The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-01-12
Let No One Be Fooled By
Fake ''Protect American
Lives and Property" Cry
BY ]. LOUIS ENcDAHL.

The u. s. Marine Corps Report
gives the number Of Haitians killed
as 3,250-'killed either by marines
or by the person Of the gendarmerie
of Haiti" (see z. s. Marine Corps,
Report on HAITI, p. 1852
THE work Of building highway
from Port gu Prince 10 Cape Hal.
tian was In charge OF an officer OF
marines, who stands out even ia
that organization for his treat 'em
rough" methods. He discovered
the obsolete Haitian coryee and de,
cided to enforce It with the most
modern marine efficiency. The cor.
wee, or road law, IN Haiti provided
that each citizen should work GER
tain number Of days on the public
roads 10 keep them in condition, or
pay certain sum Of money. The
Occupation seized men wherever ii
could find them, and no able-bodied
Haitian was safe from such raids,
which most closely resembled the
African slave raids Of past cen
turtles. And slavery II was, tho
temporary. BY day, or by night
from the bosom OF their families,
from their little farms or while
trudging peacefully on the country
roads, Haitians were seized and
forcibly taken 70 toll for months in
far sections of the country. Those
who protested or resisted were
beaten into submission. Those at
tempting TO escape were shot "
The quotation is again from John
sons "selfDetermining Haiti"
These atrocities resulted in a
brief revolt led BY an educated and
cultured Haitian, Charlemagne Pc
ralte, who had been forced TO work
in convict clothes on the streets Of
Cape Haitian. The revolt was crush.
ed and Charlemagne Peralte was
killed. mot in open fight, not in
an attempt at his capture" but
while standing over his camp fire,
he was shot in cold blood by an
American marine officer who stood
concealed by the darkness, and who
had reached the camp thru bribery
and trickery." A protest lodged by
prominent Haitians with the senate
committee Of inquiry into the occu-
patton OF Haiti ia 1921 declares that
the American occupation lis the
most terrible regime OF military
autocracy which has ever been car
ried on in the name OF the great
American democracy.
'srhe Haitian people, during these
past five years, have passed thru
such sacrifices, fortunes, destruc.
tons, humiliations and misery as
has never before been known in the
course of It's unhappy history"
According TO an American recent
ly returning from visit to Haiti
in 1920, III the United States should
leave Haiti today. IL would leave
more than thousand orphans and
widows OF its own making, more
banditry than has existed for cen
fury, resentment, hatred and de-
spair In the heart OF whole peo-
Pile"
Conditions somewhat similar to
the road law enforcement In Haiti
we're recently exposed by The
DAILY WORKER In Peru. The
story Of Haiti does not stand alone.
II is the story Of Cuba, Porto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, of all the Latin
American countries of the Hawaiian
Islands, the Philippine Islands. the
Samoan (American) Islands, and OF
every other victim OF Wall Street
Imperialism, in greater or lesser de.
gree. Today II Is Nicaragua, Mex
leo and China.
The imperialist robbers and hang
men speak as II the property and
lives OF tho subject peoples really
belonged to them. They are learn
ing that they have no vested in
terests that they cannot take at the
point OF gun or bayonet. And the
oppressed peoples are learning to
fight back. Just as important, the
working class IN the United States,
the imperiallst homeland. Is learn.
| ing to turn It's back upon the i'm
perialist demand that labor Tight
its battles.
Let no one be deceived by the
imperlalist appeal for the "protec-
tion OF lives and property"