The Washington herald., 1921-02-14
KNAPP CLAIMS
EROOPSNHAYTI
MEAN LIBERTY
Navy Admiral Defends
Policy of Occupation
AS Necessary.
SAYS GRAFTERS TRY
TO GAIN CONTROL
Only Small Per Cent Seek
Change, Daniels
Reports.

The maintenance of trandUilllt!
and security in Hayti is still abso
!. lutely dependent upon the presence
OF the United States forces Of occu
patton, according to Rear Admira
Fl. S. Knapp who recently returned
ftr an exhaustive investigation o.
conditions in Hayti made jointly fol
the Navy and State Departments.
In a supplementary report to the
Secretary of the Navy made public
yesterday. Admiral Knapp says thiI
j is his 'snrm and deliberate opinion
unless the existing treaty be abro'
gated, which he declares is "out ot
the question"
Much of the agitation against The
military occupation is merely tc
gain a hearing and the sympathy o.
peaple in the United States, he says
while the real object is to ask the
Lbrogation Of the treaty and the
-eturn to the Haytians of the re.
tricted management of the public
aldltS Oh IIlt EtpuDllC, the duAlli q
declares.
Occupation Popular.
Gould this, which believe to bt
the real object of the agitators, bc
obtained, l think that 999 Haytian!
|. out of 1000 would be glad to see the
I American forces OF occupation re-
main here to enforce good order
In other words, the Haytians, ever
the worst agitatOrs among them
would be willing to have the United
States act the part of policeman
and otherwise leave them to theil
own devices. In this connection.
may state my conviction that all th'
agitation that is going on is done
by less than one-tenth of one D.
cent Of the Haytian people Esti-
mating the population of Hayt al
from 1000, 900 to 100000. this would
mean that the agitators are from
1000 to $500 In number ] give thfs
figure as a very conservatives *
Aggerated estimate; il has been re-
ported to me that Haytians them
selves have said that only be.wef,2
200 and 409 of the Haytian peorf
are agitators against the Uni ed
States" he asserts
%
that is sought by the agitat0rs. but
license that will enable the7 'o
proceed in the old mann5E where
pubIic once was a recognized og-
portunity Of private enri' FIe7t iz
the opinion expressed in report
which continues:
Sees EIpIoItatfoa
Admitting for arguments sake
that each of the agitators, estimated
above as one-tenth of of l per cent
Ct the toal population, speaks with
the unspoken sympathy of nifty
others. we arrive at per cent Of
the total population as the number
in whose interest in any way the
agitation is being conducted. I be-
Iieve this to be 4 greatly exaggerat-
I'd figure. This leads to the qCes-
lion. What about the interests Of
the s5 per cent Of the population
were the wishes of the per cent to
he gratifed? The answer to my
mind is plain; the e5 per cent would
he exploited for the disonest benefit
Of the per cent. The 95 per cent
would enjoy less real freedom than
they do now. for the combined effect
nr the treaty and the occupation pro-
,ccts them from the haTpies of their
c-r race. Should the United States,
having put its hand to the pillow,
row look back and withdraw, leav-
ing these people (the political agita-
|, ,ors) to their own devices it would
in my opinion be sUrrendering the
truc liberty and true @terest Of s5
rrr cent of the pOpUlation-prOba
bIv more-and encouraging the Un-
- -
dishonest, arbitrary and tyrannical
measures at the expense of an over
whefning part of the Haytian peo-
nIe. As it is now, as great a por-
ton Of the total revenue as is pos
sibIe under the terms of the treaty
is honestly collected, and the reve-
nue. so collected is honestly spent
While il is probably impossible to
state that graft does not still exist,
il is concealed graft unknown to
the United States treaty officials"
summing up the situation as it
Exists today and showing his reason
for believing it imperative that
armed forces remain in the island,
Admiral Knapp says:
Not a Republic.
The people Of the United States
should not allow themselves TO be
deceived by the words Republic of
Haytf' into believing that there ex-
lists in Hayti, or ever has, a republic
in any true sense, founded upon
the expressed will of an Intelligent
and educated electorate. The So
called Republic of Hayti, left to it
self. has been a tyrannical oligarchy
IN which those in power fattened
upon the vast mass of the popula-
ton. while those of the governing
class out Of power sought every op-
portunity to get into power, by fair
means or foul, with the same cor
rupt personal ends in view. Any
idea Of Hayti conceived on the ba-
sis of the surroundings of the av-
rage citizen Of the United States
who is more or less educated, and
Who lives under a regime of law
which makes impossible his being
exploited by a governing class and
insures security Of his life and
property-is Utterly false under the
actual conditions. as is a judgment
Of happenings in Hayti founded
upon such an idea. Tranquility and
security now exist in Hayti practi-
raIIy throughout the country. Now
aud again one hears of robberies,
as one does in New York City and
other places in the United States,
but these small affairs no more be-
token any general conditions in
Hayti than they do in the United
states. From all THAT l can gather,