Evening star., 1925-05-31

II" HE Republic of Haiti is to-
ss day enjoying a greater de-
gree of prosperity, of Sc
l. curity and development of
its splendid resources than
at any time in its history. It's people
are happier, freer, more contented
and rising higher in the scale of civil
ization than ever before. l make
this statement without fear of contra
diction from any reliable source, and
attribute the splendid showing en-
tirely to the American occupation of
that country during the past 10
years. These are the views of
former Representative William A.
Rodenberg of Illinois, who has just
returned to Washington from a visit
to the black republic with a party of
friends including National Committee
man Allen F. Moore of the same State.
"The Republic of Haiti" said Mr..
Rodenberg, roughly embraces about
one-third of the island lying between
Cuba and Porto Rico.
That island was regarded by Colum-
bus as the most charming as we'll as
the most valuable of all his dis
coveries. 1t was the scene of all his
! triumphs and all his sorrows. 1t was
there that he was appointed governor
and afterwards imprisoned, loaded
with chains and finally died. His body
was inferred in the eastern end, in
the Republic of Santo Domingo, but
many of the principal events in his
career were enacted on Haitian SOIL
His flagship on the first voyage was
wrecked upon that coast, and it vas
there that he held his earliest confer
ences with the native chiefs. For
that reason Haiti will for all time
! hold an absorbing interest for the
American people.
Position Is Unique.
1t has held unique position from
| the start. 1t is the only land visited
by Columbus that has not retained its
| Spanish origin. After being ceded to
France by the Spanish crown it re-
| ceived the special consideration of
| that government and had become at
I the time of the French Revolution
what the great discoverer had
dreamed it one day would be-the
| wealthiest and most highly priced
| colony in the world. Modern Haitian
| history really starts from the time
| of the French Revolution, and AS all
| the world knows, after the exte-mi-
nation of the white population by the
| slaves. the country, save at a few sea
ports, degenerated to the depths of
| barbarism.
Some idea of the extent Of the de-
! struction was pointed out by a Senate
| committee three years ago when it
! showed that although the French had
| built $50 miles of public roads in
Haiti, pronounced by French writer's
| to equal the highways leading from
| Paris to Versailles, they had degener-
| ated at the time of the American occu-
| patton to such an extent that only a
| fraction could be used by wheeled
vehicles Instead of a magnificent
system of highways women and
| burros became the burden bearers of
| the country. All products which were
| brought into the market or taken
| into the interior from the coastal
cities and towns were borne by the
women carrying their burdens upon
| their heads or upon the backs of their
| burros.
Men Rarely are Seen.
This same primitive condition still
exists and one of the most pic.
turesque, sights in the country Is to
see a never-ending stream of these
women and burros upon the highways
! bringing their meager wares to
market. The men are rarely seen in
these cavalcades. For generations 1t
was dangerous for them to appear on
the highways as they would be i'm
labor for the chiefs, so they adopted
the plan of remaining in hiding and
| sending the women to market. But
! this condition is rapidly changing.
] When The Americans landed 10 years