and INJURIES" the
Haitian people ask reparation says the
memorial, and they also request:
Immediate abolition of martial law
and courtsmartial.
Immediate reorganization OF the
Haitian police and military forces, and
withdrawal within a short period of
The American military forces.
Abrogation OF the convention of 1915
under which American military occu-
PATTON began.
Convc"ation within short period
OF assembly with all guarantees OF
electoral liberty.
The Haitian delegates sent here to
present the memorial are II. Pauleus
Sanon, former Haitian secretary for
ioreisn affairs and once Haitian min
mter to the United States. Stenio
r'hcent. former president OF the
ia'lah senate, and Perceval Thoby,
. ,v.mer Haitian charge d'affaires at
Washington. They represent the Patri-
O.c Union OF Haiti, described as a
ron partisan organization founded at
or' Au Prince in 1890. in which it is