Norwich bulletin., 1921-05-09
HAITIAN DELEGATES MAKE
 PROTEST TO HARDING

Washington May 8-Charging a long series of atrocities by American marines and the native gendarmerie in Haiti and demanding the withdrawal of the United States military forces From that repub lie, three Haitian delegates are in Wash ington to present a memorial 10 Presi- dent Harding, the state department and congress.
 The memorial was made public tonight by the delegates It reviews the five years of military occupation of Haiti and declares that it is the most terrible regime of military au,osracy which has ever been carried 9n in the name of the great American democracy"
 The naval investigation of conditions in the republic ordered by Secretary Daniels last year and conducted by a board under Rear Admiral Mayo is characterized as a joke and Rea- Ad- miral Knapp is accused of having done ! nothing at all" when ne vIsIte1 Haiti under orders from Secretary Daniels to mako a personal inquiry.
 "The Haitian people feel" says the memorial, that if the naval court of broad mandate conferred upon. it by MT. Jose7hus Daniels, it Is because 1t 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 ths water cure and other tortures by American officers and marines and the commission of ] "numberless- abominable crimes" of i which 25 cases, with names and dates, are given in the memorial. 1 Removal of S5OO.OO0 Haitian govern ment funds which American marines carried off land took on board the gun boat Machias." and which were deposit ed in a New York bank to force the Haitian government 10 accept control oi the customs house by systematically de- priving it of financial resources Entrance by Brigadier General Smed- ley D. Butler on June 19. 1917. revolver in hand. followed by American officers armed with their revolvers." into the Haitian legislative chamber and disso- Tuition by force of the Haitian legisla- tive assembly.
 | Enforced ratification on June 12. 1918 of a new Haitian constitution. with ma rines presiding at the ballot boxes, only ballots bearing the word Yes" being is- sued
 Exclusion from the naval court of in lquiry of "an Haitians who had any
 
 eases of murder. brutality. rape. arson etc, that is. of Haitians who wished t' convince the court of inquiry Of tht
 way in which the forces Of occupation had carried out their duty In Haiti
 Furthermore it is charged that nor, than 4.000 prisoners died in 1918, 1911
 and 1920 in the prisoners at Cape-Hai
 tien and that "at Chabert, an Ameri
 can camp, 5,475 prisoners died durini
 these three years"
 ''The ghastly mortality in the pris
 ons," continues the memorial, ''togethe
 with confirmatio by survWors, reveals
 record of atrocities, of brutality, anS
 cruelty which deties de5cription. It is record for which it would be difficult t
 find parallel"
 The memorial concludes by statini
 that during the five years of Americal occupation, Haiti "has passed thIougl such sacrifices, tortures. destructions. hu
 miliations and misery as have never be
 fore been known in the course of its un happy history
 For tkese wrongs and injuries" tn
 Haitian people ask -eparatiun. says tn : memorial, and they also request: Immediate abolition of martial la7
 and courts martial
 Immediate reorganization of the Hai
 tian police and military forces, anS
 withdrawal, within snort period of th American military forces. Abrogation of the convention of J95 under which American military occupa l tion began.
 Convocation within a short peliod o constituent assembly with all guaran tees Of electoral liberty.
 The Haitian delegates sent here 70 pre- sent the memorial are T. Pauieus San r non, former Haitian secretary for for eign affairs and once Haitian niniste ! to the United States; Stenio Vincent former president of the Haitian senate 5 and ,Percival Thoby, former Haida ; lcharge daffaires at Washington. The represent the patriotic union of Halt f ldescribed as a non-partisan organiZa s ! tion founded at Port-Au-Prince in 1e2
 and in which. 1t is claimed, every one c : Haiti's twenty-nine districts is represent ed