Evening star., 1925-05-31
Survey of Haiti Reveals
Islands Marked Progress

Continued from Third PageD
been called. On assuming the execu-
| tive Office President Borno said in a
! public manifesto:
| Prior tc the events of 1915. l had.
all of my life, been firmly opposed to
the acceptance Of foreign Intervention
| in the affairs Of my country. The
| brutal massacre of some of our most
prominent citizens in the prison at
Port au Prince and the terrible spec
tacle of our country on the verge of
| anarchy, misery and ruin convinced
me, with al sincere and enlightened
| Haitians, of the necessity for outside
| assistance.
The United States was the only
| country to which we could look for
help, and we welcomed the American
| intervention, grateful for the security
! from anarchy which it assured to US.
After almost seven years / am still
Of the same opinion. I firmly believe
| that the American intervention has
| saved US from anarchy.
| L therefore state in terms not equi-
| vocal that the policy of my govern
| ment will be complete and earnest
! application of the treaty of 1915. Con
| f1dent Of the solemn engagements
contracted between Haiti and the
great American Republic and in the
| justice of the American people, I will
! ask for effective assistance in the
| rehabilitation of our finances. the de-
velopment of our resources and the
! realization of all Of our great posi-
bilities for prosperity and happiness"
Cooperation Is Generous
Ii is fortunate that the Haitian
! people not only have such an execu-
hIrY ha nir.ir Of
! operation and team work should exist
! between the executive and the Amer
| lean high commissioner TO whom is
fntrusted the success or failure of our
| intervention under the terms. In all
| frankness. l am compelled to say
| after having given the Haitian prob
lem my best study that unqualifiedly
| indorse the recommendation of the
Senate committee, signed by members
| of both parties, to the effect that the
| American administration in Haiti
! should hereafter be marked by con-
/ tinuity of service. The committee re-
| ported that not only have certain
American officers and officials been
| chosen for service in Haiti who were
unsuited to their task. but men have
| been tran sferred from responsible
posts before they could very well have
| learned the duties to which they had
| been appointed. During the six years
| or the American occupation in Haiti
| there have been half a dozen chiefs of
the Latin American Bureau half a
dozen commandants Of the forces of
occupation. half a dozen commanders
| Of the Gendarmerie d'Haiti Every
American who has an opportunity TO
study Haitian conditions will indorse
| this recommendation.
Russell Has Able STAFF.
Fortunately, in the present high
| commissioner a man appears to have
been found who has the temperament,
the tact and the executive ability that
this difficult position requires. In
addition, Gen. Russell has been fur
nished with an exceptionally able staff
! to administer the several executive
departments, as was recommended by
that Senate committee. AS a result
the amount of improvement in
! finances, public works, agriculture and
sanitation accomplished in the past
few years is almost incredible and
! Haiti is rapidly taking a position
where she will again be worthy of the
place she occupied during the days of
| French regime, when she was known
| throughout the world as the Pearl Of
| the Antilles.
OF course, all material development
depends upon a healthy people and
for that reason 1 believe the Ameri-
can public will be interested in learn
ing of the efforts that are being made
| to strike the shackles of disease from
these unfortunate people. For more
than a century Haiti had the dire
reputation of being one of the worst
pest holes in the tropics. Not only
was the virulence of the yellow fever
epidemics among the most terrible of
which there is any record, but almost
4 no tive lot fI<,, lg.4z
| those scourges which always follow
| in the wake of white civilization. The
taint had been transmitted from one
| generation to another, until only the
, ruling class appeared to have escaped
, it.
Disease Then, Widespread.
A widespread disease of both body
and mind existed at the time of the
occupation, and Commander Butler
of the Medical Corps of the Navy,
| who has had charge of this work, and
his assistants, have accomplished lit
tie short of the miraculous in clean
ing up this condition. The dilapidated
and insanitary structures in the
larger cities which served as hospi-
tails have for the most part been put
in excellent repair, while Central
Haiti, which was entirely without
! hospital facilities, has been provided
with numerous dispensaries. Until
these were opened the nearest physi-
{ clans were at Port au Prince, or Cape
| Haitien, a hundred miles away, and
| the sufferings of the immense popula-
| ton in the interior can be better i'm
agined than described.
| One Of the hardest tasks that has
confronted the American doctors has
been to overcome the superstitions of
the natives. Most of those in the in
terror are believers in voodooism and
attribute their ills to curses pro.
nounced upon them by the voodoo
| doctors. Many of them in the be-
ginning had to be forcibly subjected
to treatment :tor ulcers and other all.
ments, but the medical men have now
gained the confidence Of these simple